Videos tagged with ww2

Life as a war-time baby on a London bankside estate in the 1950s and 60s

Life as a war-time baby on a London bankside estate in the 1950s and 60s

Pauline Mounsey was a war-time baby, born in the aftermath of World War Two. She spent her childhood in a typical London working-class estate in Southwark. The area that is now home to the Bankside galleries and restaurants was made up of burnt-out buildings and desolate docks. The residents in her estate lived in crampt conditions but were happy and fulfilled. In this insightful interview she recalls what life was like for children born in the aftermath of the war. They made do with what would now be considered very deprived conditions, but at the time this went wholly un-noticed and they spent their days in a comfortable and secure community surrounded by friends. It was a simple way of life but an extremely happy one.

Life as a war-time child; routines, play and evacuation (Part 2)

Life as a war-time child; routines, play and evacuation (Part 2)

In the concluding part of her interview Vera talks about some of the childhood games she and her friends used to play, like 'Knock Down Ginger' and 'Hopscotch', with her least favourite being 'Under the Covers'. Vera tells us about her mother and father, her father worked on the docks and at one time she remembers him bringing her some bananas and her not knowing what to do with them! Children in the area were not particularly well-off and did not have many toys, they made their own entertainment. But she does remember her favourite possession being her beautiful bike… And when she was a bit older, her first pair of nylons!

Life as a war-time child; routines, play and evacuation (Part 1)

Life as a war-time child; routines, play and evacuation (Part 1)

Vera shares some of her childhood memories of growing up during WW2 in Rotherhithe. It was a time of strict rules and regulations. Children went to school and came back, and were never far from their parents. But they still managed to have very imaginative play, making the most of their stark surroundings and even playing with bits of brick and shrapnel… She also recounts her experience of being evacuated with the girl who lived next door, one that she hated. She spent the whole time crying until she was brought back home to be with her mother. She remembers spending every night in the shelter under her block of flats during the worst of the bombing…

Life before, during and after WW2 in South London

Life before, during and after WW2 in South London

Beryl has lived in Rotherhithe all of her life. Before WW2 started she lived with her mother and father in a town house with a large garden, but the council knocked the houses down to make room for a large estate of flats, where she has lived ever since… During the war Beryl was evacuated to Hove and did not return to London until the worst of the war was over. She talks of how childhood and the area was so very different back then, it was a simple life where children played in the streets, caught trams to school and women never worked after they were married. Beryl went to work in the city when she was 18 for an accountancy firm. Women never worked in accountancy before the war, but after all the men were sent away to fight the women had to take over from them. She proceeded to work successfully in the industry for 42 years...

Growing up in Rothrhithe during WW2 (Part 2)

Growing up in Rothrhithe during WW2 (Part 2)

In the second part of her interview Vai Newman carries on talking about her life growing up in Rotherhithe before and after WW2. She focuses in particular on her routines and play as a child and as a young adult. It was a poverty stricken neighborhood and children had to mainly make their own ways of amusing themselves in the streets. Vai also talks about Rotherhithe and the little community feel that surrounded it. Before the age of undergrounds that went all across London, Rotherhithe was very isolated and even taxi drivers refused to go there as they would not get a fare back! Vai reflects on how the area has changed over the past half a century...