During the Second World War Muriel Lawrance was evacuated from London to Leicester as part of her work for the Caseloid Company. She lived at 32 Welbeck Avenue, Abbey Lane. Lawrance wanted to contribute to the war effort and as a keen amateur photographer she became a volunteer for the YMCA "Snapshots from Home" League. This scheme enabled men on active duty to complete a request form asking for photographs of their families. The forms were returned to the central YMCA office and from there distributed to a network of volunteers. The volunteer would, at their own expense, visit the family, take the requested pictures and send them on to the serviceman. The YMCA assisted with the sourcing of rolls of film, which were scarce and not commercially available. Lawrance was one of a team of 8 photographers in Leicester, and the only woman. She expanded the role to include scanning the local newspapers for reports of prisoners of war and offering to photograph their families too. The scheme was ended in 1946.
From the guide to the YMCA "Snapshots from Home" League: Leicester area requests, 1941-1945, 1976, (De Montfort University Archives and Special Collections)
