Cornwall At War Museum

During WWII food supplies were in great demand and any piece of land that could be used for growing vegetables and fruit was a valued commodity. With the continued attacks on the Atlantic Convoys that brought food to the UK it became very important to grow as much as possible. The Land Girls played an important part by continuing to do the work on farms that once men would have done. This helped for grain crops as well as fruit and vegetables, but it was the ordinary individuals that turned their hands to growing who helped to keep the country eating. People no longer had flowers and neatly cut lawn at the front of their houses, it had all been dug up and potatoes and cabbages were more likely to be seen. Bomb craters were turned into vegetable patches, any piece of land that had some soil was used. One of the most famous vegetable patches was the moat around the Tower of London. This sudden need for growing vegetables gave way to the slogan "Dig For Victory." Posters w

Every summer Steve and Sheila hold a BBQ as a good social get together for all the volunteers and their partners. As we all work different days we seldom all get together. When you think of the sweltering summer that we've had you wouldn't believe that it rained on the chosen evening. However, not one to be thwarted by the weather, Steve put the BBQ under the clear shelter and cooked everything to perfection. The hangar was opened up so everyone could sit in the dry and have a good time. I wasn't able to get there, but I expect John was in charge of the bar as he normally is. He's the perfect barman. I've been told that, as normal, everyone had a good time and thank Steve and Sheila for a great social evening. That's George in the beige jumper with his back to us and his wife Betty is next but one to him in the white top.George is a genius with cameras and gadgets. He's looked upon as the museum photographer and makes all the Cornwall At War Museum

During World War 1 the soldiers in the trenches would dig out "caves" in going inwards from the trench. These were known as dug outs and, although small, would house quite a few men. Inside the dug outs there were very few home comforts but it was a place of respite with maybe a few bunks, a desk for writing home or for reading the orders for the next day. If the men were able to get candles they used them to light the room at night. One of the most inventive ways to illuminate the space would be by glow worm. During the day one of the men would collect up to 10 European glow worms. When it got dark the glow worms were put in a glass container and immediately lit up the whole room. Their light was enough for the men to read letters from home, and to write to their families. The officers had enough light to read the orders for the next day and study maps. It's amazing that one tiny little worm could be so useful. This is a mock up in the museum of what a dug out wo

As I  explained on the previous post I wasn't at the museum for the royal visit due to a family crisis. Les has kindly emailed some photos so I'll get them on this post. Steve said that Her Royal Highness was an absolute delight and, from the photos, she  looks a very kind and gentle lady. Her visit was scheduled for 45 minutes but she was adamant that she wanted to see so much and refused to leave when her aides were telling her that it was time to go. Two of Steve and Sheila's grandchildren, Bertie aged 6, and little Elsie aged 2, presented Princess Alexandra with flowers and a DVD and a book about the museum. I think that they may have stolen the show as they look so adorable. Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra inspects Steve's medals. Princess Alexandra meets Sheila. Princess Alexandra meets Steve. 2 year old Elsie presenting her flower to the princess. 6 year old Bertie presents the book and DVD to Her Royal Highness.

I am so sorry that pictures of the royal visit haven't been posted before today. I had a family "crisis" and didn't actually get to the museum on Tuesday, or since. Les has sent some photos so I'll put them on now.