The effect on British family life WW2

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Uncle Target, Jun 24, 2022.

  1. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Several people see an interest in how WW2 affected everyday families, their social lives, work restrictions etc.

    Sunday I spent a peaceful morning cleaning up my trusty bike and putting up a clothes line which put me in good spirits for the first time for a week. In the afternoon I rode around the bye ways of Ickenham and Uxbridge observing the rabbits and the suburbs digging for victory. Every bit of waste ground swarms with little men in flannels and golfing jackets turning spits and so on. Makes one feel peculiar – like looking at an ant hill.
    I finished up at Northwood and called on the Baylis’ for an hour. The bright eyed and conversational infants were there as usual asking bright questions and talking like a debating society. I heard everything and told as much as I was allowed to. John is of course still at Cambridge where he is now visited by sister Barbara who plagues his life arriving frequently on her bike and eating everything he has in his cupboards. She having been at home for a month after war broke out has now got a job in a nursery school in Newmarket. Later the talk turned and went on to the war but I left before I was inextricably involved.
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Mass Observation:EASTCOTE 1939 – 1941: the Mass Observation diary of Diarist No. 5129


    March 1940 Eastcote suffered badly from a heavy air-raid on Wednesday – but only in theory. Local ARP personnel carried out an extensive exercise in the evening – the first night exercise to be held in Ruislip-Northwood … amongst other objectives, the station was presumed bombed, together with shops, offices, homes, and even an air-raid shelter. All services participated. – Advertiser 22/3/1940 John was back at Harrow Labour Exchange on the first of the month. He noted that fewer were signing on than previously and whereas seven weeks previously he had had to queue for more than an hour this time it only took fifteen minutes to get to the desk.


    War time spirit in British society
    Mass Observation Diarists
    Be a Mass Observer for the day
     
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  3. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Coal Strikes
    October1943
    The advances of the Fifth and Eighth Armies and the forward surge of the Russians and the success in New Guinea, are counter poised by the depressing list of new strikes and arguments in the coal mines.
    The remarks of the troops are not pleasant to hear. A few are sympathetic enough to say “I don’t blame them. Wartime’s about the only time they get the chance to get what they deserve”.
    But most of them say “Lot of bastards they are. Let ‘em come an’ fester in this bleeding olive grove for six months and then see how they feel.
    I expect if the miners trusted their leaders, or the government, or anyone and if they had sufficient imagination to visualise the discomforts of an African summer under canvas, they would be cheerfully churning out the black diamonds for a yet to be liberated Europe. But also I’ve no doubt that if my gunners were back in England and had never seen N. Africa, they would be just as pig headed and insensitive as the miners are now.
     
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  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Class system

    John took on a Christmas job at the GPO in Ruislip. He started on the 14th and was employed in sorting and delivering letters. He thought that he had the easiest ‘walk’ in the district, ‘mostly lower middle and middle class houses’ but noted that lots of them seemed to be in a bad state of repair.


    Never heard this re the Greater London area
    They got their milk free every day from the local cowman. John also records waking up to the sounds of the shuffling of clogs on the pavement (the local people claimed they prevented rheumatism and corns) and seeing people eating cold tripe (his landlady told him that tripe was seldom cooked in that area).
     
  5. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    I was fortunate in knowing both sets of grandparents and my parents and siblings who had experienced the war years. None were really forthcoming if much at all about events, particularly those that I actually think impacted them most. My father recounted a couple of stories about immediate things such as fighters strafing them as they passed by RAF North Weald, a Polish airman parachuting into Loughton and that sort of thing. My grandparents said close to nothing, even though my grandfather would regale me with his stories about the trenches and life in Cologne in 1919.
     
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  6. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    My journey back was quite pleasant. I rushed up to Raynes Lane and found myself in the middle of Olives wedding which had taken place at a moment’s notice.
    There were masses of very cheerful Polish aviators who chattered away in their native tongue and drank whisky, port and Benedictine to the accompaniment of Jean playing “Roll Out The Barrel”.
    I was plied with mixed drinks for the hour I could spare and left more than somewhat uncertain of my direction.
    I passed into a pleasant stupor on the Colchester train and eventually arrived at the camp with a hangover.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2022
  7. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Rayners Lane March 1940
    Mary is still at the Admiralty in the teleprinter section, which means that she is one of the first to hear of Altmark’s, Graf Spee’s and Rawalpindi’s. She is there all hours of the day and night and in fact had just got out of bed when I arrived at 3.30pm. Mr. Warren is a prominent local ARP Warden and I imagine enjoys himself thoroughly. Mrs Warren still golfs and has an old friend nearby in Mrs Gunn. Other home news is that Kathleen has left us again for Westerham, Pats brother has epilepsy and she is nursing him. Peggy is fed up to the teeth with war blues and is going back into crooning, or as she calls it, vocalism. Mrs Ash relieved of the censorship of her younger daughter is delightedly scraping off all the criss-cross sticky paper on the windows and announcing regularly at every meal that the war has “fizzled” and she won’t have any more of this “nonsense.”
    My bike continues to carry me to work. We have lunchtime concerts featuring such celebrities as Olive Groves in the G.C. Conference Room.
     
  8. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    1941 Cycle ride from West Mersea into the countryside.
    Sunday here was a brilliant day, not a cloud in the sky from dawn to dusk.
    I had an afternoon off and decided at long last to make my trip to Totham.
    I had an excellent ride there through beautiful country which included a gem of a village called Tolleshunt D’Arcy.
    My ride back was unfortunate, I thought I’d go via Tiptree but after passing the jam factory as per instructions I got hopelessly lost and landed at Tollesbury.
    This meant a detour of some ten miles which was almost disastrous for my morale and my posterior.
    I’ve only been down the village once or twice on the bike since I had it down and 45 miles in one afternoon was a bit of a strain.
     

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