What I Learned

My research project while in London was about the effect of World War 2 on London and it's people. After being in the city for 3 weeks and seeing the actual effect on the city itself I was struck with a whole new level of understanding. The way the citizens of London suffered throughout this war is hard for an American like me to understand. The food rationing, clothing coupons, endless bombing... it was horrific. We were so separated from these conditions thanks to the Atlantic Ocean and just never experienced the same level of hardship on the homefront. The city bears its scars proudly and lets some of the damage stand as a testament to what they endured and rose above.

The people who lived in London during World War 2 sent their sons, brothers and husbands overseas to fight, sent their young children to the countryside for protection and lived in constant fear of being bombed, invaded, losing their house, running out of food on top of the stress of war overseas. Every part of the city was affected: even the Tube became bomb shelters and thousands literally lived there throughout the war due to the bombing and housing shortages. Even the royals were affected: Princess Elizabeth had to use clothing coupons to purchase her wedding dress. The strength of the Londoners was shown throughout these years. They "kept calm and carried on" no matter what. When food rations grew scarce, they got even more creative with their recipes and grew gardens on every spare green space including the moat of the Tower of London.  When fabric and clothes ran out, they learned to sew and mend what they had to last. Men's trousers became skirts and women's dresses became children's shirts. The ingenuity and ability to adapt was integral to the people making it out of the war as positively as they did. It could have been so much worse....

I must say that I enjoyed researching this topic exponentially. It was so interesting and completely intertwined with most everything in London. I was lucky enough to be there for the 70th anniversary of VE Day, the end of the war in Europe and a day of huge celebration in London especially. I am proud to be an American and I am proud of the role we played in World War 2 but I have a huge amount of respect for the British people and London for how they survived the war and rose above it as strong as ever. They truly embody the idea of "Keep Calm and Carry On" .

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.

Day 14: Warwick Castle, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Oxford University

Today we had another day trip! Our tour guide today was hilarious and our driver's name was Atilla (I am NOT kidding) and he was also hilarious. Our whole group was much better then the first day trip which made for an enjoyable day despite some rain. Our first stop was the ancient castle Warwick built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The castle was later turned into a stately family home and that was what we toured. The castle was beautiful and there was ancient arms and paintings adorning the walls. Unfortunately it was raining very hard throughout this stop which made it a bit less fun.

Very rainy morning at Warwick Castle

Our next stop was Stratford-Upon-Avon to view the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It amazes me that the house is still there and walking through it was so cool because you literally stepped back in time. In one room there were professional actors who said they would take requests from any Shakespeare work and perform a part of it. The performed the first meeting of Romeo and Juliet wonderfully. Such a fun touch. The whole town of Stratford was adorable and just so English.

Birthplace of Shakespeare!!

Inside his house

Our last stop was the oldest university in the world: Oxford. We took a short tour of the campus but it is so sprawling that we only got through a small piece. We were able to go inside Brasnose College which boasts alumni such as David Cameron and William Golding. I also got to see the statue that inspired Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter movies and the lightning bolts carved into the sidewalk outside the Sheldonian Theatre that gave inspiration for Harry to get his lightning bolt scar. I also saw the Eagle and Child pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met to read each others developing novels and discuss writing and literature. As a huge fan of both, this was a huge fangirl moment.

Original stained glass beside replaced clear glass following WW2 bombing that shattered the original windows in this room inside Brasnose

Project related, inside the common room for Brasnose College, some of the stained glass windows had been blown out during bombing of WW2. Instead of replacing the stained glass, they replaced the windows with clear glass so the effect of the war would never be forgotten. This is yet another example of how this country bears their scars with pride. They choose to remember the bad times and how they rose above it instead of covering up the scars and trying to forget.

Most beautiful university

Nearly Headless Nick!!!

Look familiar? Harry?

Pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien discussed their famous novels such as Lord of the Rings and The Lion, The  Witch and the Wardrobe!

On the way home, a car broke down in the middle of the road and our bus driver and guide decided to move it for the guy so they put the bus in park and literally pushed the car out of the way. Quite an entertaining end to our day. Overall, I highly enjoyed this day trip as I got to see more of England and view some places of huge historical and cultural significance. Of course I had to get an Oxford sweatshirt so I look extra smart back in the states ( I have always wanted an Oxford sweatshirt!).

Day 13: Sir Winston and some Mummies

This morning I decided to go visit the Churchill War Rooms. My tube journey was supposed to be 2 easy stops and one platform change.... an hour later I had walked 3 miles and been on 6 different tube trains. Finally I made it to my destination thanks to some directions from a very sweet government security guard. The Churchill War Rooms were the underground command centre for the government throughout World War 2. The bunker has been preserved so well that it gives the impression you are stepping into 1942 and the center of the war effort. Some of the rooms were used as bedrooms for the people who were running the Map Rooms, the typists, the secretaries and even a room for Sir Winston Churchill himself. They were running this immense war out of some very cramped quarters. Some of the other impressive rooms included the Map Room, in which they never turned the lights off or left unmanned until VE Day in 1945 and the Cabinet Conference room which was left intact the same way it was left when the turned the lights out in 1945 including the small doodle drawings of Hitler on the wall maps. It was just mind boggling to see how they ran such an immense and strong war effort out of such a cramped space.

