Interview with Sue Aspinall 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).

Sue Aspinall recounts her father Cecil Rigby’s WWII experiences. Initially serving in the army, he was stranded at Dunkirk, where he developed kidney issues, possibly from contaminated water. He narrowly escaped and, upon return, underwent an emergency operation on his kidney at his mother’s kitchen table. Later, he transferred to the Royal Air Force, becoming a Squadron Leader and piloting Spitfires. Though he rarely discussed his wartime experiences, he achieved a distinguished career and occasionally stayed at a flat his wife maintained for him and his colleagues to rest between duties.