Social & Educational Group for Market Rasen & Surrounding Area

Evacuee Memoirs – Monthly Speaker

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by

westwolds
in ,

lois-fenn-speakerLois Fenn talked about her experiences as a young child living in wartime Hull and her subsequent evacuation to Lincolnshire when the bombing of the city became too dangerous. She had a lot of detail about the number of raids and houses demolished but for me it was difficult to comprehend the numbers and it would have been better if she had slides to show us.

She had some very amusing stories from her own experiences during the air raids but she didn’t read some newspaper articles because she couldn’t find them which indicated a lack of preparation. Her descriptions painted an evocative picture of a city child suddenly finding themselves in the Lincolnshire countryside. After four years in the country she suddenly found herself back in Hull and looking after her new baby sister. Overall it was a good personal memoir that has led to a writing career with four books to her name. As often is the case with our speakers it ended with a sales pitch for her books.

This is a personal review and if you have any thoughts of your own please add your comments.

Comments

2 responses to “Evacuee Memoirs – Monthly Speaker”

  1. dawsonu3a

    Although interesting, this talk was somewhat disjointed and lacked lustre. Poor Lois struggled with her headset microphone (even though it was working perfectly), putting on her glasses and reading fluently from her copious newspaper articles. Considering she is used to public speaking and a retired infant teacher no less, I expected better, and she was even unable to locate specific items to read out despite having her daughter on hand for support. Her display board was bland and very poorly portrayed, especially considering her background in education which places great importance on visual presentation; all the items would have been much more effectively presented electronically on the screen and thus been a powerful addition to her talk.
    Lois’s perceptive memories and reflections of her life following her evacuation to rural Lincolnshire were discerning, and ably highlighted her change in circumstances and the effect this had on her life and development. The passion with which she described the bombing of Hull was palpable so it was unfortunate therefore, that she felt the need to ‘plug’ her books in between her poignant reminisces. Frankly, I’m not in the least bit interested in the fact that Anne Widdecombe reviewed her book way back in 2009; I felt this was an unnecessary inclusion although perhaps there are some who will be swayed by this. Maybe the time has come for Lois to step off the speaker circuit, rest on her laurels and enjoy her dotage.

    1. westwolds

      I think your comments are very well explained and I’d like to suggest that you should write the review for the next speaker. I only do it because nobody else volunteered. Thank you for your input.

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