Lilian Cadoux

British civilian nurse with Civil Nursing Reserve in GB, 1942; volunteer with Friends' Relief Service and Friends' Ambulance Unit in GB and Germany, 1943-1946

Imperial War Museum Recording (Smith Lyn E recorder)

British civilian nurse with Civil Nursing Reserve in GB, 1942; volunteer with Friends' Relief Service and Friends' Ambulance Unit in GB and Germany, 1943-1946

REEL 1:

Background in GB, 1921-1939: family; education; development of pacifist beliefs; attitude towards education; employment; degree of awareness of international events during 1930s; attitude towards coming war and desire to drive ambulance; political beliefs; reaction to outbreak of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of period as civilian in London, GB, 1939-1942: work at first aid post; social life; attitude to joining armed services; joining British Red Cross Society; leaving employment; breaking down of engagement with part German man. 

REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as nurse with Civil Nursing Reserve in London and Edgware, GB, 1942: joining Civil Nursing Reserve, 1942; attitude to nursing work in hospital in Edgware; meeting pacifist Olive Jarvis; suicide of nursing colleague and decision to leave hospital. Recollections of period as volunteer with Friends' Relief Service in GB, 1943-1945: differences between Friends' Relief Service and Friends' Ambulance Unit and relations between them; attitude to lack of tribunal as conscientious objector; pay; attitude to towards Germans and Prime Minister Winston Churchill; attitude towards church's support of war; nature of work; attitude towards her 'unquakerly' behaviour. 

REEL 3 Continues: 

character of work in Wolverhampton; attitude towards work in Wolverhampton; desire to go to Europe with Friends' Relief Service; training for relief work; position of women in Friends' Relief Service; attitude towards being turned down for overseas relief work with Friends' Relief Service; meeting future husband Harold Cadoux. Recollections of period as volunteer with Friends' Ambulance Unit in GB and Germany, 1945-1946: background to joining Friends' Ambulance Unit; work documenting experiences of Friends Ambulance Unit members who had returned from overseas; attitude to joining Friends' Ambulance Unit; marriage to Harold Cadoux in Germany, 1946. 

REEL 4 Continues: 

work with Displaced Persons in Bochum, Germany; living conditions for German civilians; opinion of populace of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; distribution of Red Cross parcels to British expatriate; lack of restrictions on Friends' Ambulance Unit personnel fraternising with German civilians; distribution of relief to children; social engagements; attitude of German civilians towards concentration camps; visiting home for epileptic children in Bielefeld, Gemany; reaction to sight of babies abandoned by girls raped by Soviet Army troops. REEL 5 Continues: relations with British military personnel; attitude towards Quakers; experiences of husband Harold Cadoux as prisoner of war and his post-war psychological condition; accommodation in house of former Nazi; contribution of Friends' Ambulance Unit to relief operation in Germany. Reflections on work with Friends' Relief Service and Friends' Ambulance Unit and pacifism: difficulties of adapting to normal life on return to GB; public attitude towards pacifists; difficulties for pacifists with working class origins; position of women in Friends' Ambulance Unit. REEL 6 Continues: question of impact of Second World War on women's emancipation; involvement with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; views of father in law C J Cadoux; question of human nature; opinion of Philip Noel-Baker's view that Second World War could have been averted; attitude towards pacifism, 1989; question of future world peace; attitude towards work of Friends' Ambulance Unit.

Lilian's Brother

Cadoux, Harold J, Woodstock Rd. Oxford, Congregational, CO given NCS at LT, LAT c11/1/40 varied to continuing ambulance work, Paul Cadbury chair of FAU Cttee confirmed Cadoux was going to Finland with FAU party, Cadoux, Harold, FAU member now returned from POW camp in Germany  in excellent health, References EVD 11/1/40 p9 , Nottingham Journal 12/1 p5, BIM 11/1 p7, BIDG 12/1 p3, FRI 19/1/40 p32, FRI 4/5/45 p276