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The Sound Archive's collection attempts to represent a cross-section of experiences from the Boer War through the First and Second World Wars, post-war conflicts such as the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency to recent conflicts such as the Falklands and the Gulf.

Oral history interviews form the core of the Department's collection. Over the past thirty years, our own interviewers have recorded and are continuing to record the memories of men and women, civilians and service personnel with regard to their experiences of conflict.

During the interview people will often recall detail and personal reactions which may not otherwise be preserved but which are of importance in presenting or understanding the impact of war on all strata of society. Look out for extracts from these interviews in the exhibition galleries, and in our online exhibitions.

The Archive holds a number of famous speeches, war reports and broadcasts, among them the BBC's surviving Second World War radio broadcasts, Winston Churchill's speeches, British and German propaganda broadcasts and the daily proceedings of the Nuremburg War Crimes trials.

We also have a selection of sound effects including aircraft, tanks, gunfire, air raids, shelling and marching. Miscellaneous material includes radio programmes, lectures and poetry readings.

The Sound Archive also serves as a centre for the archival preservation of other recorded material which falls into the Museum's brief. Media companies, authors and other researchers are encouraged to deposit interviews which have formed part of their research. For example, we hold interviews from the epic 1970s TV series World at War and The Great War, and from more recent programmes such as Finest Hour, shown on BBC2 in 1999. In addition, individuals are welcome to donate recordings of their own experiences, or those of their relatives or friends,  if they feel these would be of value to the collection.

Contact Details and Visitor Information for visitors to the Sound Archive.

Catalogues of Oral History Recordings