Last week, one of our older volunteers had a surprise for the class coming to visit. After the first session, and reminiscing about her experiences as an evacuee in Devon during the war, Doreen wanted to help make that period come alive for the children, so she’d brought along her ration book and war time identity card for the children to look at.

Some of the other older volunteers explained how rationing had worked, and the children were fascinated by the tear off coupons in the book for sugar, butter and meat, and the idea of taking them out shopping. It led to discussions over their snacks and drinks about what food people ate during the war and what they had to do without. Some of the teachers as well as the children were surprised that rationing continued for so long after the war (it only finally ended in 1954) and everyone thought it must have made cooking for a big family hard work!

Doreen had also brought along her mother’s identity card from the first world war, over 100 years old but carefully put away and looked after. She remembers vividly hearing about that war from her parents and grandparents, and how much of an impression it made on her. Afterwards several of the older volunteers were discussing their memories of older people they knew as children, and we worked out those conversations and relationships had been with people born in the 1800s.

It’s incredible to think that some of the 8 year olds taking part in the programme may be telling children in the 2090s about meeting someone who was evacuated in the Second World War. It won’t be long until that war, like the First World War, passes outside living memory, but hopefully by bringing people together across the generations we can help pass on not just memories of the war, but all sorts of things about how people lived in the past that children have always learnt from older people in their communities.