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Woman's Hour: 75th Anniversary of VE Day, DIY during lockdown, golden age of Irish writing, rape trials in military courts.

08/05/2020

75th Anniversary of VE Day, DIY during lockdown, golden age of Irish writing, rape trials in military courts.

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, 75th Anniversary of VE Day, DIY during lockdown, golden age of Irish writing, rape trials in military courts.

We hear stories of women during World War II. The success of female writers in Ireland.

The women of WWII, why Irish writers are having a golden age, the women taking legal action against the MOD and the dos and don'ts of DIY during lockdown.

Today marks 75 years since VE day and we remember the end of war in Europe. We speak to Shirley Mann about how her mother’s own war experience inspired her to track down more women’s stories from this time. She shares the stories she discovered of the women who were pilots, wireless operators, and even “plotters” in the Battle of Britain bunker – and what they did next. 

Three women from the Armed Forces are taking legal action against the MOD claiming they are victims of sexual assault and rape. Their cases have already gone through military courts but there were no convictions and they believe justice would be better served if their cases were dealt with through the usual routes: the police and the CPS. We hear from lawyer Emma Norton, director of a new organisation called the Centre for Military Justice, who is representing the three women. 

Is Ireland going through a ‘golden age of literature’ when it comes to women’s writing? Sally Rooney and Anna Burns are hugely popular but what is behind this boom in new writing? Writers Lucy Caldwell and Jan Carson discuss.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been hearing from women around the world who have dragged out their sewing machines to make face masks at home. In the Czech Republic masks are mandatory so Marcela has been doing her bit as she tells Maria Margaronis. 

For some people lockdown has proved the perfect time for some DIY and home improvements  - from wallpapering to tiling to even a spot of joinery. How comfortable are you about doing the work yourself? We discuss the dos and don’ts with DIY expert Jo Behari and Sarah Beeny, presenter of HGTV’s ‘Renovate Don’t Relocate.’

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75th Anniversary of VE Day, DIY during lockdown, golden age of Irish writing, rape trials in military courts.

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