Mary Atack was a Hebden Bridge local who served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse during the Second World War. Remarkably, many of her documents were preserved, giving a unique insight into her service and the role played by ordinary people in a wider national event. The donation of these documents enabled local school children to get hands-on with handling original documents and stepping into the role of historian.
Kelly Swaby is currently undertaking a PhD in nursing history at the University of Huddersfield, having spent many years studying various elements of nursing during the twentieth century. During the final months of 2022 she undertook a fellowship with Pennine Heritage to produce a history project aimed at Key Stage Two school pupils. The Mary Atack documents were an incredibly fortunate donation to the project.