One of my favourite places to visit when I’m in London – as one does – is the Imperial War Museum. An added attraction being it’s free, which on a cold and wet day makes it a brilliant place to be.
Each time I go I find something different to see, but I always try to do the WWl trench exhibit, which sadly this time was shut for renovations. Maybe they needed to add some extra pongy-sulphur sprayers, or build in some booby traps to further frighten the life out of you as you make your way around, but whatever it was I didn’t get a chance to hear that rumble of bombs and feel… well… to put it bluntly, cheated.
Anyway there were other things to entertain me, and apart from being reported to security for taking photos where I shouldn’t have been – I swear I did not see the signs – I had a great war time meal of macaroni cheese served on a tin plate and a good old piece of cake that really did taste as if it was a relic of both wars.
But the one thing that really made me roar was the selection of postcards depicting war time slogans, of which many were really quite rude about women. How the gals of the time didn’t knock the cigar out of old Churchill’s smug mug is beyond me.
Take a look at these few and let me know what you think. My favourite must surely be the children, not only are they adorable, but more so because the slogan is just so wrong.
@Ruth2Day 
What an interesting museum. My uncle was shipped off to the country which meant he never finished his education. Very tragic!
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At the age of 18 my mother was an Air Raid Warden in the city of Glasgow and it was her job to make sure that everyone in her area was safely in a shelter when a siren went off. This meant that she would be one of the last people to be in a safe place when the bombs started to drop. She never considered herself as an inferior and would laugh at anyone shocked by these cards. They would be read as simply giving information and not meant to give offence. Live in the now girls where women that can blog are amongst the most fortunate alive. Help others by enjoying your life. Thanks for this post and the opportunity to comment.
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what a wonderful story. I’m sure your mum has many a good story to tell. thanks for visit 🙂
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OMW we have come a long way!!
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There were also quite a few illegitimate babies born during and after the war.
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that’s so true.
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What a cheek of them! 🙂
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double cheek if you ask me! 🙂
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The War Museum is definitely on my list if I get to London again. The posters do not suprise me, the English had a very snippy view of women’s place in society until quite recently. Men resented being told anything by a “mere” woman unless it was that they were the best thing since sliced bread. If I had lived in those time I would definitely have been a suffragette! (and probably single) 🙂
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I would have been with you as a suffragette!
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One cannot believe how chauvinistic society was in those days. I must send you the excerpt from a home economics text book. It will make you cringe.
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it certainly did. What a cheek they had to have us put our curlers in and face cream on after the husband has done his business!
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The top one is the kicker for me – they had to tell people women weren’t so dumb?
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LOL! I know, completley out of line
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I’m sorry I didn’t go there on my trips over, sounds like a *blast* – although in my *defense* I didn’t know it existed!
Yikes! how’s that VD postcard! Would make a good Durex ad in this day and age!
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Yes, that is so true about the durex ad. Very clever puns 🙂
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Can you bloody believe it!!!
Mom not so dumb!
Heavens!
Frikkin hell – thanks Ruth 😉
Suddenly my lot does not seem quite so bad what with PC-ness and all that 😉
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you can only but laugh about them now, but at the time I wonder if the gals were offended or just went along with it 🙂
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What were they going to do?
That was their lot in life. For some it still is…
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Pffft!
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Nicely put! 🙂
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