EusReads

The British Home Front Pocket-Book 1940 – 1942 compiled by Brian Lavery

One of the things I’m trying to do this year is to meet with more friends. Since I am normally the first to arrive (since I hate being late and will overestimate the amount of time it takes to go anywhere), I brought this along. Not only is it the perfect size for my bag, it was also a very good way for my friends, whom I haven’t seen in six years, to identify me.

“Oh, I just saw a girl reading a book and I figured it was Eustacia.” – actual quote from the meetup.

The British Home Front Pocket-Book is a collection of authentic leaflets and pamphlets issued by the British government during World War II. It covers subjects like cooking with rations, what the evacuation scheme is, how to prepare your home for air raids, what to do in your new job as a war worker, and much more. All the information is taken from actual leaflets so you get a sense of the tone of the whole thing.

The unintentionally funniest part of the book was during the cooking section, where after listing all the ingredients to be used in a roast, the instructions simply said: “No British woman needs instruction on how to roast meat.” I guess the idea that there might be non-British women (or women who just arrived in Britain) reading this just didn’t cross the mind of the writer. They also mention anti-gas helmets for babies, which is definitely worth a google to find the image.

Apart from the unintentional humour, the most interesting part of the book (apart from the content) was the tone of these leaflets. It’s so determinedly cheerful but also trying to sound authoritative – it’s a very much “[cheerful tone] this is the best thing for you, we will order you to do it if need be, but really, just follow what we say because it’s the best thing for you”

If you’re interested in reading more about World War II in Britain, I think this is worth picking up. It’s not going to give you an overview of the war or even about what civilian lives in Britain were like, but it does provide an interesting angle to the whole thing. And if you know anyone who’s going to try living life according to these instructions, please let me know ASAP – I’d love to read that!

What do you think?