10-Jul-2011

Most of my working life has been in retail security management for various high street names often with many stores and staff to manage. Leaving John Lewis in 1998 I made a slight change to Town Centre Management at Dunstable. The lasting legacy for the area was to research and publish a book about the town’s contribution to WWII, the stories of those who lived and worked there during this period and those who called Dunstable and the surrounding area home but spent the war away in the service of their country.

Those interested in buying the book can find it on Amazon; Dunstable and District at War; ISDN 1-903747-79-1 priced at £9.99. A bargain thanks to Lottery funding.

The stories collected began to paint a picture of the secret war that was going on in Bedfordshire. The forged ration books and documents, the radio station broadcasting all over occupied Europe, the Czech radio station keeping their President in Buckinghamshire in touch with his resistance fighters, the Met. Office working with Bletchley Park and the German newspapers printed locally now form the basis of the Bedfordshire Secret War talks that I currently do for groups.

Having retired in 2006 I now describe my occupation as a professional tourist, spending about a third of the year either in a caravan or on a cruise ship.  As Rally Secretary for the Welton Caravan Club I book the annual programme of around 100 nights on farmers’ fields and licensed sites in some of the most beautiful parts of the UK, pulling the information together for publication.

In addition I still have an interest in the Dunstable Town Guides, helping with their historical walks, talks and ghost stories. These are done on a voluntary basis and help to support Priory House Heritage Centre.

 Jean Yates, Dunstable at war, Jean v Yates, Yates, Dunstable Town Guides, Drummer, Blog, Jean, Yates, Helen Mortimer, Dog Blog,