We have no idea what it was like to live during World War II in Britain. Fear, scarcity, the sound of bombs falling overhead...there's no way the current generation could recreate that atmosphere. But a few years ago one family did try to recreate it, and the result was an amazing documentary filled with discovery, laughter, and tears.
After the wonderful success of The 1900 House, Channel 4 decided to take another 21st century family back in time nearly 60 years to a world where the United Kingdom has just declared war on Germany and families across the country are blacking out their windows. More than 300 families auditioned for the roles of time-travelers, but the ones who were chosen were the Hymers: Michael and Lyn, their daughter Kirstie (age 29), and Kirstie's sons Ben (age ten) and Thomas (age seven). Three generations volunteered to live under one roof for nine weeks in order to show the world a little of what it was actually like to live in a London suburb in 1939-1945.
I absolutely love "historical reality" shows. They bring out the history nerd in me, and when such a show is based in England, well, you can only imagine my enthusiasm! So when I discovered that our library had a copy of The 1940s House I snapped it up. My family and I watched all three hours in one evening, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it (even my 16 year old brother, and that's saying a lot).
The house at 17 Braemar Gardens was fitted up from the front door to the toothbrushes to be exactly what a typical home of the era would be like, with the exception of video cameras in the closet and built-in speakers for the inevitable air raid alarms. The Hymers were fitted up too: the boys got pudding bowl haircuts (and took it quite well, I thought), and everyone underwent a complete wardrobe change.
It was fascinating to see how the family coped with the inconveniences of the day. Heating water with coal, using ancient razors, and digging a huge hole in the back garden with nothing but a couple of shovels were hard enough, but then they had the air raids in the middle of the night when the whole family had to fall out of bed and rush to the Anderson shelter. Lyn and Kirstie bought food with ration books at a specially-built 1940s shop, and they never knew when prices would skyrocket or key ingredients go missing altogether.
What made the series wonderful, though, was the way the family experienced it. I want you to see this, so I won't ruin it, but you should know that there is little whining and complaining, and a lot of buckling down to do what must be done and growing closer together. The Hymers respond to their situation in an amazing way: they find joy in the little things, they cope when things go wrong, and in a wonderful twist they learn how liberating it is to serve others even when times are hardest.
You'll love watching the Hymers on their time-traveling adventure, and hopefully you'll come away with something of what I did: an uplifted feeling of joy, relief, and a bit of wistfulness.
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org
www.bbc.co.uk
It was fascinating to see how the family coped with the inconveniences of the day. Heating water with coal, using ancient razors, and digging a huge hole in the back garden with nothing but a couple of shovels were hard enough, but then they had the air raids in the middle of the night when the whole family had to fall out of bed and rush to the Anderson shelter. Lyn and Kirstie bought food with ration books at a specially-built 1940s shop, and they never knew when prices would skyrocket or key ingredients go missing altogether.What made the series wonderful, though, was the way the family experienced it. I want you to see this, so I won't ruin it, but you should know that there is little whining and complaining, and a lot of buckling down to do what must be done and growing closer together. The Hymers respond to their situation in an amazing way: they find joy in the little things, they cope when things go wrong, and in a wonderful twist they learn how liberating it is to serve others even when times are hardest.You'll love watching the Hymers on their time-traveling adventure, and hopefully you'll come away with something of what I did: an uplifted feeling of joy, relief, and a bit of wistfulness.
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org
www.bbc.co.uk
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