0:00:03 > 0:00:05The great British countryside.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Setting for one of the most pivotal battles of the Second World War.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Churchill called it "the front line of freedom".
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It was fought by the farmers of Britain.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28When war broke out, the Nazis attacked British shipping,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32attempting to cut off food imports.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The government turned to farmers
0:00:35 > 0:00:38to double home-grown food production.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42The plough had become the farmers' principal weapon of war.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45If they failed, the nation could be starved into surrender.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Now archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn...
0:00:54 > 0:01:00and historian Ruth Goodman are turning back the clock,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02working Manor Farm in Hampshire
0:01:02 > 0:01:05as it would have been in the Second World War.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08Yes!
0:01:10 > 0:01:15By 1942, Britain had endured three years of blockades.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Farmers were struggling to deliver food targets,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and raw materials were becoming scarce.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26So the team must learn how to cope with shortages of fuel...
0:01:28 > 0:01:30..wood, and animal feed.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32They must also address the hardship
0:01:32 > 0:01:35that came with the bombing of our cities
0:01:35 > 0:01:37by setting up an emergency feeding centre.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- Gravy, sir?- Yes, please.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44This is the untold story of the countryside at war.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51AIR-RAID SIREN WAILS
0:01:55 > 0:02:01By the third year of war, Britain's food imports had hit a new low.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05In 1941, America had entered the war,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08which meant they had fewer ships to export food to Britain,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10increasing the strain on farmers.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17To save the country from starvation, the Minister of Food
0:02:17 > 0:02:22demanded that an extra 840,000 tons of wheat be produced.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Even more grassland was ploughed up to meet the demand,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31but it still wasn't enough.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37With all these fields given over to producing cereals,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40farmers struggled to find the space for other crops.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46The Minister of Agriculture insisted that every spare scrap of land be put to good use.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Even Leicester Square and Regents Park
0:02:49 > 0:02:52were dug over to grow vegetables.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54We're going to get rid of all this scrap metal,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58which can be used in the munitions factories to build tanks and planes,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01but we're also going to free up a patch of land.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04It doesn't look like much, but once we get this cleared...
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Do you want a hand there, Peter? - Probably!
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Once we get it cleared,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11we will be able to put a crop in for harvest later in the year,
0:03:11 > 0:03:12but we've got to work quickly.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Alex and Peter are going to grow a bean crop
0:03:15 > 0:03:19to supplement the feed for their dairy herd, but there's a problem.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Small pieces of land like this had never been cultivated,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25so were in need of ploughing...
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- Wow, this is in good nick! - ..but their size and awkward shape
0:03:29 > 0:03:32meant an ordinary tractor couldn't do the job.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34So we're looking for something
0:03:34 > 0:03:38that can plough that land and harrow that land.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40The government had a solution -
0:03:40 > 0:03:44a scheme where farmers could lease specialist equipment
0:03:44 > 0:03:45to help maximise output.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50The Ministry of Agriculture are encouraging us to do these things,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53they're actually offering these things on hire,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56so let's take our pick, let's have a look and see what we've got.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Something like that is too big.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03What's that, "The Trusty Tractor. It does the work of two horses.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08"It ploughs over an acre per day using only two gallons of petrol,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10"and a land girl can start it, and it steers itself."
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Wow!- We're on to a winner.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17If a land girl can start it, maybe even we can start it, Peter!
0:04:20 > 0:04:24By 1942, there wasn't just a food shortage.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Timber was in short supply too.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Wood imports declined as shipping lanes were cut off.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37At the outbreak of war, Britain was importing almost all her timber.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Indeed, I think it was only four per cent
0:04:39 > 0:04:42of that timber that we needed and used in Britain
0:04:42 > 0:04:45that could be sourced from Britain.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47In fact, once we looked around us,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50we realised that the problem was not so much,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54"Where was the wood going to come from?", but, "Who the heck was going to get it?"
0:04:54 > 0:04:57With many male forestry workers being drafted to fight,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01the Ministry of Labour called on the nation's women to step in.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03They formed the Women's Timber Corps
0:05:03 > 0:05:08and female tree fellers soon became known as Lumber Jills.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Timber!
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Nowadays you might think to yourself, "What's the big deal?
0:05:17 > 0:05:20"Wood, what's it used for? Paper, furniture,"
0:05:20 > 0:05:24but in wartime, it had a really important function.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28For a start, many of our best fighter aircraft were made of wood.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Wartime industry also depended on wood.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36The largest consumers of timber were coal mines,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39which required wooden pit props to keep them stable.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- It looks pretty hard work, I should imagine you get pretty fit.- Yeah!
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Jo Mason and Tracy Anderson work for the Forestry Commission
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and have enlisted the help of Ruth and her daughter Eve.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Basically, if you just pull and don't push...
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- Pull, don't push.- Right, this is it.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01"To you, to me," isn't it? To you first.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Girls as young as 14 were recruited to work in the forests.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The toughest job was felling the trees,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11something the government was initially reluctant to allow women to do.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17It's hard work, but it's not the full body thing I was expecting it to be.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20When you look at who joined the timber corps,
0:06:20 > 0:06:25you find it was girls who worked in shops, secretaries...
0:06:25 > 0:06:31I think it must have given a lot of young women a feeling of self-confidence, of self-respect,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33that they could be out there,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37be doing something truly helpful for the war effort,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39something for your country in a really practical way.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44This is exactly the sorts of things that were proving that girls were just as good as boys.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52The Second World War saw a surge in the mechanisation of British farms
0:06:52 > 0:06:55as the Ministry of Agriculture encouraged farmers
0:06:55 > 0:06:58to use machines to increase efficiency.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01With animal feed in short supply,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Alex and Peter are using their cleared patch of land to grow beans for the cattle,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08with the help of a trio of tractor enthusiasts -
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Richard Lowden, Geoff Ravenhall and Shane Parry.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Hello, Peter, what have we got here?
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Little beast, isn't it? That's the sort of tractor I could probably work with.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23This is your Trusty Tractor for the next week.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Trusty Tractor?
