Home Front

Our Home Front display tells the story of those who stayed at home during the war. There are displays about all manner of civilian occupations and part-time roles, from the Home Guard, Air Raid Wardens and Fire Guard to the Women’s Voluntary Service and Women’s Land Army. We show how people would have lived with recreations of a wartime living room, kitchen, and child’s bedroom, all filled with period objects including furniture, radios, magazines and toys. We tell you about children’s experiences of evacuation, popular pastimes and how they did their bit for the war effort with scrap and paper drives.

We also have an original Anderson Shelter, buried in the ground next to our Dig for Victory garden. You can even learn about what wartime shopping was like in our recreation of a village shop, and find out just how little food your ration book would get you.