HOOTON PARK 1940s WEEKEND 20TH AND 21ST AUGUST 2016

Built in 1917 and operational during #WWII, as an RAF base for coastal command, Hooton Park, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, staged it's second 1940s weekend. One of the aircraft hangars was the venue for lots of 1940s entertainment, which included the Victory Girls.

There were lots of WWII and Home Front re-enactors and #vintage shopping opportunities with militaria and  clothing stalls.(Pictured below #Navy Online Re-enactors.)

With Wartime re-enactments, military and civilian vehicles, and equipment and uniforms on display,

 and also plenty of tables and chairs for everyone to enjoy the music and a cup of tea, this was a relaxed and enjoyable event!

Crich Tramway Museum 1940s Easter Event 2016!

Crich Tramway Museum and Village was transformed into WWII Britain for the Easter Weekend  Event.

There were vintage vehicles, 1940s re-enactors, and visitors could also enjoy rides on the trams. Pictured below ATS re-enactor.

The Navy Re-enactors On-Line provided an exhibition of naval artefacts and uniforms,

and also a bomb disposal demonstration. There was also wartime music and entertainment. This was the first day of a three day event and it was thoroughly enjoyable!
#cricheasterevent  #crich1940s2016  #crichtramwaymuseum

THE TOP SECRET WWII AIRFIELD and RAF DEFFORD WEEKEND 2015

Hidden in the Worcestershire countryside, Croome Court and Parkland  was requisitioned by Churchill's government during WWII. In 1941, the construction of an airfield, RAF Defford#, was completed. It was at these two locations that top secret work on the research and development of radar began, which was to play a key role in the defence of Great Britain! This included the use of radar for the detection of enemy aircraft and German U-boats.

Croome's RAF Defford Weekend, 11th and 12th July 2015, brought displays and exhibitions, music and entertainment in the 1940's canteen, vintage vehicles, market stalls and wartime costumed re-enactors.

RAF Defford Veterans were also present to tell their stories to the visitors.

Preserved by the National Trust and supported by volunteers, Croome Park# was once, during WWII, home to over 2,500 civilian and military staff and also scientists. Such an interesting piece of history and an enjoyable weekend!

Source
www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/3339/m-air-station
www.worcester.co.uk/news/regional

STEPPING BACK TO THE 1940S AT SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY - THE FIRST WEEKEND - 27th and 28th JUNE 2015

This year's "Stepping Back to the #1940's" event at #Severn Valley Steam Railway offered an action packed wartime experience for visitors! And the displays and costumed re-enactors, pictured here at Kidderminster Station, turned the clocks back to the 1940's.

 

 

There was a battle at Highley Station, which drew the crowds, as American, British troops and the French Resistance fought to regain control of a steam train.

 



 

With exhibitions and activities at all of the six stations that make up the Severn Valley Steam Railway, this was a great weekend !







OPERATION TUTBURY CASTLE 1940s Event 2015

A medieval castle became the landscape of wartime England, with  a battle re-enactment, a flypast from a WWII plane and numerous 1940s exhibitions and displays.

1940s re-enactments included the work of the Womens Auxiliary Service (pictured)  and

Special Operations in Burma (below) and also Churchills Secret Army,

Within the walls of this 11th Century castle the re-enactors turned the clocks forward to the 1940s and we heard the sound of air raid sirens and swing music. Tutbury Castle in the 1940s# certainly drew the crowds! Another enjoyable event!

THE HEALING HERBS OF WORLD WAR II

During World War Two the nation's food and medicine cupboard was nearly empty! Action was needed. So a series of measures was introduced by Churchill's government to deal with this challenge.

The Land Girls or the Women's Land Army rose to the challenge. This was hard physical work, usually done by men who were now required to fight for their country. The Land Girls drove tractors, ploughed fields, planted root crops, threshing, harvesting and tending to livestock. They were required to take on any farm work that was needed to increase food production for the Homefront. Encouraged by the government, the nation followed suit using allotments, parks, gardens, in fact every available space in cities and countryside to grow food. Home grown fruit and vegetables with large amounts of Vitamin C such as blackcurrants , gooseberries, turnips and cabbage was encouraged.  Victory gardens were everywhere!