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Yep, the best-selling small tractor of its type at the moment.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The Trusty Tractor, once confined to market gardens,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37was ideal for answering the wartime need
0:07:37 > 0:07:39to cultivate awkward patches of land.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43You've got it for a week, with a range of attachments as well.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I've got a book here with all the attachments in,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51You've got a plough with it and disk harrows and all sorts,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53so I should think that will do you.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Excellent, a bit of privy reading for you, Peter!
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Originally designed in 1933,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02the Trusty was modified during the war
0:08:02 > 0:08:06to reduce the amount of steel it required as supplies ran short.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10But for the patch of land we've cleared, this would be ideal, yeah?
0:08:10 > 0:08:16Small patches like this were exactly what was needed to be put into production.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Well let's hope so.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20And we've got something here that's sort of half way
0:08:20 > 0:08:24between me and a spade and a tractor and plough.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Exactly.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The first job is to prepare the tractor for ploughing.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Rather than being towed,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37the ploughing attachment forms one unit with the tractor.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It should be a one-man operation, this should.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44The only time you need five people is when you put it in that hedge!
0:08:44 > 0:08:46LAUGHTER
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- Do you want to start this? - Yes.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- You'd better show me. - OK, fuel's on.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54ALEX: So this is like starting the old lawn mower...
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Here we go.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59ENGINE SPLUTTERS TO LIFE
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Oh! That's a dream!
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Your field awaits.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Over half a billion cubic feet of wood was needed during the war
0:09:15 > 0:09:19for everything from aircraft to ships and rifles.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Ruth and Eve have hit a common stumbling block.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The weight of the tree is causing the saw to jam.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- I think we definitely need... - She's pinching, isn't she?
0:09:33 > 0:09:40- I think we need a wedge.- Might be the safest option at this point.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- Shall we just have a little look? - We're starting to pinch, we are.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49Well it's got quite a big crown, so it's going to catch the wind.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54You can see it rocking it'll come back and jam the saw and you won't be able to do anything at all.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57The best thing we can do is if we put a wedge in the back,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01- that will keep the cut open, means the saw will move freely through.- Right.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Bang the wedge in at the back here,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06just taking care not to bang it into the saw.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10That is so much freer with that wedge in.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Wow, that's moving.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I think we're nearly there. She's beginning to really wobble.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22You can see the gap opening and closing,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and the wedge is bobbing up and down.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26When she goes, we need to get out of the way.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Can you also shout "timber"? They would have been in groups,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32so you want to let everyone else know the tree's about to go.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Yes!
0:10:41 > 0:10:42She's going!
0:10:42 > 0:10:44She's going, going...
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Timber!
0:10:51 > 0:10:53RUTH AND EVE LAUGH
0:11:02 > 0:11:05The Trusty Tractor is ready to go.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It's now time to start ploughing.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12The depth of the plough
0:11:12 > 0:11:16could be easily controlled by a cranked handle.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Experienced farmers could even set the tractor running on its own,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23only needing to turn it around at each end of the plot.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32At first appearance, this is a pretty heavy-looking piece of kit,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36but actually with it set right...
0:11:37 > 0:11:41..you can let the engine do all the work.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44And I'm actually now just guiding it, you know?
0:11:46 > 0:11:51But it's still quite cumbersome, and I'm terrified of hitting a stone.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58The Trusty Tractor was entirely British-made until 1943
0:11:58 > 0:12:03when wartime shortages resulted in the use of American engines.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07With the land ploughed, the final job
0:12:07 > 0:12:11is to smooth out the soil ready for sowing.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The plough could be easily replaced with a harrow attachment,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18one of over 20 accessories that came with the Trusty Tractor.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20So that's the field done.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25Time to get the beans in while the sun's still shining.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Right, here we go.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38The next stage for Ruth and Eve
0:12:38 > 0:12:41is to remove all the smaller branches from the tree,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43a process known as snedding.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46When you joined the timber corps,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48you went off on four weeks' training.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52The first couple of weeks you did everything - a little bit of absolutely everything,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55and you were allowed to choose which things you were best at
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and for the second two weeks, that's what you concentrated on,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01whether it be the measuring, the surveying,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05the felling itself, the snedding, or indeed, bark peeling.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07This is the wrong species for that,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10but if you were interested in making explosives,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14a really, really useful thing was the bark of an alder buckthorn tree,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17so anything like that was carefully peeled and de-barked,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19for the bark to be made into charcoal
0:13:19 > 0:13:21that was then part of the explosives industry.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Girls could be sent anywhere in the country,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30to be billeted with locals or to stay in hostels or camps.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32One person who knows first-hand
0:13:32 > 0:13:35the trials of being in the Women's Timber Corps
0:13:35 > 0:13:39is Irene Howell, who became a Lumber Jill in 1943.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42What were you doing beforehand though, Irene?
0:13:42 > 0:13:47- Upstairs, downstairs. - Really? So a complete change from what you'd been doing before.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- That must have been quite nice, actually, to have been...- Out and...
0:13:51 > 0:13:56- Out and about, doing something different.- ..rather than upstairs and downstairs, yes.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Not a very nice job, I'm afraid.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So, the Women's Timber Corps was, in a sense,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- sort of a step up?- Yes, lovely.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05But conditions were tough.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Rheumatism was a common ailment amongst Lumber Jills,
0:14:08 > 0:14:13resulting from long periods working in the forest in damp conditions.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- You've got some photos. Oh, is this you?- Yes.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20What did you like best about being a member of the timber corps?
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Well, being with the other girls, really.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I wasn't used to being with a lot of girls.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28we used to have a good time, we used to enjoy it.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Did you feel you were part of the war effort, out in the woods?
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Well, yes, you were certainly part of the war effort.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37We had to do something.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43- After 18 you all had to do something, so you just got on with it.- Yeah.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Just as important as felling a tree was measuring it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- So this is to work out how everybody gets paid?- Yes.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57We get paid... Well, the Women's Timber Corps got paid by results.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Let's measure a ten-foot length and see how much we've got.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Calculating the amount of wood in a tree
0:15:03 > 0:15:05was the most intellectually demanding job.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08It was vital to ensure that nothing was wasted.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10There we go, ten foot.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14It normally went to well-educated girls who excelled at maths.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- OK?- Perfect.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19We'll just take the circumference of the tree now...
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Not all the timber in the tree is usable -
0:15:21 > 0:15:25the curved sides must be removed, leaving just the central portion.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29To calculate the amount of useable timber,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31a Hoppus conversion table was used.
