Dawn and I settled down to watch a Channel 5 programme in which `much loved celebrities' investigate someone in their family who has a noteworthy story to uncover from World War Two.
This particular episode featured the former Tory M.P. turned daytime TV host Ann Widdecombe. Not perhaps a personal `much loved celebrity' of mine but someone who always displayed some sort of moral purpose in her public life, and who definitely went for substance over style, much against the prevailing tide of the age.
My interested was heightened when it was mentioned at the outset that her Uncle Donald was a Baptist Padre in the war, and further stimulated when it was revealed that he served with the Eighth Army in North Africa in 1942-43 and was at the Battle of El Alamein, the very same turning point in world history that my own father took part in.
His strength of character and service to his men was very touching and she concluded that he had had his faith both challenged and strengthened by his war experiences, very much in line with the pattern I am discovering in my research.
I have watched further programmes featuring the motoring journalist Quentin Wilson and the TV Host Chris Tarrant (both particularly moving from a `wow did my father really do that' point of view) and this really is a surprisingly excellent series.
Of course, as the credits rolled on the Ann Widdecombe episode and I saw that my PhD supervisor, Dr. Michael Snape, had been involved with the research for the programme, it became clear why both the quality of the information presented and the obvious passion for connecting with the experiences of the WW2 generation were so excellent!
If anyone fancies a stimulating and thought-provoking hour...
http://www.channel5.com/shows/war-hero-in-my-family/celebrities/ann-widdecombe
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