In 1941, The Ministry of Health, together with the Vegetable Drug Committee at Kew Gardens, produced guidelines about what herbs to collect and instructions about growing and harvesting. This was a return to medicinal herbalism! The Ministry of Supply also issued monthly information bulletins about the progress of collection and the quantity available in various areas, also sharing tips and giving advice. Herbs were to be used to prevent and treat infection and also to treat illness.  Rosehips for example were a rich source of vitamin C and Wild Thyme was an antiseptic. Garlic, known as "Russian Penicillin" was widely used in WWII, and a naturally fermented penicillin, discovered in a laboratory in Illinois, USA, was tested for military use in 1943.

During WWI and WWII, herbs were use to treat soldiers wounded in battle. "Digging for Victory" and "Growing your Own" wasn't just a patriotic duty, it was a matter of survival. The war weary British people rolled up their sleeves and provided the resources that were needed! Food and Medicine.

Source

The Nation's Larder - Lectures at the Royal Instution of Great Britain,  April,May,June published 1940.
herbalacademyofne.com (Herbal Academy of New England.)
Women At War 1939 - 1945 The Home Front  Carol Harris
www.lib.niu.edu/aboutipo ( Illinois Periodicals Online Project - Northern Illinois University Libraries)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - RATIONING AND THE HOMEFRONT

Food was an issue in WWII! Merchant ships from America laden with food and supplies were being attacked by German U boats, and the Royal Navy protecting these convoys was suffering severe losses. Occupied Europe could not provide the imports we needed! Food was in short supply, and rationing had to be introduced!

In 1940, British experts from the world of food science gathered to share their thoughts and expertise. In a series of lectures, later published as "a book of national importance", Lord Woolton, Minister for Food assessed their findings.  They all agreed on the importance of protective foods - milk, cheese, wholemeal bread or grains, vegetables and potatoes and also the urgent need for increasing the nation's food production. A healthy workforce and fighting force was essential to the defence of our island nation!

In wartime Britain rations for one adult, for one week included,

• 4 oz bacon or ham
• 2 oz butter
• 2oz cheese
• 3 pints of milk, sometimes 2 pints (skimmed or dried milk was available each month)
• 8oz sugar
• 1 shell egg
• 2oz tea
• 2oz margarine and 2oz cooking fat
• A monthly points system also allowed for a tin of fish or meat or 2lb dried fruit.

Many housewives also involved with war work, now had to provide nutritious meals from rations, at least from the rations that were available, and keep their families well fed.
Britain responded to these challenges. Home Economists gave demonstrations in markets and large shops to show hard pressed housewives and mothers how to provide nourishing meals for their families. Canteens and restaurants were created in the factories, for workers, to ensure a healthy diet was available.

 

 The Women's Voluntary Service provided food for bomb victims, and in some air raid shelters provided hot drinks and snacks. The Women's Institute set to work preserving

and canning large quantities of fruit and making jam for distribution.  The Women's Land Army took on men's work on the farms to ensure food production continued, and every available space, parks, gardens or flowerbeds were used for growing food. Winston Churchill succeeded in keeping morale high with his "Dig for Victory" and "Grow your Own" campaign, but it was also the determination of the British people that ensured that our island nation avoided being starved into submission!

Source
The Nation's Larder and the Housewife's Part therein  - A Set of Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, in April, May, June 1940. Published by G Bell and Sons, Ltd, 1940.*
Manpower - The Story Of Britain's Mobilisation For War Ministry of Labour and National Service by the Ministry of Information 1944
We'll Eat Again by Marguerite Patten In Association With The Imperial War Museum

*from Mike's Militaria, 3, Worcester Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV2 4LD, 07951 262629, Evenings 01922 479557. (Military items bought and sold.)