0:15:31 > 0:15:37So that's nine, something nine... I can't see... Four foot nine!
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Four foot nine.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42So ten foot length, we're looking at a girth of...
0:15:42 > 0:15:44What did we say? Four foot nine.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- Ten foot log and then you just read across there...- 14.1.
0:15:48 > 0:15:5114.1 square feet in that piece of timber.
0:15:51 > 0:15:57Now the tree is ready to be sent to the saw mill for final processing.
0:15:57 > 0:16:03Before the war, only four per cent of the timber used in Britain was home-grown.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07By the end, it was 60 per cent - over 18 million tons.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Throughout the war, milk was seen by the government
0:16:18 > 0:16:20as essential for the nation's health,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25a much-needed source of nutrition, especially for children.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27To produce enough for the population,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31calves were removed from their mothers very soon after birth
0:16:31 > 0:16:33and fed with artificial milk,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37leaving the fresh milk for human consumption.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Manor Farm's calves have been taught to feed from bottles,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43but bottle feeding is time-consuming
0:16:43 > 0:16:46so Alex and Peter must train them to drink from a bucket.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Oh, this one's got teeth, Peter.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Nearly...
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Not stupid, that one.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03OK, I'll tell you what we do, we'll remove these from the equation entirely, yeah?
0:17:03 > 0:17:08- Yep.- Come on, there we go, you're so close.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Nearly, nearly.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15They're still sucking from my fingers.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Yeah, it needs to learn to lap. Here we are, here we are.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23It's like a milk bonanza.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26This is where it is, this is where the good stuff is.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31And there we go.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34There we go...
0:17:34 > 0:17:38It's one of those moments on the farm, on any farm.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42When you get that moment of independence in an animal,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46you know it's got just a much better chance in life.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Improved methods of dairy farming paid off.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54In 1942, sales of milk hit over a billion gallons,
0:17:54 > 0:17:5740 per cent above pre-war levels.
0:17:57 > 0:18:04But with imported feed scarce and less milk for the calves,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07they needed an additional source of protein in their diet.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10One solution was beans.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Alex and Peter have ordered a new seed drill
0:18:15 > 0:18:16to sow the beans more quickly,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20but their efforts have been thwarted by the weather.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Well, here we are.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Not as dry as it could be.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28It's not, and the problem is, the rain isn't letting up.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33We've got clouds in the sky and we're expecting more rain on top of what we've already had.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37There's water sitting on the ground, but we've got an afternoon of dry
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and we've got to get these beans in the ground. Are you ready, Peter?
0:18:40 > 0:18:45I am. And the main thing is, in the context of the war, this was bonus ground -
0:18:45 > 0:18:47this was turning every inch of your farm
0:18:47 > 0:18:49into something that could produce a crop.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- That's enough in there? - That's enough.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03OK, that's the hopper full. It's a fantastic bit of kit really, this.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07This is really versatile, you can sow virtually any type of seed.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11We've got it set up so that it's for beans,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and there's a regulator at the back
0:19:13 > 0:19:16which determines how often it drops the beans out.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18We've got it set up for six inches.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23The only problem is, Peter, as you're pushing this through this claggy filthy clay,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27you're going to struggle to get traction with this wheel, that's my only concern.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31So you're going to walk in front, throwing some sawdust down.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34No, I'm going to stand here on the dry and watch you!
0:19:39 > 0:19:43As the wheel rotates, it turns two chambers.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47One removes the bean from the hopper and sends it into a second chamber
0:19:47 > 0:19:49which drops the bean into the ground,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51producing a clicking sound.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55That is going, it's good. We're sowing quite thin to start with,
0:19:55 > 0:20:01so we know we've got enough beans to do the whole patch and then we can sow again, but this should...
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- Oh!- Oh, no!
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Oops.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09That hopper's not fixed shut.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Look! What are you doing?!
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Shall I just put them on the road?
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Yes, put them on the road. Put them on the road, Peter.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23We're in for a long afternoon, I think.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The waterlogged soil is making the job difficult,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30but the boys need to persevere.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- All done?- All done.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- Bit of a struggle, but we got there. - Yes.- How's it looking?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Well, it's looking like they're evenly drilled here.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Let's just hope that they're evenly drilled across the whole patch.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53The main problem here is that we don't have very good drainage.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57This clay soil is holding the water. It's a tough call.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The wartime reduction in imported animal feed
0:21:04 > 0:21:06was especially tough on pigs.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Without enough food to sustain them,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13the government ordered a massive cull, and pig meat became scarce.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19One solution from the Ministry of Food was to establish pig clubs,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22where communities collected their kitchen leftovers
0:21:22 > 0:21:26to feed a shared animal, turning waste into meat.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Six months ago, Ruth started a club with a piglet called Shorty.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Now, Ruth and stockwoman Debbie Underwood
0:21:36 > 0:21:39have come to check whether Shorty has grown large enough for slaughter.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43- Hello, girl! - She's growing, isn't she?
0:21:43 > 0:21:47She is. Hello, Shorty. How you doing, girl?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Yeah.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51- Right, so she's about six months old now?- Yeah.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55She's been eating our pig club scraps, enjoying herself.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I don't think she's quite ready for slaughter yet.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- She's still a bit on the small side.- Yeah.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03If you feel her back, that's how we do things nowadays.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Of course in years gone by, they did things differently
0:22:07 > 0:22:11and one way they used to feel how much weight they had on them,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14they put a thumb up the pig's bottom
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and you could pinch to see how much meat was there.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- We don't do that nowadays. - That doesn't sound terribly lovely.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24No, I'm not offering to do that now, but that is one way of doing it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29If you push down, you can feel where the bones are
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and it gives you a good idea
0:22:31 > 0:22:34of how much of a covering of fat there is on there.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38But they also love a good back scratch as well!
