My son recently asked if I thought that living during the Second World War would have been exciting. I don't know what had provoked this question, but the answer is clearly No. It would have been a very frightening time for people of all ages. It might have been a time where the community collectively pulled together, and some may retrospectively view it as a golden period. That being said, to have lived at the time when the outcome was far from certain cannot have been anything other than extremely disconcerting. As I have noted in previous blogs, I have been given a series of original public information leaflets from the early part of the war. Reading them now brings out the terror that must have lurked closely below the surface of everyday life.
This leaflet (I will share some others another time) concerned the danger of a poisonous gas attack. Of course the issue of gas masks to the entire population is well known, but less apparent was the threat that this gas would get into the peoples' food. This leaflet - which must have caused consternation to many - explains how this danger should be faced.
Think T junior might have had a point I'm sure you've seen this -
ReplyDeleteHope and Glory (1987) More at IMDbPro »
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A semiautobiographical project by John Boorman about a nine year old boy called Bill as he grows up in London during the blitz of World War 2. For a young boy, this time in history was more of an adventure, a total upheaval of order, restrictions and discipline. The liberating effect of the war on the women left behind. And the joy when Hitler blows up your school.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093209/plotsummary
Yes I have seen this wonderful film. I probably meant old worriers like meeee.
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