RED HOUSE GLASS CONE MUSEUM, THE TITANIC AND WWII

What's the connection between the Titanic, Radar and a glassmaking factory?  The answer is The Red House Cone Glass Museum, home to glassmaking since the eighteenth century, and also a popular venue for 1940s events. With live music and entertainment, wartime re-enactors, exhibitions, and of course demonstrations of glass making, and lots of other activities and displays, this event attracts plenty of visitors!

Stourbridge has a rich industrial history,  including generations of craftsmen, skilled in glassmaking who had, by 1827, established the "crystal mile" with Red House Glass Cone Factory at the centre of this industry. Crystal glassware crafted here was supplied to the Titanic for her maiden voyage.

In 1936 Winston Churchill was again warning parliament of the growing threat from Germany and emphasizing the need for the design and manufacture of all supplies needed by the Air Force, the Army and the Navy.

In 1936 production ended at the Red House Glass Cone, although all the work was moved to the White House Glass Works. It was there, that the skilled craftsmen from Red House Glass Cone continued to use their expertise, but this time for war work. They made landing lights for aircraft, cathode ray tubes, electronic vacuum tubes used for radar and other specialized types of glass for electronic and chemical equipment needed during WWII.


Source
www.gracesguide.co.uk/stuartandsons
www.dudley.gov.uk/see-and-do/museums/red-house-glass-cone
www.churchill-society-london.org.uk (speech 12th November 1936)

Winston Churchill - 50th Anniversary

On the 24th January 2015, fifty years after the death of Winston Churchill, events are taking place all over the UK to mark this occasion. The tributes include a Service of Remembrance at the Houses of Parliament on January 30th at 12.40pm.  Then there is a re-creation of the funeral procession which sailed along the Thames in 1965. In the evening at Westminster Abbey there is a Service of Commemoration. The Churchill Central website has been launched especially for this occasion with lots of information about his life.

Not surprisingly, there's also lots of TV coverage about this including, Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain, Sunday 25th January ITV 10. 20 pm and Churchill: The Nation's Farewell, January 28th 9.00pm (a documentary) BBC 1.

"This is the lesson: never give in, never ,never, never.... in nothing great or small, large or petty....never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." At Harrow School, October 29th 1941

Source
www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org
www.independant.co.uk/news/winstonchurchill
www.churchillcentral.com

WWII WORKERS WELFARE AND BLETCHLEY PARK

You would think that in war torn Britain, workers welfare was the last thing on Churchill's mind.  Not so! The mobilisation of the British people for war included the creation of a fit and healthy work force. To build the tanks, airplanes and weapons needed to withstand a formidable enemy required careful planning, The welfare of the workforce was crucial.

Firstly the provision of nutritious food.  Canteens were introduced into the factories and many smaller work places had to make provision for the workers. Voluntary group assisted also providing hot drinks and snacks in the air raid shelters. Secondly medical officers and doctors were made available to care for the workers. Factories also had personnel to deal with any problems or issues that their staff may have. Many workers had been moved away from home and family and sometimes out of successful careers to assist the war effort. Often, people of different classes worked together.  The welfare of workers extended outside of the factories to deal with problems such as re-housing or lodgings. Every aspect of their lives was important to the war effort.

At Bletchley Park the same issues applied.  Admiral Hugh Sinclair, in charge of GCandCS, brought in a well known chef to provide staff with high quality food and lift morale. Entertainment was provided, or arranged by the code breakers themselves. During a visit Churchill noticing the lack of  recreational activities immediately arranged for the provision of sports facilities.
The engineers, dock workers and the Merchant Navy were also given recreational and dining facilities.
Finally, working hours were monitored and it was found that reasonable hours produced steady productivity avoiding illness and absenteeism. The health and safety and welfare of workers was crucial in ensuring that people could meet the demands needed of them for the war effort and to keep morale high.
The governments compulsory powers were mainly accepted and eloquent speeches from Winston Churchill rallied the people.The eyes of the world turned to Britain wondering if a democratic island nation could adapt and rise to this challenge. With help from our Allies, we could and we did!