0:22:38 > 0:22:40She's really firm-fleshed, which is good.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43What that means is that muscle is building there,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46but at the moment, there's not a great deal of fat.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Nowadays, of course, people don't want too much fat on their pigs,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53but during the war we were desperate for animal fats,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56so a nice fat pig gives you lots of lard,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58so it wouldn't be such a bad thing if she put on a bit.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Interesting that now we're getting closer to slaughter,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04we're sizing her up. We've got to share her.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Half of her has to go back to the government.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11We get the other half, so that's half of a pig between four of us.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13It might not seem very much,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18but when you're so extremely short of absolutely everything,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20then every little bit helps.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24As well as bacon,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28petrol and diesel had also been rationed since the start of the war,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32but in 1942 the shortages grew even more extreme.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Fuel for the armed forces was prioritised,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40so those who didn't need their cars for vital work
0:23:40 > 0:23:42could no longer buy petrol.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Farmers were allowed small rations of petrol -
0:23:47 > 0:23:49primarily for their tractors -
0:23:49 > 0:23:53but they needed to look for alternative options for other farm vehicles.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57The boys have found inspiration from an unlikely contraption.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- Are you breaking something?! - Have a look at this!
0:24:01 > 0:24:02"Massey Harris..."
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Massey Harris tractor, but what else?
0:24:05 > 0:24:10It's obviously been modified to run off some other form of fuel.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Yes, exactly. Solid fuel, so wood and coal.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19Fighting in North Africa severely disrupted petrol imports.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24But there was an alternative fuel that was abundant in Britain - coal.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28So you've got all of your solid fuel burning in here,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32but that isn't what's providing the power source,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34it's merely providing the gas
0:24:34 > 0:24:36that you're then going to burn for the power source.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I suppose coal and wood contains a calorific value which turns into gas
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and that's what we're trying to capture.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- This is a filter chamber. - It must be.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47So we've got a rough idea of how this works.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51- You can find us a vehicle and you can convert it.- I can try!
0:24:51 > 0:24:52LAUGHTER
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I tell you what, you try and get your head around this,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57see if you can knock something up,
0:24:57 > 0:25:02- and I'll see if I can get my hands on some wartime fuel to power it. - Perfect.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04With petrol in short supply,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08gas-powered engines grew more popular in the 1940s.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13In cities, town gas was available via a mains supply
0:25:13 > 0:25:17and was carried in a balloon on the chassis to power the vehicle.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23But many areas of the countryside weren't linked up to the mains
0:25:23 > 0:25:26so the boys will have to make their own coal gas.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Peter has enlisted the help of conservation officer Colin Richards,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33who has a 1930s ambulance.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36He's hoping to convert its engine
0:25:36 > 0:25:40so the vehicle can be used for important jobs on the farm.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Well, this is it, this is our vehicle.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Colin's just bringing it in now. It's currently running off petrol
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and we're going to convert this to run off coal gas.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51This is the machine.
0:25:51 > 0:25:58Once the task is done, the ambulance should be able to travel for 30 miles on one load of coal.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- Have you ever done this before?- No. - OK!
0:26:02 > 0:26:03I know the theory.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It's not easy, but I think between us,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10we can sort of have a go at making it work.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16The first job is to make a furnace.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Colin is using an old metal container
0:26:18 > 0:26:21with walls thick enough to survive the heat.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23There we go.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Right, we have an engine that's running off petrol
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and we need to convert it to run off the gas that's coming from coal
0:26:31 > 0:26:35so on the front I want to put, essentially, a hopper -
0:26:35 > 0:26:37into which we will put our coal,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41and this coal will be on fire,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and this fire will be giving off gas...
0:26:45 > 0:26:47off the coal.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51And we're going to collect this gas...
0:26:54 > 0:26:58..and feed it round into another container.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05This is just going to take out all those impurities that's in the smoke
0:27:05 > 0:27:08so what eventually gets fed into our engine...
0:27:09 > 0:27:13..is good, clean gas.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17When burning coal, only 40 per cent of the energy
0:27:17 > 0:27:19in the coal goes into heating.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22The other 60 per cent escapes as coal gas
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and it is this that will power the engine.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Next, Colin begins work on the hopper,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32made from an old boiler, hammered into shape.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36It will sit near the top of the furnace and carry the coal.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40The reason that we need this dome shape
0:27:40 > 0:27:44is so that as the vehicle is moving along
0:27:44 > 0:27:46and it's sort of shaking around,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49it sort of shakes the coal down into the fire because of this shape.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- It's pretty hot.- It is. - I'm going to go for...
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- Another quench? - I'm going to go for another quench.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04During the war, 200 million tons of coal was needed each year
0:28:04 > 0:28:06to keep the country running
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and power the factories involved in the war effort.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Alex has come to a mine in the Forest of Dean owned by Robin Morgan.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16So how far down are we going then, Robin?
0:28:16 > 0:28:21I would say the cover you got here is somewhere around 200 foot.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- 200 foot.- Yeah. Vertical, that is.- Right.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Coal was plentiful in Britain.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29The problem was how to get it out of the ground.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34Before the war, British mining was hugely dependent on manual labour.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Less than 10 per cent of coal was cut by machine.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43So, Robin, was this mine open during the Second World War?
0:28:43 > 0:28:47This mine was open, actually, 200 years ago, parts of this mine was.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52So some of these workings here would definitely have been worked during the Second World War?
0:28:52 > 0:28:53Oh, definitely, yes.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59But skilled miners were leaving for the battlefield
0:28:59 > 0:29:01and there was a real danger that coal -
0:29:01 > 0:29:04vital to the war effort - would run short.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Right, so where are we now then?
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- Nearly down to the coal face. - I can hear people working away.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13The government appealed for volunteer miners,
0:29:13 > 0:29:19but conditions in the mines were so notoriously bad that few signed up.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23So in 1943, Ernest Bevin, the Minister for Labour,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26resorted to conscripting young men to work in the mines.
0:29:28 > 0:29:3210 per cent of all those called up for war went underground.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34They became known as the Bevin Boys.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37There's not a lot of room up there.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40No, there's not, but it's surprising
0:29:40 > 0:29:42how you can adapt yourself to work in places like that.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45When I first came into the mines years ago,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48it used to terrify me to look up these coal faces.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51I wouldn't even put my foot in there I thought,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55but you get so used to it after, it's not so dangerous as you think.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59A lot of Bevin Boys would have felt exactly like you did at first.
0:29:59 > 0:30:04- Yes, blooming terrified, yes. - Absolutely terrified. - Without a doubt.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Right, but you want us to go up there and have a go, then?
