0:00:03 > 0:00:06The Great British countryside -
0:00:06 > 0:00:10setting for one of the most pivotal battles of the Second World War.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Churchill called it "the front line of freedom".
0:00:16 > 0:00:19It was fought by the farmers of Britain.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26When war broke out, the Nazis attacked British shipping,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28attempting to cut off food imports.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37The government turned to farmers to double home-grown food production.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The plough, really, had become a weapon of war.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46If they failed, the nation could be starved into surrender.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Now archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and historian Ruth Goodman
0:00:57 > 0:01:01are turning back the clock,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03working Manor Farm in Hampshire
0:01:03 > 0:01:05as it would have been during the Second World War.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19By 1943, Britain was at breaking point.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23In the first few months of the year, there were record losses at sea,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26depleting imports more than ever.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Although the German army had been defeated at Stalingrad,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34ultimate victory was not yet in sight.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39After four years of war, Britain's farmers were exhausted.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42So the team resort to new sources of labour...
0:01:42 > 0:01:45- So we're going to need a lot more than that, aren't we?- Yep.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48..scavenge crops from every scrap of wasteland...
0:01:48 > 0:01:51That looks absolutely lethal.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54..and find innovative ways to clothe themselves,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59as resources are stretched to the limit on the Wartime Farm.
0:02:14 > 0:02:181943 saw imports of food slump to the lowest level of the war,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and the government feared a crisis.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Victory in El Alamein created access to supplies of petrol
0:02:26 > 0:02:28to help the continuing offensive.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33But with more ships given over to military use,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35there were fewer to bring food to Britain.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40At home, the government demanded
0:02:40 > 0:02:44that an extra one million tonnes of cereals be produced,
0:02:44 > 0:02:51but arable land was becoming tired from years of consecutive use.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54There was a large excess of straw on the farm -
0:02:54 > 0:02:57a by-product of all the cereal crops being grown.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Ruth's using this to make a fertiliser.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Of course, if we had a surplus of barley straw,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04we could use that for animal feed,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08but wheat straw really isn't much use.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10So all this spare straw...
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I'm just adding to the dung heap to help it rot down.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16If I didn't have any dung at all, it wouldn't rot,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and we'd have to add ammonia, or lime,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21or something like that to speed it up,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24but with a little bit of dung, mix it all together,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27eventually, you get something spreadable on the fields.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30With harvest approaching, we're perhaps
0:03:30 > 0:03:33paying more attention to the dung heap than we were before.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35We know that as soon as that crop is in,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37we've got to get this lot back out on the fields
0:03:37 > 0:03:41to fertilise and to start that cycle of production all over again.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57Alex and Peter have also found a use for the spare straw.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00The harvest is on the horizon,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04but Manor Farm has a significant rodent problem.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09Before the war, rats cost British farmers
0:04:09 > 0:04:13an estimated £25 million a year in damage -
0:04:13 > 0:04:16eating crops and destroying buildings.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19So the boys are determined to stamp them out
0:04:19 > 0:04:22before the precious wheat is brought in.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24But they're going to need a little help.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Now, we've got a rat-catcher in residence.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31She's coming down for a week or so, serving our farms
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and all the other farms in the area, so we have very chivalrously -
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Peter, haven't we? - decided to give up our room.- We have.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Billeting was at an all-time high,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44with Land Girl numbers reaching a peak of almost 90,000.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47So farmers needed to create accommodation
0:04:47 > 0:04:50wherever and with whatever they could.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55One of the things we've got a surplus of on the farm at the moment is straw,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58so all of this stuff knocking round the farm, we're going to use
0:04:58 > 0:05:02to build ourselves a little straw bale house to sleep in for the next week or so.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05You keep counting the bales, Henry.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10- Right, so I think a door here, just running down to the path.- Yep.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Straw buildings were not uncommon during the War,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and were also used to house tools, or even livestock.
