The Living Room

In the gloom of the 1940s living room (electricity savings and air raid precautions meant rooms were often quite dark), papers and magazines kept wartime families informed and provided Home Front tips. Magazines like Picture Post, Illustrated, Horizon, Punch, Women's Weekly, Times Literary Supplement, The Listener, Contemporary Review and Fortnightly Review were comparatively cheap, catering for all tastes with a mixture of war-related articles and other subjects to take people's minds off the ever-present war.

A vital lifeline in the 1940s, the wireless broadcasted news bulletins from the front line, music hall entertainment and stirring speeches from Winston Churchill. It was radio that united the nation and helped to strengthen morale.

The BBC radio newsroom brought the latest news from the battlefront and correspondents in the field followed the British army as it fought its way across Europe after D-Day (about 20 million Brits tuned in to hear news of the D-Day landings in Normandy). Richard Dimbleby, the BBC's first-ever radio news reporter, was there when Belsen concentration camp was liberated and when Churchill led the celebrations on VE Night in London.

As light relief from news bulletins and government announcements, comedy shows poked fun at authority (and Hitler) became increasingly popular. ITMA ('It's That Man Again') had its debut on 12th July 1939, and made the nation laugh as one. It was so popular (16 million listeners) that if the Germans had invaded at 8.30 on any Thursday evening, resistance wouldn't have been up to much! ITMA starred the fast-talking Tommy Handley, who played a variety of improbable figures, including, 'The Minister of Aggravation and Mysteries', 'Mayor of Foaming-at-the-Mouth' and 'Governor of Tomtopia'. He was supported buy a rich cast of secondary characters, played by the gifted mimic, Jack Train. His parts included Funf, the incompetent German spy - 'This is Funf speaking' - and Colonel Chin-strap, perpetually in search of alcoholic refreshment – “I don't mind if I do”. Meanwhile, Dorothy Summers created Mrs Mopp, with her famous catch phrase: “Can I do you now, sir?”

Another focal point of the 1940s living room was the wind-up gramophone, which played original 78rpm records. Music helped to keep the home fires burning through the dark days of World War II. 'The White Cliffs of Dover' and 'We'll Meet Again', crooned by 'the Forces' Sweetheart', Vera Lynn, became unofficial national anthems. Favourite tunes also included Sinatra's, 'I'll Never Smile Again', and Bing Crosby's, 'I'll be Seeing You' (warmly nostalgic for parted couples). Then there were the great Eberle Brothers' swing numbers: Ray Eberle's 'Skylark' and Bob Eberle's 1941 No.1 hit, 'Blue Champagne'.

There was no telephone in the 1940s home. Doctors and bank managers might have had one for work reasons, but for ordinary families the only means of communication with the outside world was by letter, sometimes written on the back of previous correspondence to save paper.