IWM Senior Historian Terry Charman tours IWM London's 1940s House (closed January 2012) and speaks about life in wartime Britain for the typical family.
The Morrison shelter was the large table like structure the people were shown sitting at when the voiceover mentioned the Morrison shelter. It was reinforced so as to protect you if the roof came down. People would take shelter under it during an air raid. Hope that helps.
Great educational series. Thank you. I wish I could have an indoor Morrison shelter now because we have over 89 tornadoes every spring and it'd be a good shelter when your house fell in
We had rationing also, in Australia, but it wasn't as miserable as the British version. It makes you determined to make sure there never is another war like that one. And our rationing ended in the late 40s instead of extending into the 50s.
got to have that pot of tea! We Americans laugh, because it seems like even if the bomb was headed straight for your house, you had to grab the tea before it exploded. But, on a more serious note, I have studied the war from many fronts and all angles, both European Theater and Pacific Theater, and know that no one had it easy. Hats off to the British people!
My mother was drafted to Swindon during the war as a clippie on the buses and billeted with a married couple. During air raids (Swindon was heavily bombed) she and the husband would stay in the Morrison shelter playing cards while the wife was so terrified she sat on the toilet with a bowl to be sick in.
Hi everyone I have a question about rationing I heard that rationing was introduced do that “everyone, rich and poor, can get their fair share” of food. Was food free in rationing or did you still have to pay. I am aware ration books had stamps were used as some sort of currency. Is this true?
No. The stamps only showed how much you could buy. You couldn’t just pay more to get more (only on the black market if you could afford it). You had to register with a butchershop, bakery, etc. They could only get as much supply as the number of ‘stamps’ from customers they collected each week. The rationing meant that everyone was able to buy the essentials instead of rich people buying up all the essentials. You could trade some of the stamps for other stamps. My grandmother didn’t smoke so she traded them for other stamps with her smoking neighbour.
The Anderson did not 'save lives' purely by its design. In fact, you were safer in your house than an Anderson shelter if a bomb landed close by. Brick walls are far more able to stop shrapnel than iron sheets and soil. The Andersons that worked well, were the ones built in fields etc. The Morrison shelter was far more useful and worked well inside a home, but as stated, came too late to be used in the main Blitz. The Anderson's had a low profile and were useful in some blast events. They gave a feeling of security just like the gas mask. Towards the end of the air raids, many British people chose to stay in their own homes as they got used to the sounds of bombs and AA guns.
There were no dining-rooms in a working-class '2up, 2 down', I can assure you! Meals were eaten either in the kitchen or living-room! Your videos depict the average middle-class home, not the average working-class home.
I was brought up in an Edwardian terraced house, 3 beds, bathroom, living room, dining room. breakfast room and kitchen and what you would call a working class family, it would just depend on the area one lived in, very few of the 2 up 2 down houses in the town I lived in. The house in the video looks like a 1930s semi which did have a living room, dining room and kitchen 3 beds, and bathroom
The narrator is in error when he says the Morrison undoubtedly saved lives from v1 and v2s. There was no warning of v2 attacks, so nobody was able to take cover before they exploded.
This series made me grateful for many things in my life that I usually don't pay much attention to..War is ugly
The fireplaces shown in the living room and dining room are gorgeous. I'd love to have them in my home today.
Tom Sanders mine was removed in 1985 by the old woman who used to live in my home.
Bless you.
The Morrison shelter was the large table like structure the people were shown sitting at when the voiceover mentioned the Morrison shelter. It was reinforced so as to protect you if the roof came down. People would take shelter under it during an air raid. Hope that helps.
Rosies Cottage thanks. I was wondering what he was talking about. I could guess but the explanation helps.
Thank you for that. I'd only ever heard of Anderson shelters.
The book Nella Last's War describes using this table type of shelter in her home during the bombing of Barrow-on-Furness.