0:05:20 > 0:05:26Baled straw is absolutely superb for using as a construction material
0:05:26 > 0:05:31because you've got really good sturdy blocks here, you know,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34this is all locking in beautifully,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and its main benefit really is
0:05:36 > 0:05:40that it's just so fantastic at insulation,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42you know, there's no doubt about it.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46This is going to keep the wind and the wet out of this sheltered area.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Just going to pop on the end, here.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Do you think it's big enough?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I think it's going to be absolutely fine, Peter.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- It's certainly long enough. - Yeah, I'll get down there.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Plenty of room, there.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Hello, Henry.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- We're missing something, Peter. - I can see the sky, Alex.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Well, if we put a roof on it,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21which we have to,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24a couple of beds, a picture of the King, bedside table.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Home from home.- Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36By 1943, there was a real concern that stamina was running out.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Britain's farmers had already been asked to give everything,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and now they were being asked to give even more.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48People had endured four years of war.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53They had watched everything get worse and worse
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and harder and harder.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Rationing had started out reasonably OK
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and had got tighter and tighter - clothes rationing,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04food rationing, petrol rationing,
0:07:04 > 0:07:05everything rationing!
0:07:05 > 0:07:08And while, in the early days of the War, there was, perhaps,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10a sense of adrenaline with the Blitz, and so forth,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14by 1943, people had been slogging for so long,
0:07:14 > 0:07:19I think for many people, there was just an exhaustion, a weariness that,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22"Oh, God, will it ever be over?"
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Vera Lynn's song "When The Lights Go On Again"
0:07:27 > 0:07:29was popular in 1943,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and encapsulated the mood of the nation.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37# When the lights go on again... #
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Listen to Vera Lynn. Somehow, she just had a knack, didn't she,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44of summing up how everybody felt? "Wait till the lights go on again."
0:07:44 > 0:07:47A sort of desperate longing for it all to be over,
0:07:47 > 0:07:48for us finally to get there.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Goodness knows, we've been fighting long enough!
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Things like this that give you a little sort of lift, you know?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I think they must have been deeply important by 1943.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03# ..All over
0:08:03 > 0:08:08# The world. #
0:08:14 > 0:08:16So, we've got our walls up,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19but there's been a slight change of plan.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21We were halfway through the roof
0:08:21 > 0:08:24when we thought, actually, we're doing ourselves a disservice
0:08:24 > 0:08:29if we don't include, as an extra architectural feature,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33a window, which I've managed to salvage.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38That looks really good! Let's have a proper look.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40A bit of cosmetics.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42That looks good. It looks made-to-measure.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Excellent, right, let's get this roof on.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49While Peter builds the roof's wooden frame,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Alex turns his mind to the best material for wartime thatching.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I'm just hand-pulling nettles, here,
0:08:56 > 0:09:02because it's going to be one of the plants that we use for our thatch.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Perfect time of year to pull them, as well,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07because they've got all their energy in the plant,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10so the plant's very strong and the root is weak,
0:09:10 > 0:09:11so when you give it a tug,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15what happens is that it just comes away at the root.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Every time you throw that up, Alex,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I get a constant shower of mud coming down on me!
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The thing with nettles is, they can sting
0:09:24 > 0:09:28but if you get stuck into them, show them who's boss,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31they tend not to hurt as much.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Now, I'm using what's called a gad
0:09:35 > 0:09:39to secure the thatch to the roof.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42A gad is a thin strip of wood.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45The nettles rest on the batons of the roof
0:09:45 > 0:09:48and the gad lies on top of them, pinning them into place.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52You know, in the early 20th century, there were still thatchers
0:09:52 > 0:09:55who were very much using this style of thatch,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59so it wouldn't be entirely alien to Second World War farmers.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05- Turning into a semi-permanent building, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08This thing could last a very, very long time.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16With the house complete, the boys can move in.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's very, very cosy, Alex.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Henry!
