A group of historians who interview the people “hidden from history” hope to find people who worked in two of the borough’s old toy factories for a new project.

The Waltham Forest Oral History Workshop is appealing for anyone who worked in the factories which kept children in steady supply of lead soldiers and railway models in the 1930s and onwards.

The Wells Brimtoy factory produced railway models from a factory in Somers Road, Walthamstow, and from Stirling Road in 1938, while Britains came to the area around 1931, producing around one billion lead soldiers by the end of the 19th century.

Yet despite the firms being major employers in the borough, the workshop has just a handful of recordings with former workers since it began recording people in 1982.

Member Robert Wilkinson said the group wants to find out more about the conditions on the factory floor or the offices, and would like to hear from anyone who was employed to paint any of the toys from their kitchen at home.

He said: “They are a big part of Walthamstow’s history. But we want to know more about what is was like to work there. The factories have disappeared. You can still buy Britains tractors but it’s an American company now. Oral history is great for giving first-hand accounts.”

The workshop has around a dozen members, all of whom go out to interview people on a variety of subjects, sometimes to add an oral element to exhibitions on at Vestry House Museum in Vestry Road, Walthamstow.

They have amassed 640 recordings over 31 years but Mr Wilkinson said the workshop wants to continue to show people what it was like for ordinary people to live in past times.

He said: “We have a lot of history from the rich and famous, not from people who have worked in factories for 50 years then died.

“Most of our work is still about people who are hidden from history. I have interviewed a woman who was pregnant in a workhouse. She was scrubbing the floor when her waters broke and she was told to clean it up before going to hospital.

“Getting their stories redresses the official view of history a bit. You start off with a first-hand experience. You then interview 10 to 15 people to build a composite picture of what was actually going on. It can be really fascinating.”

Anyone interested in joining the group, or who could help with the current project on the former factory workers, can email the workshop at oh@wforalhistory.org.uk, or call Mr Wilkinson on 8530 4847.