Interview with Sonia Bird by Vicky Macdonald

Description

Short interview conducted by Vicky MaCdonald during the ‘Longest Yarn’ with visitors that shared personal memories and family stories in reaction to the exhibition. The Longest Yarn exhibition was a month-long tribute to the War Effort behind the D-Day Landings of 1944 - displaying a 3D tapestry depicting D-Day in 80 panels – was held at the Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno (October 2–27, 2024).

In this interview, Sonia Bird shares memories from her early life during WWII, primarily relayed by her sister and family. Born in 1941, Sonia recalls being kept safe under a table during air raids and playing in an Anderson shelter. Her uncle, a military engineer, narrowly survived an attack that killed a close friend, leaving him deeply affected. Her cousin trained as a glider pilot but did not see action due to the war's end. Sonia’s father, who worked in a factory producing airplane parts, often worried her mother due to bombing threats. He died young due to illness.