Two women whinging
This presentation was first designed for Colchester's
'Through the Ages' event at St Botolph's Priory -
adjacent to the railway station of the same name which was the town's main
wartime evacuation point...
Undertaken with my colleague Kay Rouse it draws much on the wartime memories
and experiences of my grandmother and her mother respectively.
Each one of our (up to) six sessions is given as a short stand alone piece
by two moaning women equipped with garden chairs, shopping baskets or other
appropriate articles: as the day progresses so can the course of the Second
World War.
To offer all six topics does need a long event day at a venue that is not too
crowded! Visitors may otherwise feel hurried along to the next
session without the chance to talk with us or to share their own real memories
and experiences.
Each session may begin as a brief presentation in first person
character before inviting the audience 'in' to a more conventional third person
conversation. Discussion, with show and tell, continues between timed
sessions - always allowing for our necessary set dressing and quick changes...
Alternatively, a whole day's presentation can be given on just one of our
Home Front themes whether tailored particularly to venue, time of year or age
group of visitors.
Using facsimile documents and with both original and replica objects we
explore the impact of world events on aspects of life on the Home Front - and
look at changing attitudes and aspirations:
Summer 1939: The Phoney War & Evacuation
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We use the lessons of the 'practice run' of 1938 to provide instructions -
and even recruit suitable volunteers - to support the mass evacuation of 1 -
3 September 1939.
We're happy to process accompanied under fives, school age parties and
will ruthlessly scout out and persuade pregnant women to join the exodus...
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As well as advising with replica information posters and leaflets we can
supply parents or teachers with authentic packing lists with assembly
instructions and help to fill out identity labels.
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We were fortunate to find photographs of one of the labels used for
schoolchildren evacuated from St Botolph's Station
just next door to the Priory. Those shown here are exact enough copies
to stir memories for older visitors...
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Dunkirk & After: The Blitz & Fur Coats for Fire Watchers
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Air raid precautions are considered - with visitors
welcome to read facsimiles of manuals for householders, first aid advice and
instructions for after a raid.
Firewatching was made compulsory early in 1941 -
and offered the only opportunity many women would ever have for wearing a fur
coat (though fur side in!) when these were collected for use on freezing rooftop watches.
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Duties and tasks are described for all to pull
together: Practical activities include the correct use of a broom to clear
each section of a street of glass and debris (and prevent punctures to
precious tyres) and learning to aim the jet from a stirrup pump effectively
at the base of a fire.
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On the Ration: Home Cooking & Guide to Points Shopping
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We explore the introduction of rationing for both food and
clothing and explain the intricacies of points shopping off the ration.
The weekly food allowance for an adult can be laid out on an alarmingly small
tray; useful and nourishing recipes are discussed. A haybox for fuel free cooking
is currently under construction...
Tips are also offered on pooling resources (and - for those of less tender
sensibilities - hints on how to make the best of 'unwanted' coupons...)
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The Yanks Are Coming: Over Here - Tap pants and Yankee Bags
Arriving US troops were issued with a booklet that explained British ways, stray copies of
which caused gentle amusement to their hosts - read our copy and see what you
think! GIs also received charts explaining our non-decimal money so we
have plenty of suitable coins for handling and impromptu sums.
American women were encouraged to send 'Bundles for Britain' which
often included wildly fashionable clothes such as wide legged tap pants;
American soldiers brought strange and exotic goods. The women who were
keenest to accept both were often known as Yankee Bags...
Toward D-Day: It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow?
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The long struggle toward D-Day required absolute
commitment from the civilian population and almost every week brought a new
campaign: War savings versus the Squander Bug; salvage drives that saw the
dismantling of iron railings and collection of aluminium saucepans; shelves
stripped of books to pulp for paper; make do and mend becoming an art.
Above all, everyone dug for victory to grow more food in Britain.
Communal effort also made many people question pre-war society and
strictures...
Explore some of these schemes and campaigns with us.
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Victory in Europe: Street Parties & Jobs for the Boys
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Relief at the end of hostilities in Europe was
tempered by concerns for future reconstruction and the shock of increased
rationing.
Many women who had worked and fought fully in the war effort were horrified
to be pushed out of their jobs to make way for returning men - or to find
their children's nursery schools had disappeared over a
weekend... A really major whinge for both of us.
Here we break out the sherry and try to look as cheerful as possible!
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Though sometimes...
Just One Woman - or Beyond Make Do & Mend!
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When either Kay or I work on
our own this is a presentation that segues swiftly into a craft demonstration
and/or other hands on activities: Depending on the theme or flavour of
an event visitors may try their hand at suitable games to occupy the kiddies
through long hours in the shelter; help make a heater from a flower pot;
develop skills in bandage rolling or perhaps learn to knit.
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For the curious the contents of a wartime handbag can be explored, the more
energetic can still enjoy training on the stirrup pump
Our solo Home Front presentations particularly explore aspects of the
Wartime philosophy of adapting, adopting and simply 'making do' - perhaps
in leading an experimental darning activity or by showing how to make a ragrug
for the air raid shelter...
There are also many parallels with our own times: Wartime strictures prompt
the question 'Is Your Journey Necessary?' to prefigure current concerns
about carbon footprint; conservation of water returns as a topic for us;
wartime exhortations to save kitchen waste for local council retrieval
clearly echo our modern composting collections.
Just One Woman - or Eating for Victory!
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Talks and displays as a
housewife cook showing a wide range of utensils and methods with a witty
overview on ingredients, availability and the dreaded ration book
shopping. A full cookery demonstration, from start to finished dish,
can be preformed where facilities are available.
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