WW2: A Civilian in the Second World War

This blog posts extracts from E J Rudsdale's diaries of life on the home front in Britain during the Second World War. Each extract was posted exactly 70 years after it was first written, marking the 70th anniversary of the Second World War between 2009-2015.

31st May 1941

Work on the [Castle] Muniment Room was finished today, and they appear to have made a very good job of it. Maura Benham came in today, looki...

30th May 1941

Felt very bad at first, sick and dizzy, pains and headache. No breakfast. Phoned office and went home to bed. Sorry to leave the others on a...

28th May 1941

Felt very ill today, with severe pains in the limbs, neck and face. Felt so bad that I went out about 4 o’clock and went to the pictures to ...

26th May 1941

Committee meeting at Birch, 4 ½ hours, much too long. Felt ill, and very sick in the car coming home. Glorious evening. Birch Park looked ve...

20th May 1941

Alarm in the early hours of this morning, and about 1 o’clock a ‘plane came low over the town and dropped four bombs in Lexden Park, just at...

19th May 1941

The Borough Engineer came down today to see about re-inforcing the roof of the Castle Muniment Room, a job which should have been done years...

18th May 1941

Glorious fine day. Drove over to Mr and Mrs Stuart Rose’s at Boxted with Bob. Tied him in the garden, but he broke away and ran over a ploug...

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E J Rudsdale: Born on 14th February 1910 in Colchester, Essex. Began work at Colchester Castle Museum in 1928.

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