Lunchtime Lecture
Never let the Truth get in the Way of a Good Story: How Oral History Can Contribute to our Understanding of Air Power History
On Thursday 17 September 2026 at 12pm, Ewan Burnet will share insights in the RAF Museum’s oral history collection. This lecture will be hosted virtually via Crowdcast and in-person at our London site.
Talk Outline
Oral history involves the recording of people’s memories, their experiences, feelings and perceptions of events in which they were involved and which they lived through. More art than science, it has its drawbacks and potential pitfalls – perhaps particularly the tricks that memory can play – but can also provide a compelling first-hand insight into the past, giving perspectives and covering areas likely to be missing from official written documents. This talk will look at the history of oral history at the RAF Museum, how the oral history collection began, how it has developed over the years and at some highlights. The RAF Museum has been recording oral history interviews since the 1960s, when Squadron Leader Fred ‘Jackson’ Dymond, himself a Second World War pilot, began a series of conversations with veterans of the First World War, the interwar period and the Second World War. Jackson Dymond’s last interview was recorded in 1982, but these interviews, still preserved in the RAF Museum’s archive, are the starting point for what is now an extensive and growing collection, covering an ever-increasing range of experience, including the Cold War, the Falklands War, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as many other areas.
Location
This hybrid lecture will be hosted in-person at the RAF Museum’s London site in the Sunderland Suite. Attendance in-person is free but registration is required via Digitickets. Book Now
Livestream
To attend virtually, register via Crowdcast. Join the livestream