Methodology

A 'quota sample' was devised, based on the 1911 census, which totalled 444 people. Six major occupational groups and three classifications of location, gender and regional distribution were used as the basis for the sample. The respondents were chosen by a variety of means, including through social workers, old people's homes, personal contact and advertisement. However, ultimately more than this amount were interviewed, both because some people in reality belonged to a different occupational group than that anticipated and because not all of the interviews were adequate for their purpose.

The interviews were conducted by a number of part-time interviewers. A detailed interview schedule was essential in order to ensure that the data collected were appropriate for comparison, as well as to facilitate the collection of the most complete stories possible. At the same time, however, the interviewers were encouraged to keep the interview 'open' and, where appropriate, to follow the flow of the interviewee.

Two or three sessions were normally required to complete each interview, with the average length of interview being four hours. The interviews were recorded on open-reel tapes, resulting in usually two or three, but in exceptional cases up to six or seven, 5" spools for each interview. In total, this resulted in approximately 1,400 open-reel tapes containing 1,800 hours of interview material, and accompanying full transcripts comprising almost 35,000 typed pages.

In addition to the complete transcripts, the data were coded according to twenty main themes. The interview transcripts were cut and pasted, in the literal sense of the term, so that there now exist files for each of the themes containing all of the relevant extracts from all of the interviews.