Day two at the British Library Newspapers Archives Collection

October 6, 2013

Another great, but tiring day at the British Library

We have looked through newspapers from 1918 to 1943. It is very interesting to read the newspapers during the war period – lots of handy hints on what to cook and how to clean your home during rationing

It does remind me how lucky we are – we have access to all the food, water and cleaning products we could ever need, but during the war this was limited and not taken for granted – something for us all to remember

One of the highlights today, was finding out that my Gran led the Wings for Victory parade – this was to raise money for the war efforts and pay for new Spitfires to be built! What an amazing honour for the family – I just wish they had photos in those days!

We found lots on my Great-Grandfathers second business, including when it was razed to the ground during a Blitz raid in 1941 – he was quoted in the newspaper explaining exactly how many cabbages he lost that night….a true retailer in my view, always concerned with customers and stock 🙂

Lots more details to come in the next few weeks but attached is the card from the library – they are moving to York next month, which is a great shame for us and a loss for London. I don’t know how long the archives have been there, but the desks and lighting are very old. I am sure the new building will be fit for the new world of technology and I look forward to visit.

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