Source
Station X The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park By Michael Smith
Britain At War  Maureen Hill
Man Power Britain's Mobilisation For War The Ministry of Information (1944)

The BlackCountry Museum And The Homefront In WWII

It's June 1940, and Britain stands alone in the fight against the mighty German invasion!  Churchill's Homefront defences are stretched trying to withstand the never- ending aeriel attacks. The air raids present the greatest danger to the people and many respond providing help, including Air Raid Wardens, Police, rescue workers, doctors and nurses.

The Women's Voluntary Service  arranged first aid training courses and looked after those people who were hurt during the Blitz. They also provided 'Rest Centres' to give the homeless food, shelter and sanitation. The WVS worked with the Queen's Messenger Convoys delivering food to the areas that suffered from the relentless bombing.
More support was offered from the British Red Cross, St. Johns Ambulance and Civil Nursing Reserve Nurses and the ATS. First aid posts were set up in church halls, schools and hospitals. Mobile First Aid Units were sent to disaster areas to help the casualties.
The fear of losing family, friends, neighbours, homes, work-places; of spending another frightening and sleepless night in an air raid shelter, or of course losing their freedom, was part of everyday life in WWII. Despite Hitler's best efforts, the British people refuse to be undermined!

Source
Britain At War  Maureen Hill
www.wikipedia.org/
www.caringonthehomefront.org.uk
The Story Of Britain's Mobilisation For War - Ministry of Information 1944

CHURCHILL's SECRET ARMY - THE BRITISH RESISTANCE WWII

Churchill's hidden army was kept top secret.  The existence of the British Resistance and Auxillary Units and also the Special Duties Section remained covert until the 1990's. Then, a book and a film by Owen Sheers revealed the contingency proposals for Britain's secret army.

 In 1940 following Dunkirk and the occupation of Europe, plans for the British Resistance Organisation to defend the Homefront were put into action. Underground Operational Bases were created and patrols were trained in combat, intelligence and the use of weapons and sabotage. 

 Little is still known about Britain's Resistance and mostly the families were never informed. In occupied Britain the life expectancy of the members of the Resistance would have been only two weeks!

However, more details have emerged about the underground soldiers and spies in Wales. In September 2014 at Bantock House Museum in Wolverhampton, there was an exhibition about the work of the Resistance in Wales displaying the type of weaponry   issued to "The Scallywags" or GHQ Auxillary Units. These were to be used in the event of the invasion of Britain.

This is a fascinating and little known story and if you want to know more about The British Resistance and the Auxillary Units you can visit the www.auxunit.org.uk  Other links include www.coleshillhouse.com and www.abergavennymuseum.co.uk

Churchill, Bletchley Park, the Radio Spies and "The Imitation Game"

Churchill's experiences during World War One had prepared him for the national web of secrecy and espionage needed to help defeat Hitler in World War Two.  This included Bletchley Park and it's famous code breakers. Also, the radio interceptors or radio spies who were based at listening stations throughout Britain, listening and writing down enemy morse code transmissions which were sent to Bletchley Park for decoding. Further support came from the Voluntary Interceptors, who were recruited early in the war, radio hams with the expertise and often their own radio equipment needed to listen in to enemy transmissions.  They also worked in secret, often from their own homes, the other occupants of the house unaware of their activities.

"The Imitation Game," a new film starring Benedict Cumberbatch is a bio-pic of the work of the mathematician Alan Turing at Bletchley Park, decoding the information from the radio interceptors and working with colleagues to develop the "Bombe" an early computer to assist with and speed up the process of code-breaking. The success of Bletchley Park saved over three million lives and helped to shorten the war. The  work and accuracy of the Y Service or listening station was also vital. For example, a listening station at the Old Rectory, Whitchurch, Shropshire intercepted foreign diplomatic transmissions from the Japanese Embassy in Berlin to Japan, giving detailed information about German defences in northern France in 1943. helping with the success of D-Day. The importance of safeguarding "Ultra" the intelligence received from Bletchley Park and of keeping Germany unaware of our ability to break the Enigma code is well known, but Churchill's vast network of secrecy also extended to the homefront with the British people's contribution, well aware that "careless talk costs lives."