Side B of the seventh audio cassette in a collection of eight which records Ron A. W. Perry’s memoirs entitled ‘The Way It Was’.
Side B is 00:46:23 long and has static noise interference throughout the recording. Ron’s voice breaks in at 00:00:08 and cuts out mid-sentence at 00:45:55 and the rest of the tape is blank.
The themes explored on Side B include: continued discussion of being billeted at the village of Wendisch Evern and attending a dance, with a wonderful detailed description of falling in love with a German girl called Gerda [00:02:40]; working in Luneburg and evenings spent with Gerda [00:09:29]; visiting the beer cellar in Hindenburg and the sing alongs they would have, with Ron playing two examples of the songs in German which he sings along to [00:16:10]; a story of giving cigarettes to the German he was working with for Christmas and the joy it gave him [00:28:46]; his impending demob from the army at 25 years old and discussing why, although he was asked to stay, he couldn’t have been a soldier [00:32:05]; emotive description of the last meeting with Gerda [00:34:30]; detailed description of leaving from Luneburg station and heading home with the audio cutting off as he arrives in Taunton [00:40:04].
Existence and Location of Copies
A digitised MP3 version is available on Preservica via internal access at Bath Record Office.