0:10:37 > 0:10:40That is extremely comfortable.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It's summer on the farm,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52and there is an important job for the boys - making hay.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57The team have dairy cows to feed.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Imports of cattle feed were low,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01but milk production remained a priority.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04The government saw it as vital for the nation's health,
0:11:04 > 0:11:10and at least 1.3 billion gallons were required in 1943.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Before the War, the cows would have been fed through the winter on hay,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20but Britain's acreage of meadowland had been hugely reduced.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I suppose all the pasture land is being turned over to arable,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30but still grass around, and this is a prime example - a churchyard.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32This is a great hay crop, isn't it?
0:11:34 > 0:11:39In desperation, farmers had begun turning to every spare scrap of land
0:11:39 > 0:11:43to find grass to make hay, from verges, to orchards,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45and now churchyards.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Well, it's a tricky piece of land, it's not flat,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- there's gravestones everywhere. - Yeah.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55We're going to have to think of some way of taking it down, aren't we?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58But it's just, the weather hasn't been on our side, recently, has it?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01No, it's not. I mean, to be honest, this is just...
0:12:02 > 0:12:04..still a bit too wet to cut now.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06So we're going to have to leave this for a couple of days
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- and just hope we get some sun and some wind...- Yep.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12..and then come back!
0:12:12 > 0:12:14BARKING Sounds like Henry's
0:12:14 > 0:12:17upset about something. Let's go and find out what.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19It's probably the pigeons and the rats.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23While the team wait to bring in the hay,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Alex wants to deal with Manor Farm's rodent problem.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29With the wheat harvest only a few months away,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32this is a major threat to their essential crop.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37During the War,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40it was estimated that rat damage to foodstuffs
0:12:40 > 0:12:44cost Britain £60 million a year, more than twice pre-War levels,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48destroying over two million tonnes of food.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55This represented hundreds of cargo ships' worth of imports,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and was a huge blow to the war effort.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02- Hello, Angela.- Hello. - Nice to meet you.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05So members of the Women's Land Army were trained
0:13:05 > 0:13:09as specialist rat-catchers by County Committees,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and moved from farm to farm in coordinated assaults.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Professional pest control agent Angela Chettle
0:13:16 > 0:13:19has arrived on the farm to help Alex tackle the rat problem.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Ooh, we have got a bit of an infestation here, haven't we?
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Look at this!
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I mean, if you have a rummage, you don't need to look far, do you?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Ooh, look! There's definite rat droppings.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- We've got common rat, yeah? - Definitely.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34And, obviously, you've got a food source as well, so...
0:13:34 > 0:13:36we're supplying everything they need within this shed.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- Shelter, food.- Everything, water.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41So what we've got to do here, Angela,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44is turn this into an anti-rat zone.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Well, first of all,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47we've got to look where they're obviously accessing,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- which is here. They've gnawed in here.- Yep.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50Rats have to gnaw,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53because of their teeth - they never stop growing.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It's not because they like to gnaw, they have to.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- They keep gnawing?- That's why they damage buildings so much.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Angela has spotted yet more evidence of the problem.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Look how dark it is here!
0:14:04 > 0:14:07So this is their feet, just running up and down these boards?
0:14:07 > 0:14:10And their bellies are touching it. Look, can you see?
0:14:10 > 0:14:12We call it smearing. That's what we call it.
0:14:14 > 0:14:20The smearing is worsened by the fact that rats urinate on their surroundings.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- But that is telling us where the rats are coming from?- Exactly.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Alex and Angela are going to lay some bait boxes.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33- We could probably get one of the tubes underneath the shed.- Yeah.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37The bait box consists of a tube which the rat can crawl down,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and a glass jar full of food at the end.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43So what we're doing here, then, is we're pre-baiting.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We're getting the rats familiar with this place as a feeding place,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and then we sweep in and replace all of the food with poison,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- and we get them in a good clean hit.- Definitely.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's going to take a while because rats are neophobic.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56They don't like new objects, at all.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01One pair of rats can produce almost 900 offspring a year -
0:15:01 > 0:15:03capable of consuming nine tonnes of wheat.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Now we need some big bricks to weigh it down
0:15:06 > 0:15:09because we've got the chickens roaming around the yard here.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Well, that's superb!
