Tuesday 11 November 2008

Britain at War

I think it's pretty fair to say that World War One changed the way the British saw themselves. We lost nearly an entire generation of young men and the ones who returned home were injured physically and emotionally, this tragedy forced us to ask serious questions about empire, equality and nationalism. In 1918 the UK opened the franchise up to all men, there was no longer a restriction on voting rights to non-property owning working-class men, and women too received part-franchise, the government of the day feeling that they could no longer restrict the vote to the very men who fought for Britain and Empire and the women who kept the economy going whilst the men fought and died. As a woman of working-class origin I have a lot to thank these people for. Here are two newsreels which offer a remarkable insight into Britain at war.



2 comments:

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Natalie,
Thank you so much for sharing these clips. The poem is heartfelt also. We must always remember to thank those who have sacrificed...

I've been just catching up and I must say, the Orange and Almond Cake sounds like a perfect blend. Oh how I wish I could invent a baking recipe from my brain...Nina the Waldorf doll is absolutely adorable. Oh how I wish i could sew...there's such a comfort in unconditional love...Oh how I wish I would have "felt" sooner...

Dulce Domum said...

Hi Louise
I'm glad you like Nina and the cake. The poem is wonderful, isn't it. Oh, and you never know what may come in the future!