0:30:06 > 0:30:09By all means. You can see what it's like.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11You'll find it a bit awkward to start with!
0:30:12 > 0:30:17Mining expert Rick Stewart has come to help Alex extract some coal.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21He's really loving this, I'm not so certain.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25- OK...- It's quite roomy here.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27You're joking, aren't you?
0:30:28 > 0:30:30So, Rick, this is the coal face?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Absolutely, you can see the black coal there
0:30:33 > 0:30:36and it is our job to basically take this out.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39So what's the strategy here, picking it out by hand?
0:30:39 > 0:30:43We are going to use a pick, just to put a small hole in the face,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46but then we're going to use our air boring machine.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50So if you want to crawl in where that dish is
0:30:50 > 0:30:54and just put a hole in a couple of inches deep.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58The holes made in the wall would be filled with gelignite
0:30:58 > 0:31:00to blast away the coal face.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04I've just cracked my knuckles on this pit prop here,
0:31:04 > 0:31:05picking this hole.
0:31:05 > 0:31:11This is working in the most extreme conditions, it has to be said.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Well, I think I'm pretty much about there.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- Yeah, that's not bad. - Not bad for a first timer, anyway.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20- So, next thing we need to do is... - You want to get this thing set up?
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- That's a pretty mean-looking drill bit there.- It is, isn't it?
0:31:23 > 0:31:25So that's now in...
0:31:25 > 0:31:28so once we've got the air on, we're more or less ready to drill.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- Robin, could you oblige with the air, please?- I will.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34AIR HISSES, DRILL WHINES
0:31:43 > 0:31:47That is a beast. That is a bit of kit.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53We just put in a two-foot shot hole in 10, 15 seconds.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Almost 22,000 Bevin boys were conscripted,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00news that many found devastating.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03'It's the first day of work for these lads,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05'who have been drafted in to one of the toughest,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07'but most essential jobs of the War.'
0:32:07 > 0:32:13After December 1943, 10 per cent of those boys would come down the mines
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and that was done, effectively, on a random ballot.
0:32:17 > 0:32:2240 per cent of those called into the mines appealed against their fate,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24but their cries fell on deaf ears.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28500 men were prosecuted for refusing to work
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and many paid a high price for their dissent.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Many, rather than coming under ground,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36actually went to jail instead.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39What sort of choice is that?
0:32:39 > 0:32:41So we've now drilled the hole,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44next we're going to charge it.
0:32:44 > 0:32:45Is this an electric charge?
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Absolutely, we're using electric detonators here.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52So the first thing we do is put the charge into the hole.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56Once we've got the charge itself in, we then need to put the stemming in.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00The stemming is a piece of clay which holds the charge in the hole,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03directing the blast into the coal face.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07The next job is to connect up the firing wires.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09When we're satisfied that everything's OK,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13when we've tested our circuit, we then fire our charge.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19Back at the forge, Peter and Colin have made the furnace for burning the coal.
0:33:19 > 0:33:25This will produce coal gas to power the engine of their 1930s ambulance.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28The next stage is to make the gas cooler,
0:33:28 > 0:33:34a long pipe which will transport the coal gas between the furnace and the filter.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- Right, Colin, so we've got to bend this pipe, yeah?- Yeah.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40And to do this, we're going to fill it with sand, are we?
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Yeah, because it's a hollow tube,
0:33:42 > 0:33:48and once we heat it up, this gets very soft and if we bend it,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50it will just kink and what we want
0:33:50 > 0:33:54is for the gas to be able to flow evenly through the pipework,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58so we have to fill it with something which is flexible,
0:33:58 > 0:34:03but can take the heat in the fire, and that is kiln-dried sand.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Using sand to bend pipework
0:34:05 > 0:34:09is a very traditional technique dating back hundreds of years.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15This is the former that we've made to bend the pipe,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17to give us a sweeping curve
0:34:17 > 0:34:21from the top of the furnace down into the filter.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Right, OK...
0:34:25 > 0:34:27In order to be flexible enough to bend,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31the pipe must be heated to 800 degrees Celsius.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34That's OK, keep going. Keep going
0:34:34 > 0:34:35Keep going.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37OK, whoa.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Look at that.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42- Good bend?- Yeah.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47The pipe will be shaped into a concertina,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50increasing the distance the gas has to travel.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53As it passes through, the gas cools,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55becoming denser and more combustible.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Right...
0:35:03 > 0:35:05- Job done?- Yeah.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- Yeah, well done.- Right...- OK.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Just work it a way back...
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Ooh, politicians can only dream of a "U" like that!
0:35:17 > 0:35:19WATER SIZZLES AND HISSES
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Unlike farming, where the Women's Land Army
0:35:22 > 0:35:25and conscientious objectors could provide help,
0:35:25 > 0:35:30the mines relied solely on Bevin Boys for extra labour.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Part of the reason that mining was such an unpopular occupation
0:35:34 > 0:35:37was the danger involved.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Around a quarter of all wartime miners
0:35:40 > 0:35:43would suffer a serious injury during their time under ground.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48Blasting the coal face was a particularly hazardous task.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Rick, now what do we do?
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Well this is the exploder,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57so first job is to connect up the firing wires.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00- A bit like a car battery? - Exactly, yeah.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03The firing handle's in,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06and what you're waiting for is that light to come on there,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10which tells us that we've got enough charge in there to fire.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13- OK.- So, give that a wind.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16There we go.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21See, it's building up the charge. OK, you've got enough charge there.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24- When you're ready, you just press the fire button.- That one?
0:36:24 > 0:36:26- Yeah.- So, I can press that now? - Yeah.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33EXPLOSION
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Once the coal was blasted from the face,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43the Bevin Boys had the hard task of clearing it away.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48So being an experienced miner, it would be up to you, Rick, to set the charges,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51but the Bevin Boys would be the ones charged with actually
0:36:51 > 0:36:54taking all the coal away from the face and out of the mine.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Yes, they'd be doing the less skilled work,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59pulling the coal down from the face,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02and also then tramming it up to surface.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06- So, dangerous work, but it wasn't technically difficult.- No, no.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08And not glamorous, either.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15Unlike military conscripts, there was no let up for the Bevin Boys,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17even after the war ended in 1945.