Omg so good
The tape on the windows was done so uniformly, I thought it was intentional design until told otherwise
Great educational series. Thank you.
I wish I could have an indoor Morrison shelter now because we have over 89 tornadoes every spring and it'd be a good shelter when your house fell in
We had rationing also, in Australia, but it wasn't as miserable as the British version. It makes you determined to make sure there never is another war like that one. And our rationing ended in the late 40s instead of extending into the 50s.
Nice love the facts ☺️
Dining room, how very middle class. I was born in 1969 and I remember having an outside toilet.
And I was born in '98 and remember having an outside toilet, what of it?
I thought it was a middle class house my self. The house looks like a 1930's semi.
@@TheTrooper115 same here , used to have to pour kettle water down it in winter.
got to have that pot of tea! We Americans laugh, because it seems like even if the bomb was headed straight for your house, you had to grab the tea before it exploded. But, on a more serious note, I have studied the war from many fronts and all angles, both European Theater and Pacific Theater, and know that no one had it easy. Hats off to the British people!
My mother was drafted to Swindon during the war as a clippie on the buses and billeted with a married couple. During air raids (Swindon was heavily bombed) she and the husband would stay in the Morrison shelter playing cards while the wife was so terrified she sat on the toilet with a bowl to be sick in.
Swindon, that’s where Diana Dors was from
AH yes, I remember it well. no hot water. a bath once a week.3 mile walk to school.
And realising it was important to wash you bum.
Fascinating
Hi everyone I have a question about rationing I heard that rationing was introduced do that “everyone, rich and poor, can get their fair share” of food. Was food free in rationing or did you still have to pay. I am aware ration books had stamps were used as some sort of currency. Is this true?
No. The stamps only showed how much you could buy. You couldn’t just pay more to get more (only on the black market if you could afford it). You had to register with a butchershop, bakery, etc. They could only get as much supply as the number of ‘stamps’ from customers they collected each week. The rationing meant that everyone was able to buy the essentials instead of rich people buying up all the essentials. You could trade some of the stamps for other stamps. My grandmother didn’t smoke so she traded them for other stamps with her smoking neighbour.
Ikke limburg thank you for the information
I would love to know where to get the wallpaper border!
MAGNIFICO
The Anderson did not 'save lives' purely by its design. In fact, you were safer in your house than an Anderson shelter if a bomb landed close by. Brick walls are far more able to stop shrapnel than iron sheets and soil. The Andersons that worked well, were the ones built in fields etc. The Morrison shelter was far more useful and worked well inside a home, but as stated, came too late to be used in the main Blitz. The Anderson's had a low profile and were useful in some blast events. They gave a feeling of security just like the gas mask. Towards the end of the air raids, many British people chose to stay in their own homes as they got used to the sounds of bombs and AA guns.
Does anybody know where you can get splinter net tape today? We live in the USA.
Morrison shelter, how did that work?
♥🌹
Moira
From England.
The rest of the floorboards could do with staining around the carpet
Was this filmed in US?
There were no dining-rooms in a working-class '2up, 2 down', I can assure you! Meals were eaten either in the kitchen or living-room! Your videos depict the average middle-class home, not the average working-class home.
was there something wrong?
I was brought up in an Edwardian terraced house, 3 beds, bathroom, living room, dining room. breakfast room and kitchen and what you would call a working class family, it would just depend on the area one lived in, very few of the 2 up 2 down houses in the town I lived in.
The house in the video looks like a 1930s semi which did have a living room, dining room and kitchen 3 beds, and bathroom
The narrator is in error when he says the Morrison undoubtedly saved lives from v1 and v2s. There was no warning of v2 attacks, so nobody was able to take cover before they exploded.
Totally agree. They even covered it up as gas explosions.
They could be heard coming, it was when the engine stopped no one knew where they would land
Dave H I think that only applied to V1s. V2s were silent.
Wouldn't they hear the explosions in the area and take cover?
Sylvain Sylvain
Urban Meyer