There was also a whole museum dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill himself. He was such an enigmatic man. The testimonies of the people who worked for him in the bunker throughout the war all mirrored the same general idea: he was a strict taskmaster, a perfectionist, a jokester and the best man they had ever met and had the privilege to work for. It discussed his life throughout the war; he was in his mid-60's throughout the war and put in 14-18 hour days often staying up until 3am to get everything done. He saw no problem asking his staff to do the same. His war effort was a strong one and he was very hands on with everything. he intended to be present at the D-Day invasions of Normandy but King George pleaded with him to stay safe in England because he was too important. He also was a smart diplomat by making great friends with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt prior to the war declaration so he had a strong ally when war did start. He was a genius with words and always loved writing, I think this is why he gave such inspiring speeches. He was a strong and proud man born into a rich. noble family but he had to make his own way in life from the start. He was sent off to boarding school at the tender age of 7 and his parents were very absent from his life. His father died when he was 20 and he always aspired to be a politician just like his father. He was in the army for a time where he excelled and inspired great loyalty among the other soldiers. It seemed the general theme was that no matter what he did or where he went, the people who surrounded him respected him immensely and became fiercely loyal. That is a mark of a truly great man.

Something I found interesting was that he actually lost the first election for Prime Minister following the victory of World War 2, largely thanks to his leadership. But, at the ripe age of 77, he once again won the election for Prime Minister and served the Government until 1955 when he was 81 years old.

This was such a great experience for my project. It gave such a great insight to how the war was run and the people who ran it. I loved getting to "know" Sir Winston Churchill and his life.

After the War Rooms, we went to the British Museum to see the famous Rosetta Stone and lots of mummies from Egypt and other artifacts. It was incredible- so much history in one building.

Day 12: Day Trip to Windsor, Bath and Stonehenge

Today we got out of London to explore the English countryside!! We took a bus tour to see Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge. The first stop of the day was Windsor Castle. This is the official residence of the Queen. It was built in the late 11th century by William the Conqueror. We were able to view the lavish State Apartments (no photography unfortunately). The Queen Anne's Doll House is also housed at Windsor- this scaled model of an English manor home complete with small books, portraits and a Hoover vacuum (one of the newest inventions when it was made). The castle exterior is absolutely stunning. St. George's Cathedral is within the castle grounds and features tombs of many Kings and Queens. The interior was beyond beautiful- unfortunately no pictures were allowed there either. The Royal Windsor Horse Show was also going on so seeing that from a distance was pretty cool for me. From the flag flying high above the round tower we knew the Queen was at Windsor today. We think we may have caught a glimpse of her driving out but who knows for sure.

St. George Cathedral

See the flag? The Queen was in

After Windsor, we headed to Bath to view the ancient Roman Bath House. There is a natural hot springs that flows in this area and the Romans harnessed it into a bathhouse during their rule of England. The water runs at a constant temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The ancient baths were not uncovered until the mid 1800's and were soon turned into the current tourist attraction. It gives an interesting peek into the lives of the ancient Romans during their rule of England. We were able to try a bit of the water from the natural hot springs and it was disgusting. To see such an old site preserved so well was amazing. It is truly a man made wonder of the ancient world.

It was gross :(

Our last stop was one of the 7 wonders of the world just tucked away in a typical english field. Stonehenge is a UNESCO world heritage site and dates back to approximately 3000 BC. The ring of stones is believed to be some sort of holy site to those ancient peoples and also a burial site.  Some of the 1 ton stones were hauled from as far as 150 miles away in Wales. This circle of stones has mystified and wondered people for thousands of years; we still don't know why it was placed there or how exactly these people completed such an amazing feat of human engineering in such an early period. Walking up over the hill to this very famous site was more breathtaking then I could have imagined. We had a beautiful, sunny, clear afternoon and the view was breathtaking. It is beyond mystifying. I cannot describe it well enough with words so I will leave the talking to the pictures.

A little fun with the stones :)

After Stonehenge we headed back to London. The whole tour was wonderfully run and gave us a very nice view of the England countryside. It is so picturesque and beautiful. Overall the day was wonderful- I crossed more things of my bucket list and feel blessed to have been able to experience one of the 7 wonders of the world. The only issue with the day was a screaming child on the bus, some parents really need to utilize duck tape or not bring their terribly behaved children on buses to make the other people miserable. But it is what it is- it was still a great day and well worth the trip to see such amazing sites!