0:37:17 > 0:37:24Britain still needed coal and the Bevin Boys were not demobilised for another three years.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28So, a big "thank you", if you like, is long overdue
0:37:28 > 0:37:32for all of those men who were forced to come down here and mine.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Absolutely, the 20,000 Bevin Boys -
0:37:34 > 0:37:38many of whom are dead now, most of whom are dead -
0:37:38 > 0:37:40deserve a huge thank-you from the nation.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Right... Whoa! We've made this very heavy!
0:37:51 > 0:37:57Peter and Colin are at last ready to assemble their coal-powered creation.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05One of the things that this sort of characterises
0:38:05 > 0:38:10is the fact that a lot of the blacksmiths and engineers had gone away to war
0:38:10 > 0:38:11and it was the farm hands
0:38:11 > 0:38:15who were having to turn their hand to engineering and improvisation
0:38:15 > 0:38:18using whatever lay around the farm.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21And the problems we've encountered
0:38:21 > 0:38:26and the sheer effort involved in making this work
0:38:26 > 0:38:29is exactly what would have happened during the 1940s.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34As Colin welds the pieces together,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Peter has one more job to do before they can test the engine.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Right, we need to fill up our filter.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48This is going to take all the particles coming through -
0:38:48 > 0:38:49which is essentially just smoke -
0:38:49 > 0:38:53it's going to filter those out so all we're left with is gas.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Now, I've just got some heather,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58so we're just going to start putting this in.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02Essentially, the leaves and the flowers are highly absorbent
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and also the particles will stick to the very large surface area.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08- I haven't pushed it down too much. - No, that's fine.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10- It's just sort of... - Just lightly packed.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Yeah. Here we go, lid on.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16It's been absolutely knackering. A three-day marathon, Alex.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20You look like you've just done a three-day marathon!
0:39:20 > 0:39:21Here's your coal.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27I can barely recognise you in there.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Filthy... As usual!
0:39:30 > 0:39:34This looks absolutely amazing. What on...?
0:39:34 > 0:39:38This is Colin's vision come to life.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42With the coal in the hopper,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46a fire is lit in the furnace to start producing gas.
0:39:49 > 0:39:55Ruth has arrived to give the ambulance its first test drive.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58- Right, are you going to talk me through this?- OK...
0:39:58 > 0:40:00OK, I'm in.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03There's a starter button underneath.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07ENGINE TURNS BUT DOES NOT FIRE
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Right, put the choke on.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11ENGINE TURNS
0:40:11 > 0:40:13ENGINE SPLUTTERS
0:40:14 > 0:40:17- Nearly! - LAUGHTER
0:40:22 > 0:40:26My grandfather drove lorries right throughout the war.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28I wonder if he had this sort of bother.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32It's amazing, though, how many women did do the driving through the war.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35One of the easiest groups to train up were young women.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39So, for a brief period in the early history of motoring,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42wartime motoring was surprisingly feminine.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Perhaps the most famous wartime ambulance driver
0:40:45 > 0:40:48was the future queen herself.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51'Taking a driving course at a training centre,
0:40:51 > 0:40:56'is Princess Elizabeth, Second Subaltern, ATS.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58'After watching other girls at work,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01'the king returned and jokingly asked the princess,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04'"Haven't you got it mended yet?"'
0:41:04 > 0:41:09With everything finally in place, now for the moment of truth.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14ENGINE ROARS TO LIFE
0:41:14 > 0:41:15Yes!
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Three days and a lot of hard work have paid off -
0:41:23 > 0:41:25the coal-powered ambulance works.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Now all that's left is to take it for a spin.
0:41:31 > 0:41:32This is looking promising!
0:41:32 > 0:41:37- Yup.- She's so heavy on the steering. - Mind that...
0:41:37 > 0:41:40We have added a lot of weight, haven't we?
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Well, I have to say, Peter, this is an absolute thrill.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48It's not the fastest ride in wartime Britain,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52- but it's certainly one of the most exciting.- I love it!
0:41:52 > 0:41:56You have to hold the door shut while you're driving.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01This is a vehicle we can use around the farm for pretty much anything.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Vehicles like this were a fuel-saving god-send.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Right, fella...
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Moving livestock...
0:42:17 > 0:42:20You'll be all right in the back with him?
0:42:23 > 0:42:25He's off to a nice flock of ewes, the lucky boy.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31..carting animal feed...
0:42:31 > 0:42:33The ambulance can do us the good service
0:42:33 > 0:42:35of running them around for us.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44..and even cooking dinner.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49Come on, Ruth, let's get some food. No heat must be wasted.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53I love it, camp cooking, a whole new way of doing it.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58- Camp cooking!- One, two, three. Whoa!
0:42:58 > 0:43:03Fantastic, how many cars can you cook your dinner on?
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Right, one tin of Spam...
0:43:06 > 0:43:07couple of eggs...
0:43:07 > 0:43:09and a bit of bread.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- Alex!- Yep?
0:43:11 > 0:43:13- Din-dins!- Wow!
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Oh, joy of joys.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Slice the other one into the pan, Ruth.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21You know... I used to hate Spam as a kid,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25but that is absolutely delicious, I must have been mad.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32After months of being fattened on scraps,
0:43:32 > 0:43:33Shorty has reached the size
0:43:33 > 0:43:36a wartime pig would have been at slaughter.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39So this is it then, Shorty, time to say goodbye.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41A member of the local constabulary here
0:43:41 > 0:43:44to make sure we do it all above board, fair play.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Because meat was so valuable during the war,
0:43:47 > 0:43:50a licence was required to slaughter the pigs.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Every time a pig club slaughtered a pig,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56you were supposed to have a police officer present
0:43:56 > 0:44:01- to ensure that it was all done properly and above board. - Per the licence, yes.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04As according to the licence, so that we can't be sneaking off any extras.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06We'd confiscate it if you did.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11I think she's done really well considering what she's been eating.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13She's not in bad shape, is she?
