Home Front

I was on duty at the local history centre when a perfunctory religious service took place at the war memorial on the other side of the Square. People gathered for a while to listen to the hackneyed words and then dispersed. Job done.

Several shops in town have adorned their windows with red white and blue flags and balloons  but the one that caught my eye was the charity shop display of facsimile public notices from the WW2 Home Front - injunctions to 'housewives' mainly. 

One the left above is a recommendation to clip on to your broom handle a purpose-made device that allows you to capture an errant bomb that has entered your domain (leaving one hand free to 'act as a shield'.) 

To release the incendiary bomb give a sharp jerk and the holder will readily release the bomb - into the garden, the street? You'd need nerves of steel to be sure.

On the right, the image shows an anxious mother clutching her two sons who are evidently safe and happy as rural evacuees* while a  Hitler-esque figure hovers close to her ear whispering Take them back, take them back - to a distant city in flames.

A couple more as an extra: sensible advice on cooking  when the gas pressure is low following an air raid: use as little heat as possible and cook your veg etc. in a small quantity of water which can  be re-used to heat other items. Finally, an injunction to clear your attics of all potentially incendiary material -  a good move in any circumstance.

What isn't included here (and rarely referred to now) is the massive cull of domestic pets that took place following the outbreak of war. 750, 000 cats and dogs were 'put to sleep' in Britain during one week in September 1939. See here. I suppose it's something we prefer not to remember.


* An old blip about local evacuees
https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2185564261227432425