When I dig around in my tin of old photos I find a picture of my brother – just a toddler at the time – standing in the kitchen sink to be washed. In 1940s Britain this would have been a typical scene in many houses as few had indoor bathrooms, with the only runningContinueContinue reading “Better than a tin bath”
Tag Archives: family life
All washed up!
Imagine yourself in 1940s Britain, when it was more than likely you would be sharing an outside toilet with other houses in the street, or sharing one on the landing of your block of flats. The kitchen sink might have doubled up as a bath for the little ones in the family, and the luxuryContinueContinue reading “All washed up!”
A new shopping experience
The food shopping experience of the 1940s was very different from that of today. Customer making a purchase in a grocery shop during the Second World War. Interior view of a grocer’s shop with goods piled high on and behind the counter. The grocer offers a product to a woman customer. Egg substitutes and mixturesContinueContinue reading “A new shopping experience”
When will the snow melt?!
Nowadays we are familiar with severe weather events – climate change has altered our seasons resulting in populations across the world experiencing forest fires, floods and droughts. But back in 1940s Britain such dramatic weather was unexpected. What’s more, there was little in the way of weather forecasting available for the average family – certainlyContinueContinue reading “When will the snow melt?!”
Dreaming of the ‘mother country’
In June 1948 the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury Docks bringing hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean who were hoping for a new life in Britain. During the Second World War, thousands of Caribbean men and women had been recruited to serve in the armed forces. Some had been to England during the war yearsContinueContinue reading “Dreaming of the ‘mother country’”
Hooligan, vandal or just plain bored?
Before we look at what youngsters were getting up to during the 1940s let’s consider some of terminology that we are so familiar with today – words that we tend to associate with young people… HooliganOrigin late 19th century, first found in British newspaper police-court reports in the summer of 1898, almost certainly from theContinueContinue reading “Hooligan, vandal or just plain bored?”
A newcomer in the family
From the 1920s onwards the wireless set provided an increasing number of families with an opportunity to listen to music, drama and news broadcasts. Around half of the British population were able to settle down in the evening and enjoy a musical variety show, a comedy, or a play, while reading the paper, or doingContinueContinue reading “A newcomer in the family”
Make do and mend
As I continue the research for my forthcoming World War 2 novel I am discovering just what it was like back then. While the young men went to war, all those left behind wanted to do their very best to contribute to the war effort. There were many government campaigns, each one encouraging everyone toContinueContinue reading “Make do and mend”
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