0:44:13 > 0:44:16She's looking quite good, isn't she? She's really put on weight.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20Come on then, let's get you gone. Come on, girl.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Come on then, girl.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Half of every pig slaughtered from a pig club
0:44:30 > 0:44:32was taken by the government
0:44:32 > 0:44:35to be distributed as part of the war effort.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37While much of this went into the rationing system,
0:44:37 > 0:44:43some also went to provide emergency relief for the victims of air raids.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48Southampton, just six miles from the farm,
0:44:48 > 0:44:53was a strategic target for German bombers throughout the war.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55Those who survived were often left homeless.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01So the Ministry of Food set up emergency feeding centres,
0:45:01 > 0:45:06often using meat from sources like pig clubs, to feed the victims.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Ruth has come to lend a hand at her local centre.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16The prices were cheap and were kept capped
0:45:16 > 0:45:20in order to ensure that food really was available to everyone.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24So, for example a starter like soup would be two pence,
0:45:24 > 0:45:29and a main course with meat, potatoes and two veg, you're talking about eight pence,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32and that really was dirt cheap for food.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37As with all restaurants during the war,
0:45:37 > 0:45:40you didn't need a ration book to eat at the centres.
0:45:42 > 0:45:47Here I've got the stock of a local emergency feeding station
0:45:47 > 0:45:49and it's really quite grim reading.
0:45:49 > 0:45:54They had 13 cases of baked beans with 24 cans in each case,
0:45:54 > 0:45:58they had beef hash, biscuit, cocoa, tea and sugar,
0:45:58 > 0:46:02condensed milk, meat roll, rice pudding and soup, and that was it.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10For several weeks, the calves have been fed on a diet
0:46:10 > 0:46:13of artificial milk and oats,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17but with imported feed strictly rationed,
0:46:17 > 0:46:20farmers often used fodder crops such as swede
0:46:20 > 0:46:22to supplement their diets.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28To save petrol, the boys are resorting to old technology to prepare the feed.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33This is our horse gin, or our horse engine,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36and like many a wartime farmer,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39I haven't used one of these for a long time.
0:46:39 > 0:46:44A gin is a geared mechanism which is turned by a horse,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47transferring power through a series of shafts
0:46:47 > 0:46:49to any machine a farmer chooses.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52All the machinery would have been driven by one of these
0:46:52 > 0:46:54during the Victorian period,
0:46:54 > 0:46:58but they were phased out and they were replaced by Lister engines.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Obviously, they run on petrol,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02and during the war there was a fuel shortage,
0:47:02 > 0:47:05so kit like this was being dug out,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08put back together to see if it worked,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11and if it did, it could drive machines like this,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13and this is just a beet slicer,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15and it's going to slice up our roots
0:47:15 > 0:47:19and hopefully we can wean our cattle onto solid foods.
0:47:19 > 0:47:24While Peter fixes the gin, Alex is tacking up the horse.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26OK, Ben...
0:47:29 > 0:47:33This is always the hardest bit of getting a horse tacked up
0:47:33 > 0:47:37is throwing all this stuff over his backside.
0:47:37 > 0:47:43By the time you get to 1942, the numbers of tractors had more than doubled,
0:47:43 > 0:47:49but I'm sure many old boy farmers as well would have found themselves in this situation.
0:47:49 > 0:47:54It must have been lovely for them, I think, to have brought old faithful animals back into service,
0:47:54 > 0:47:59to see them working once again for British agriculture.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Let's get this belly band on.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05Personally, I relish the opportunity to get a heavy horse in on the farm,
0:48:05 > 0:48:08because they really are a fantastic form of power.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13OK, with his bridle on now, he's ready to go.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Peter has finished assembling the gin.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21I think we're ready to get the horse on this and slice up some roots.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Whoa. How are you doing, Peter?
0:48:23 > 0:48:27We're looking good, Alex. It's all there, it's all connected.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31- OK, you're happy with it?- As happy as I'll ever be.- Jolly good.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34The horse is hooked up to the main drive shaft
0:48:34 > 0:48:36which will turn the gears.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Here we go, let's see how he gets on.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Walk on, walk on.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53This is the tricky bit. For the first time, we're going to walk over this, Ben.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58Walk on, walk on, steady, good lad.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Good lad.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04- OK, Alex, I'm going to start introducing some roots.- OK.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11The use of fodder crops rose by a third during the war.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14It's slicing.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21He's doing really well, really pleased with him.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23This is the tricky bit.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25And step up, and there we go, easy.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27And it just goes to show
0:49:27 > 0:49:31that horses could still do a job on wartime farms. Good lad.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44Emergency feeding centres employed volunteers to make and serve the food,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46especially in rural areas.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Jill Dix has volunteered to help Ruth with the cooking,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53but their ingredients are limited.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57So the menu today is boiled onions with white sauce
0:49:57 > 0:50:00and Jill's making the white sauce, aren't you? Very exciting.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03Mostly corn flour!
0:50:03 > 0:50:04Pork roll...
0:50:04 > 0:50:09made with pork, and the beans and the bread to pad it out,
0:50:09 > 0:50:13and then the pudding, plum duff and custard.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16The meat itself was supplied by the government
0:50:16 > 0:50:18for such feeding centres off-ration,
0:50:18 > 0:50:23but where it originally came from is of course all that pork
0:50:23 > 0:50:26that had been collected from the pig clubs up and down the country.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32You having fun with that white sauce?
0:50:32 > 0:50:39Well it would be much more fun with a nice dollop of margarine and some proper flour, but it's thickening.
0:50:39 > 0:50:45The next stage is to mix the pork, beans and breadcrumbs together.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47I think it's quite interesting
0:50:47 > 0:50:49that the cheap food of wartime
0:50:49 > 0:50:53was in many ways the polar opposite of modern cheap food -
0:50:53 > 0:50:55modern fast food.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59This is food almost entirely without fat and without sugar
0:50:59 > 0:51:04and that pretty much is exactly what modern fast food is not.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10The mixture is wrapped in floured cloth ready for boiling.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13I mean, the advantage of boiling everything -
0:51:13 > 0:51:16and a lot of food in British restaurants was boiled -
0:51:16 > 0:51:18is that you can do mass catering very easily.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22Another good point is that those who are eating it haven't seen it made.
0:51:22 > 0:51:23That is a good point.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26It does look like something the cat...
0:51:26 > 0:51:30Don't say it! Don't say it. I know, it does!
0:51:30 > 0:51:33The meat roll will be boiled for three hours
0:51:33 > 0:51:35and then coated in breadcrumbs.
