war time memories

[callisto]

hi my eldest daughter 14 hasbeen presented with a project for history on memories of world war two, being a thirty something mom and parents too young to remember she is getting lots of info from books but would love some information ,memories etc on the following topics,

Evacuation

rationing, war time recipes, women at home etc,

coventry blitz

working during the war..... aircraft, motor , textile,land girls ,Arp, nursing etc

Any help offered would be greatly received , thanks for any help given. looking forward toreading replies with interest.

[Octavius]

Here is some info for starters:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/

[GuavaHalf]

My father who died a couple of years ago wrote some notes on his experiences of wartime London. He was 13 when war broke out and lived in Bermondsey in London - in the heart of the docks and a prime target for air raids. His account makes interesting reading. Its far to long to post here but if you find some way around the rules and give me your email address I will happily mail it to you.

[Golem]

I think a really valuable experience for everyone involved is to try and arrange a visit to a local retirement home and interview a couple of the residents who the warden?/director?/matron? knows have an interesting story to tell. From my experience there is a wealth of information waiting to be learned from these retirees, they will invariably enjoy recounting the past, your daughter will meet some great individuals, have to learn how to summarise and arrange information and impress the teacher with the 'human interest' aspect of her project.

[tetherend]

Golem - well done, what a brilliant piece of advice to give.  You are absolutely right there, and the folk would love to be able to pass their knowledge on.

[callisto]

Thanks to all for your responses. GuavaHalf, the recollections of your fathers memories would be absolutely ideal for her project but having read through the rules again i feel my hands are tied to obtain the info without giving out personal information . As for other replies we will look into visiting local retirement home could be there for hours....

[callisto]

Guavahalf, hi i have just enrolled on the sitethat Octavius mentioned it is a great site , user name Dittocat can get info through on this other site without breaking rules on answerbank which use a lot for other topics , be good if can send info this way , look forward to reading answers and recollections of dads memories from wartime , thanks for help

[ursula62]

You could contact your local british legion branch. I'm sure there will be lots of people there who have wartime memories who would only be too pleased to help with a school project.

[flaming]

Local museums usually have documents/mementos on display,  ...at War. There will be quite a bit on TV as VE-day 60 yrs anniversary is being celebrated;  these would show  people/fashions, etc.  I was b. in '41 so was too young to be evacuated.  Mum took a job in a munitions factory; she could have stayed at home, having a young child, but let my nan stay at home to  look after me.  Grandad was a policeman. Dad was overseas with the troops. Air-raid shelters with bunk beds were built on the grass verges of our road. De Havilland aircraft factory nearby was where one sister (my aunt) worked.  The youngest sister met and married a GI, her wedding being my first ''event, being bridesmaid. We had ID cards, ration books, and gas masks.  I had a little one with a Mickey Mouse face. We had to leave London once for some weeks whilst the house was repaired, after a V2 rocket had landed nearby; the blast had seriously damaged it.  Luckily we were in the air-raid shelter. I often look at the scar on my thigh, the wound having been there since the Americans gave us a party on VJ day.  A  trip to Hendon RAF museum (London NW4) if it is near enough, has a lot devoted to WW2 - actual aircraft, filmshow, etc.  It is on part of the old Hendon Aerodrome which was operational in a reduced way up to the mid-60s. There are a few historic buildings preserved. Don't forget music - Glenn Miller,Vera Lynn, etc. which she could play as a backdrop to her project if appropriate. All we owned had the 'Utility' logo on it, blankets etc. being war-time quality. I was nearly 5 I before I tasted pears/bananas. I  survived on condensed milk sandwiches. Feel sorry for evacuees ashosts were imagine being uprooted and sent off to strangers. A  project which she can really enjoy doing. It's good to see parental support.

00:24 Thu 05th May 2005

[callisto]

flaming.... wow thankyouso much for all that it really made interesting reading we certainly have had some really great help even i am interested wouldnt it be good to go back to school i never got given interesting projects like this i tell you ive learnt so much more through my children doing these things. its a really good thing that although wartime was sad for many alot of memories good and bad are being talked about x

[flaming]

10 ClarionSt:  Just the sort of experience I was lucky to have escaped.  Some children had lovely billets but others.....  don't forget hosts were paid by the Government and some unscrupulous people would have seen the youngsters as nice little earners.  There have been one or two films made about it, showing how siblings were parted.  Also in recent years I learnt that hundreds of youngsters from children's homes were packed off to Australia, suffering terrible fates there. In recent times we read about one or two reunions following tracings possible.  It's ironic that we took in so many refugees from Europe and yet got rid of our own. Shame on the adoption authorities of the day.

[flaming]

Last thought: On 24/4/05 there is a Q. 'War Time Moms' which might be of further interest - spread the net a bit wider.