Heroic Handicrafts: Covert Weapons of War

Join Curious Histories for an online charity fundraiser showcasing some incredible tales of undercover operations and patriotic propaganda, all elegantly stitched together by Esther Dobson.

Heroic Handicrafts

Forget the cliché of women making-do-and-mending quietly at home while men were away on the fighting front. Handicrafts, in fact, became ingenious tools of espionage, morale, sabotage, and propaganda during the Second World War. Esther uncovers the hidden tales of how women used domestic craft skills to assemble spy disguises for SOE operatives, smuggle secrets, and turn needlecraft into a covert weapon of war. Her fascinating talk blends life history with social history, using a wide variety of primary sources to tell a hitherto unsung story of the war effort.

Our speaker:

Esther Dobson works at the University of Worcester as the RKE Facilitator in its Doctoral School. She has a master’s degree in history, for which her thesis examined the value of needlecraft and clothing provision to women in Britain during the Second World War. Her talk for Curious Histories looks at one particular angle from her research.

Our chosen charity:

All proceeds from ticket sales will go to help Pelican Parcels, which takes pre-loved and new item donations for babies and children up to age twelve, and redistributes them to families facing financial hardship across Brighton & Hove. The city has high rates of children in need, in care and with child protection plans, or who have been referred to social care services. The charity aims to provide all children's essentials: beds and clothes, uniform and shoes, toys and books, prams and play mats, nappies and toiletries. All donations go directly to the families at no cost to them. Find out what you items you could donate here.

On 15th December, you will receive an email that will give you the Zoom link and instructions to join the event. If you have any queries you can contact the organiser on our facebook page.