0:51:35 > 0:51:41Dessert is plum duff, which, of course, is sort of spotted dick.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46The plum duff is made from flour, breadcrumbs, suet,
0:51:46 > 0:51:50raisins for sweetness, and powdered eggs.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53I'm just going to mix up the egg powder.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56This was something that was new coming in from America.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59Eggs were rationed whether they were in powder form or fresh form.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02The powdered eggs are mixed with water.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06The equivalent of two eggs made dessert for 12 people.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12The war is the height of processed foods in many ways,
0:52:12 > 0:52:18Powdered milk - which we're making the sauces out of rather than fresh milk - powdered egg...
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Partly because it was a way of concentrating nutritional value
0:52:21 > 0:52:25into a very tiny space for the ships.
0:52:25 > 0:52:31If you can get the nutritional value of 12 eggs into a packet that size,
0:52:31 > 0:52:33why would you move fresh eggs around?
0:52:33 > 0:52:37However lacking in meat the main course may be,
0:52:37 > 0:52:38however tired you're feeling,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41there's nothing like a stodgy pudding to cheer a person up.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Alex and Peter have finished milling the swede
0:52:48 > 0:52:52and are ready to try it on the calves.
0:52:52 > 0:52:53Smells good.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58Doesn't smell too bad actually. I'm quite confident here, because...
0:52:58 > 0:53:00They're eating everything in sight?
0:53:03 > 0:53:05I haven't had my bath today.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- OK, go on then, Peter. - Hey, what's that?
0:53:13 > 0:53:17He's just licking it, is he? No, he's not, listen!
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Yeah, he's eating it.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23He's eating it. You can hear him putting those molars to work
0:53:23 > 0:53:25grinding down the feed.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30In wartime, farmers would have been looking to balance the diet
0:53:30 > 0:53:34so they don't miss out too much from not having their mother's milk.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37They still put on the weight, and will become good dairy cows.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41Certainly, in a wartime situation you'd have no choice
0:53:41 > 0:53:45because you don't have the feed and the Ministry for Food is demanding all of your milk.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48You just have to wean them earlier than normal.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50I hadn't really considered
0:53:50 > 0:53:53how much the Second World War encroached on the countryside.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57I've always seen it very much in terms of city life and the blitz,
0:53:57 > 0:54:02but it really was being fought in these fields out here in Hampshire.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Emergency feeding centres soon became permanent fixtures
0:54:09 > 0:54:13and Churchill renamed them British Restaurants.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18Until 1942, most working people only ate at home.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22Eating in public was regarded as embarrassing.
0:54:23 > 0:54:28But after the government introduced a price cap of five shillings for three courses,
0:54:28 > 0:54:32for the first time, ordinary people had the option to eat out.
0:54:32 > 0:54:37British Restaurants would become a lasting social phenomenon,
0:54:37 > 0:54:40and signalled the start of high-street dining.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44Are you going to be needing a lump of bread with that, sir?
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Ruth's feeding centre is open for business.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49Beans...
0:54:49 > 0:54:53The meat roll is being served with baked beans,
0:54:53 > 0:54:56which were considered to be such a staple part of the British diet
0:54:56 > 0:54:59that they were off-ration for the duration of the war.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03- What would you like, sir? - A boiled onion, please.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07Ruth's father Geoff used to eat in British Restaurants as a child.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12He's come to the feeding centre to sample Ruth's efforts.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16- Dad!- I'm having one of those onions please.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18- Oh, my goodness!- Yes, one of those.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21- So you're testing out... - That's the real thing.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23By the end of the war,
0:55:23 > 0:55:27British Restaurants were serving 600,000 meals a day.
0:55:28 > 0:55:35British Restaurants really mark a turning point in British eating culture, too.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39This is a time when affordable, basic catering
0:55:39 > 0:55:43is suddenly available to a wide number of people.
0:55:43 > 0:55:48British Restaurants really opened up the catering industry in many ways.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Yes, I think that's true.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53One or two - like the ones I knew in Oxford -
0:55:53 > 0:55:57they stayed right up until the '50s, well into the '50s.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00But people got used to eating out, they got used to the idea of eating out
0:56:00 > 0:56:03and I think caterers, as well, got used to the idea
0:56:03 > 0:56:06that there was money to be made from doing cheap food.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10As a kid, I didn't really know what the money side of it was.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13That's not as bad as I thought it would be, either, the meat roll.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17Actually, it's quite edible, really quite edible.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20- But you still like boiled onions - I'm amazed!- Oh, yes.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23- They're very nice, aren't they? - They're all right.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26- I don't know who cooked them this time.- That was me.- OK.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28- They're very nice. - They're all right.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31Lovely.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36Ruth's emergency feeding centre also seems to be a hit with the boys.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39SHE GROANS
0:56:39 > 0:56:41- Sorry, legs.- You look knackered.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45I've been stood up for I don't know how long. You ate it, then?
0:56:45 > 0:56:48That was really good, I loved the meatloaf.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50It was all right, wasn't it?
0:56:50 > 0:56:53- Delicious. - And it is quite healthy food.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57- The fittest we've ever been as a nation.- So they say, so they say.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00But also we can't relate to it in terms of...
0:57:00 > 0:57:05it's so rare in our lives we ever see a food shortage in this country.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07It really gives you an insight.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Yeah, not just one thing,
0:57:09 > 0:57:11it's a shortage right across the board.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13- Of everything.- Every single thing.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20- Pub?- I think so, before they rope us into the washing up.
0:57:26 > 0:57:31From the need for women to fill new roles in the workplace,
0:57:31 > 0:57:35to the necessity for communal eating,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38the great hardships experienced in 1942 -
0:57:38 > 0:57:41and the way Britain sought to overcome them -
0:57:41 > 0:57:46would have an impact stretching far beyond the years of war.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53Next time, the team create a new kind of emergency accommodation...
0:57:53 > 0:57:56That is extremely comfortable.
0:57:56 > 0:57:57..get extra help on the farm...
0:57:57 > 0:58:01Don't just pick the top, we want the whole plant.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04..and raise morale with a dance.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07You can't find a dancer dancing that's not smiling,
0:58:07 > 0:58:09it's just impossible.