Day 15: Imperial War Museum Visit

This morning I had a private meeting with Terry Charman, the senior historian at the Imperial War Museum. I am so honored that he took the time out of his busy schedule to meet with me and discuss my project about World War 2 and the effect it had on the people of London; which is one of his specialties. I had a wonderful discussion with Mr. Charman about the effect of the second world war on the people of London then and how the impact of the war lasted well beyond victory. There were two big things I got out of our discussion:

1. The civilians of London suffered greatly from the extreme bombing. While the government tried to combat the bombs and rebuild for the people, they often learned the lessons of how to best deal with the dire situation after the need had passed. They learned from their mistakes but sometimes it was too late and many civilians lost their lives as a result. On the flip side, the bombing did not kill as many civilians as they had anticipated and this was a result of the precautions put in place and a strong effort on the part of all Londoners. 
2. There was no specific part of London that was the most affected. While the East End was bombed the most heavily, everyone in the city suffered from the constant stress of the bombing, rationing, ford and clothing shortages, the blackout, having husbands, sons and brothers off at war and trying to keep morale alive in the midst of total devastation.

The war did have an unbelievable impact on the city of London and the people of the city. The legacy of the war I have discovered throughout my research is that the war effected very single part of life in London during the war and long after the war. The civilians suffered losses that rivaled the losses on the front lines. People in London are still highly affected by this war and its repercussions. When the speak of life "after the war" they are still speaking of World War 2. In America we were never affected on the same scale as the British people; we were not bombed out of our homes, we were to rationed as heavily and we did not sustain anywhere near the level of civilian deaths. The legacy of World War 2 I grew up on in the United States is significantly different then the legacy here in London. I think that is the biggest shock from my project: I thought I knew this war well and had a thorough understanding of it but upon arriving in the city that still bears scars from the war and suffered so greatly has opened my eyes to a whole other part of the second world war.

Staggering statistics

 After my meeting with Mr. Charman, I went through the entire museum. There was a special exhibit called "Fashion on the Ration" which revolved around how people dressed and how fashion changed during the severe rationing throughout World War 2. The coupon system for clothing limited the amount of clothes you could buy new and the clothes were more practical and no frills. Utility Wear was the norm in this time which was a basic, hardy wardrobe built to last but with no frills or embellishments. When even these basic clothes became scarce, the government encouraged women to "Make Do and Mend" their clothing. Re-purposing and mending was the new norm. Sewing classes were offered around the city and there women could learn to turn old mens shirts into baby clothes or an old pair of trousers into a girls skirt. Fabric shortages caused the skirt hemlines to rise, pleating to become unfashionable and things like double breasted jackets and silk stockings were not allowed. It is amazing to me how much the people of London had to live through. America got out of this war very easy thanks to the Ocean's of protection but England was right there with just the Channel for protection. We never saw the level of food and clothing rationing , bombing or death in America that they dealt with day to day in London. It was hard to understand just how little we suffered in the war until I was actually there to see the lasting damage and read their history. Clothing and food rationing was something I had never realized existed until I began to study the wars effect on London.... And it had such a lasting effect on Londons people.

Examples of rationing information

Another part of the museum I found interesting was their Holocaust exhibit. It was so incredibly well done. I cannot say I enjoyed it as their is nothing about the Holocaust that is enjoyable but I was deeply moved and learned a lot throughout that exhibit. Such a terrible and bloody stain on human history that must never be forgotten so that it never get repeated.

They had a portion of the Berlin Wall in front of the Museum

Overall my visit to the Imperial War Museum was wonderful. The hours I spent in the Museum were highly informative and the whole museum is so well done, dedication to detail was impeccable and every exhibit great to explore. I have to say it was my favorite museum in London.

Such a wonderful museum

** I want to say a huge thank you to Mr. Terry Charman for taking some time out of his busy day to let me pick his brain about World War 2 and the effect it had on the people of London. I am so thankful he chose to share some of his vast knowledge with me.