Growing up in early 20th century Britain

As you've heard, the past can come alive through the voices of people who experienced it.

Now that you've seen how a historian approaches audio sources, you can have a go yourself by listening to examples of oral testimony and practising your historical skills on them. The audio clips below are both from accounts of growing up in the first half of the 20th century.

As you listen to them, ask yourself what conclusions they might lead you to about social class divisions in British society at this time - and what if anything has changed since then?

	Growing up in Kent: 'Dad chopped up most of the furniture to keep the fires going...' Play audio Read transcript

	Growing up in Gloucestershire: 'My father had a chauffeur, and we had a butler, we had a nanny...' Play audio Read transcript

Of course by themselves, these two accounts don't prove anything about the extreme inequalities to be found in British society at this time. But taken together with other accounts, with visual evidence such as photographs and buildings, and with statistical data from - for example, census returns, local government reports and the work of social historians - they assume their proper place as a crucial source for historians.