NELLA LAST IN THE 1950S

NELLA LAST'S PEACE

Nella Last an ordinary housewife living in Barrow-in-Furness wrote a diary for the Mass Observation Project, the social research organisation, during and after WW2. Here we learn about the austerity of life in postwar Britain. Through it all her humour and strength of character shine out.

WOMEN AT THE READY

From the summer of 1938, British women from all walks of life joined the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS). This disparate band of women came together for the common good - to help serve and protect their communities. By 1941 a million women had enrolled. These brave and dutiful women played a vital role in Britain's victory in WW2.