Del Villano, Elizabeth: my Cold War experiences (March 16, 2015)

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Interviewer: Glover, Alexie

Interviewee: Del Villano, Elizabeth, 1935-

An interview/narrative of Elizabth Del Villano's experiences during the Cold War. Interview took place on March 16, 2015.

ABSTRACT: Military Oral History Program Interview Summary Narrator: Del Villano, Elizabeth, 1935- Title: The Value of Oral History: Investigating the History of Canadian Cold War Military Families Interviewer: Interviewed by Alexie Glover Extent: 1 sound recording (MP3) 1:21:56, 78.7MB Interview Date and Location: 16th March 2015, Victoria B.C. Synopsis: A biographical interview with Elizabeth Del Villano, wife of Major Gary Del Villano. The interview begins with an in depth conversation about her childhood in Glasgow, Scotland during World War II. She discusses her father’s involvement in World War I and his subsequent struggles with PTSD and alcoholism. Additionally, she recounts her memories of being evacuated to the Scottish countryside during the Blitzkrieg. She discusses her education and a teacher for deaf students and her subsequent exchange to Canada, where she met her husband. She recounts the struggles of being a military wife with young children and her husband not always being around to help. She provides a brief description of her family’s life on the various military bases in Canada and in Germany. She discusses her issues with the politics of the military—especially the rank system. She notes her main regret, as a military wife, was not receiving more postings overseas. Suggested Clips for Archive: 2:00 – evacuation from Glasgow during World War II 8:10 – child’s perspective of World War II 16:25 – German Prisoner of War Camp located near their home 28:10 – officer’s requiring permission to marry 33:00 – military wives learning to do without husbands 42:15 – isolation of military lifestyle 45:00-48:00 – opinion of the rank system 1:02:40 – discovery of German Padre’s list of Canadian wives needing psychiatric care 1:19:00 – female camaraderie Subject Keywords: Military dependent, military wife, Glasgow, Gagetown, Borden, Hemer, West Germany, Lahr, Longeuil, Halifax, Ottawa, motherhood, moving, isolation, politics, conservative, military rank, psychiatric care, PTSD

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 48.4359, -123.35155
  • 51.5, 10.5
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • DVE_822
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 16, 2015
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 128 kbps. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2015. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
Rights
  • This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
DOI

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file details DelVillano_E_822_01.mp3 Public