A Family in Wartime

The Imperial War Museum is due to close for refurbishment on 6th January 2014 and not re-opening until the summer, and I'd noticed that they currently have an exhibition on entitled Horrible Histories - Spies.   So I decided to go and see it while I had the chance.

The main entrance was closed, with a gentleman on the door directing everyone to a side entrance -  a lot of work is already being done, and only a small part of the museum is still open.

When I went to get a ticket for the Horrible Histories - Spies exhibition, the assistant said it was really aimed at children, and perhaps I might like the other exhibition they had on, called A Family in Wartime.   So I went to see that instead.

A Family in Wartime looks at the war through the lives of the Allpress Family of Priory Road, Stockwell - a large working class family with ten children, all of whom were very much part of the war effort, from fire spotting to making healthy meals from rationed food and in the case of one of the boys, being evacuated to the country.

It uses interviews, posters, films from the cinema at the time, photographs and paintings to present a picture of life in those years. when families had to cope not just with the threat of bombs, but also rationing, the black-out, shortages of basic items, and of course, the general disruption which results from being at war.

But several things come through very clearly.   Although by modern standards life was very basic - for instance, their house had no electricity - everyone coped and was still able to enjoy life.   All the adults, except for one daughter who had heart problems, and of course, the mother who had a full time role running the home, had a job, whether in shops or factories, or in the case of Mr. Allpress, on the railways.   They were very much a working family.

Another thing which struck me was the size of their house, a model of which formed part of the exhibition..   Mr. Allpress had a very ordinary job, and obviously did not earn a very high wage.   But the family lived in a four bedroom terraced house with a garden at the back.    It may, like many houses at the time, have lacked electricity and a bathroom - but at the same time there was enough space for the whole family, even if some bedrooms had bunk beds.   No-one working on the railways today could possibly afford to live in a house like that, except by claiming Housing Benefit, which did not exist in the 1940s.  

A further thing which I noticed was the size of the meals.   One of the questions asked was what the people had to eat in those days, and the window showed a picture of a typical plate.   There were portions of everything you would expect - potatoes, carrots, meat - but the portions were far, far smaller than would be served up today.    No wonder the people were so slim compared to nowadays!

Also, the voice of Betty, the eldest daughter who talked about things like making do and mending - no rough South London accent, but a very pleasant and clear voice which was a joy to listen to.   They may have been very much a working class family, but they were well spoken, albeit not posh speaking.

Finally, there was the impression of a community which was united in fighting against Hitler - the Allpresses involved themselves in the war effort and their quiet patriotism was obvious.