The 1940s Society For Everyone Interested in Wartime Britain Issue 74 July / August 2012 £3.00 Wartime Fashion with Harry & Edna Jack Hylton The first in a 2 part series by Jeff “Two-Tone Boogie” A Passion for Policing Re-enactors with an eye for detail Diary Events and much more... The 1940’s Society, 90 Lennard Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2UX Tel: 01732 452505 Web: www.1940.co.uk Email: [email protected] 1 Enjoy the Summer The 1940s Society Many thanks for all the positive feedback on the new website. All For Everyone Interested in Wartime Britain your comments and suggestions are very much appreciated and taken into consideration when adding to the site. I do apologise for Regular meetings at Otford Memorial Hall near Sevenoaks not rolling out the members area as quickly as I had wanted but members should be receiving emails with their log-in details in the Friday 13th July 2012 - 8pm next week or so. If you haven’t had your log-in details by the 1st August then that probably means I don’t have a valid email address for you. Please email me with your details and I will get back to 1941 - Hitlers Year of Madness you. A Lecture by Dr John Ray Thank you to all those that have renewed their membership. 1941 was a pivotal year of the Second Membership is from January to December and for those that are World War. The two great opposing leaders new to the Society you can now join for the July to December Hitler and Churchill vowed to fight period at half the yearly rate. Join on-line at www.1940.co.uk or use on to the bitter end and the the form on the back of this magazine. Citizens of Britain faced the continued hardship of life under Getting to some of the many 1940s events around the country it is the continued bombing raids. wonderful to see the dedication and enthusiasm from the re-enactors. An example of this is Barry and Jackie Anscomb-moon (featured on page 18) who have put so much time and effort into It is often said that the two biggest their Police Station. I hope to speak to more enthusiasts at events mistakes that Hitler made were the this summer and feature them in later issues. war against Russia and the war against America. Both of these Enjoy the summer and If you have articles, reviews or information decisions took place in 1941. that you think fellow members would be interested in then do take the time to drop me a line and we can include it in future issues. Dr Ray will be discussing these and many other aspects of this important wartime Kind Regards year. Dr John Ray is an author of numerous books Ian and taught history for forty years until his retirement in 1988. He is an authority on the Please support the Society with a subscription on-line at Second World War and in great demand as a www.1940.co.uk or fill out and return the form on the back of this magazine. speaker and lecturer. We are delighted to have him talk to us this evening. If you have any comments, articles or information of interest we would be pleased to consider it for future use. Please contact us at: The 1940’s Society, 90, Lennard Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 2UX or email us at: [email protected] . All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part and in any form whatsoever, is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the editor. Whilst every care is taken with material submitted to ‘The 1940s Society”, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the 1940s Society. Friendly meetings learning more about life in the 1940’s. Whilst every effort has been made to contact all copyright holders, the sources of some pictures that may be used are obscure. The Meetings start at 8pm at Otford Memorial Hall, Nr. Sevenoaks. publishers will be glad to make good in future editions any error or omissions brought to their attention. The publication of any quotes or illustrations on which clearance has not been given is unintentional. Admission £3. Further details from Ian on 01732 452505 or visit the Web Site at: www.1940.co.uk Designed and produced by Ian Bayley. © Ian Bayley 2012 2 3 For music, books, and a variety of other wartime Wartime Fashion & Hair related items Harry and Edna are about to launch their new travelling exhibition on wartime fashion and Make do and Mend with their ally in tow Sarah from Do Wop Dos demonstrating some interesting if slightly less well known wartime hair styles. Here is a little New excerpt from their presentation. skilled labour workforce was now being used in essential war work and uniform making. Website Therefore the Board of Trade tackled the shortages and demands in 3 ways; • Rationing – introduction of New selection of posters now available clothing rationing in June 1941 • Utility (design) CC41 www.1940.co.uk (controlled commodity 1941) • Austerity (control of manufacture, This girl in slacks Fashion during the war years limiting adornments etc) would have been underwent a huge change, as looked at with Shortages and rationing brought amazement pre-war. did the way women styled their a new dawn of fashion and For a second year! We will be hosting a hair and the make up they wore. Change was mostly bought design and through this came about with the onset of war and a new casualness in dress. charitable 1940’s event the need to divert raw materials Fading fast was formal evening into the much needed war effort. dress. It became acceptable for Saturday 11th August 2012. Although Britain had Stockpiled women to go without stockings 10:30am – 4:30pm essential goods before the war, in summer and for men to wear SANDWICH, KENT - GUILDHALL after the fall of France imports a cravat with an open neck rather than the formal tie and • 40’s Sweet heart, Kas of raw materials could not meet shirt collars. • Fiona Harrison demand and the government • Cinque Port Lindi Hoppers was faced with finding a way of Women were also taking on • Entertainment FREE controlling and meeting supply more masculine roles, for • Vintage Vehicles needs. example joining the ATS meant the wearing of shirts, caps, ties • Trade stands All proceeds go to NACC • Food Stalls Another reason for the and jackets. • Charity bargain stalls shortages was that a large Clothes rationing was For more information contact: number of factories producing announced through the newspapers on a Sunday and Phone: 07825 214377 In Memory of Michael John and manufacturing clothing E-mail : [email protected] Wilkie 26/03/1957 – 28/8/2009 had been requisitioned and the used 26 existing margarine 4 5 coupons dropped to 48 then 36 years, boiler suits, hats, sewing by 1945. thread, hard haberdashery, laces, mending wool, lace, net, Eight top designers including sanitary towels and black out Hardy Amies and Norman dyed cloth. Hartnell were each asked to submit 4 designs which Hair and how to style it became conformed to austerity rules. an issue for many women. Principally this meant a simple A shortage of hair products manufacturing process with bought about a need to cover limited cloth. For example skirts up hair and the introduction of were limited to 3 buttons, 6 alternative hair styles became seams, 2 box pleats & 1 pocket. the norm. No elastic waist bands or belts and the focus was on line Women were encouraged to and cut allowing pronounced keep their hair short as not only shoulders and a nipped in waist. did it cut down on the amount VOGUE magazine welcomed of styling to be done but also the designs and felt that utility the amount of product needed was steering away from drab as well. There were many making of wigs. Or perhaps a & dreary. Vogue claimed that Hats were a popular ingenious uses of hair pieces, hair piece made from a cows tail way of brightening now all women could have up a womens outfit. one Pathe information film madam? equal chance to buy beautifully Image from “The encouraged you to have your designed clothes suitable to their 1940s Look”. hair cut to provide hair for the As Hats were never rationed lives and incomes. many women used them as a changeable accessory and Mens clothing was also affected, changed the adornments on for example they were no hats rather than have a plethery longer allowed turn ups, wide of dresses. lapels or double breasted suits. Waistcoats could only have 3 The advent of the Gas mask curl buttons and pockets were kept was a style which left a parting to a minimum on all clothing. in middle of your head for your Pyjamas had no pockets at all gas mask strap, making the “Austerity” dresses, coupons (in the current food and a less formal approach wearing of it more comfortable. conforming to Britain’s Board of ration book) so as not to alert became far more acceptable The Turban increased in Trade regulations. the public to the scheme and such as open necks with no popularity partly because it hid thus avoiding panic buying. collars, pullovers and cord greasy hair and meant that However the black market trousers. women could pin and set their was very quickly flooded with curls and leave them in until 100,000 coupons so the Board Boys under 13 were not allowed the following evening or until Of Trade issued regulations to to wear long trousers and they were ready for going out.