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European volunteer workers have received comparatively little attention in the history of British post-war immigration, with greater coverage given to, for example, demobilised members of the Polish Resettlement Corps. This paper is based upon oral history interviews with a group of European immigrants, predominantly European volunteer workers, and local Lancastrians who started work in the Lancashire cotton industry between 1946 and 1951, and examines perceptions of how they integrated into British life in a variety of domains. The paper emphasises that 'blending-in' was context-dependent, with a sense of being welcomed and fitting-in applying to certain domains and in certain situations but not necessarily in others. It argues that migration fosters particular cultural attitudes and practices amongst both migrants and hosts as social identities are produced and reproduced, changed and challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on industrial welfare, sport and recreation between 1883 and 1945 at Boots Pure Drug Co., a company based in Nottingham, England. History of the firm based not on an economic framework, but based on a social perspective; Development of corporate and community culture through recreational activities; Use of the case study method to enable a closer study of life, work, welfare and leisure than would be possible in a wide-ranging survey involving a number of industries.