With most men of working age being called up to fight during the Second World War there were numerous industries that found themselves in desperate need of people to fill the vacancies. As a result women stepped out of the home into the workplace. Of course, prior to 1939, some women had taken up employment,ContinueContinue reading “More than housework”
Tag Archives: wartime
No place like home
After the euphoria felt when the Second World War finally ended, the country was confronted by the challenge of enabling families across Britain to return to something resembling a normal life. When the new Labour government was elected in 1945 they had a whole host of problems to tackle, all needing urgent resolution. One ofContinueContinue reading “No place like home”
The voice of the people
If you are fascinated by social history, as am I, then having a chance to listen to people’s voices from past decades is more than enlightening – it’s inspiring. Such must have been the thinking behind a social research project, initiated in 1937, called the Mass Observation Project. Three former students from Cambridge University -ContinueContinue reading “The voice of the people”
Rebuilding communities
1945. After six years of war Britain had suffered in so many ways. A generation of men had been lost to the fighting, few towns and cities had escaped bombardment and the country was in debt to the tune of billions. So where to start? Britain and its Allies had ‘won’ the war, but atContinueContinue reading “Rebuilding communities”
Expanding horizons
Prior to the Second World War millions of British people had rarely strayed far from their hometown. Travel was expensive. There was just one commercial airline offering to take passengers to far-flung countries, such as South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East. But the cost was something that only wealthy businessmen or colonial administratorsContinueContinue reading “Expanding horizons”
A life-saving miracle
It’s hard to imagine a world without the life-saving antibiotic, penicillin. Yet, it was only around a hundred years ago that Alexander Fleming first realised its importance. During the First World War Fleming realised the use of antiseptics was not preventing infections, particularly in deep wounds. And it was a lucky accident in 1928 thatContinueContinue reading “A life-saving miracle”
Healthcare for all
On 5th July 1948 the British National Health Service was born. The NHS is such an intrinsic part of our country that it is difficult to imagine a time when it didn’t exist. But it’s also fascinating to note the timing of its creation. Britain was coming out of the other side of six yearsContinueContinue reading “Healthcare for all”
Reaching for the sky
Squadron Leader N G Pedley, the CO of No. 131 Squadron RAF, about to set out on a sweep in his Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB from Merston, a satellite airfield of Tangmere in Sussex, June 1942. If you love watching old movies, you may well have seen that classic biopic about the incredible wartime exploitsContinueContinue reading “Reaching for the sky”
The wonders of radar
Radar, which stands for ‘radio detection and ranging’, is a system for detecting the presence, direction, distance, and speed of aircraft, ships, and other objects, by sending out pulses of radio waves which are reflected off the object back to the source. It was early in 1935 that Sir Henry Tizard’s Aeronautical Research Committee began testing aContinueContinue reading “The wonders of radar”
Clever creations
By the mid part of World War Two pretty much everything was rationed – petrol, food, coal, even clothes. From June 1941 each person was issued with a book of clothing coupons. The thinking behind it was that clothes manufacturing needed to focus on war work. Woollen material usually used for coats and suits wasContinueContinue reading “Clever creations”
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