Family notes: “Not only did Lionel and Violet build their house and caravan – he also made household items like their electric jug (stainless steel) and toaster (stainless steel) and trays/dishes (stainless steel) for baking and household use plus a watering can. These were used by the family for the remainder of their lives.”

“The little toaster’s ‘handles’ are from three different sources, like mismatched buttons on a shirt!, but I think that adds to the charm. I think that you can see Lionel’s eye for practicality but with his eye for design too.”

“Graeme can only remember this toaster and electric jug at his family home in all his lifetime. We imagine that he made these items very early on in their married life – while they lived in the Army Hut while they built their house. We don’t recall Lionel and Violet ever having a ‘new’ toaster or jug at any time. The items were made using ‘found’ ‘scraps’ of materials that would have been discarded from his specialist work as a welder of stainless less tanks (and other products?.”

Lionel Duffy was a conscientious objector on religious grounds. He belonged to a religious group, the friends, known during WW2 by the name the Christian Assemblies. Lionel had joined this group in the late 1930s-early 1940s. H was sentenced to detention in May 1942 and spent time at Hautu and possibly other camps in the central North Island. His brother Colin received a similar sentence later that year. While in camp Lionel worked bush-clearing. In his leisure time he used pieces of wood found in the bush to create small domestic items, many featuring wood inlay. Some he used in camp, and other pieces were made as gifts.

While in camp Lionel received visits from Violet Kingston who, with her parents Richard and May Kingston, would travel down by train.