0:15:12 > 0:15:14So they're the kind of baiting stations
0:15:14 > 0:15:16that I need to be setting up.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17Now, once they are taking the grain,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- it's a case of then filling it up with poison.- Definitely.- Excellent.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Alex and Peter need to take advantage
0:15:29 > 0:15:33of the clear weather to get going with the crucial task of making hay.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Peter has found an Allen Scythe,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44a mechanical scythe specifically designed to tackle unusual terrain.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50Its motto, "Wherever a man can walk, an Allen can cut."
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Invented in the 1930s, a new model appeared in 1943,
0:15:56 > 0:15:57and farmers could lease them
0:15:57 > 0:15:59from the Ministry of Agriculture.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05The main thing, Peter, is not to hit any of the headstones.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- Good luck.- Let's give it a go!
0:16:08 > 0:16:12ENGINE FAILS
0:16:16 > 0:16:18ENGINE STARTS
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Bit noisier than a hand scythe, though, isn't it?
0:16:32 > 0:16:36The Allen Scythe cuts the grass using a large-toothed cutting blade,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39which slides back and forth against a knife bed
0:16:39 > 0:16:40to give a scissor-like action.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48This is the boss, basically. This thing is in charge.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50It pulls you forwards.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53When it's cutting, it's happy,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56but then as soon as it comes out of the grass, you're fighting.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02To get a successful hay crop requires dry conditions,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04so keeping an eye on the weather was essential.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08But this posed a problem for wartime farmers.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13The government banned weather forecasts,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18for fear they could provide critical information to enemy bombers.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22For five years, the British public were not officially informed
0:17:22 > 0:17:25if it was going to rain or shine.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31We're going to use the old haymaker's art
0:17:31 > 0:17:35of rushing out here when we see the storm clouds looming
0:17:35 > 0:17:37and cocking the hay up.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40We're going to be fighting our own mini-battle, here in the churchyard.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44But I have to say, if we get this hay in,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46it will provide an extra bit of nutrition
0:17:46 > 0:17:48for some of the livestock on the farm.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10It's summer on the farm,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14and the team's preparations for the harvest months are going well.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17This was especially important in the crisis year of 1943,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21when increasing productivity was vital.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26And the rat problem is being tackled.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28They're definitely taking that. Look, it's almost all gone!
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Time for some poison, then.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I did wonder where that vase had gone.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38The dairy cows are helping Ruth's dung heap to grow.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Alex and Peter are weeding the wheat field.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49This will let a bit more light in at this critical period of growth
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and that light, obviously,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55is going to do the wheat a lot of favours.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58But the jobs are mounting up
0:18:58 > 0:19:00and it's clear they could use some help.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07In 1942, there was a huge shortage of manpower on farms,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and by 1943, the Minister of Agriculture
0:19:10 > 0:19:15anticipated that an extra 20,000 workers would be needed
0:19:15 > 0:19:17if Britain was to feed itself.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20How many children have we got?
0:19:20 > 0:19:2220 or 30. Something like that.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28The Ministry of Labour proposed that children be released from school
0:19:28 > 0:19:30to help farmers at the most critical times of the year.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34These children would form harvest camps,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38living in tents and working on the land by day.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43The team have applied for a camp to come and assist on the farm.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's one thing, isn't it, to work outdoors all day
0:19:45 > 0:19:48if you know you're going home to a nice hot bath at the end of it?
0:19:48 > 0:19:52- Yeah.- But to have to do that and be living under canvas is a whole new...
0:19:52 > 0:19:54a whole different thing.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Some people might call it character building.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Character building.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Well, when you read kids' accounts of what it was like,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03you know, there was obviously two sorts of farmers, locally -
0:20:03 > 0:20:06those who supported the kids in the harvest camps and those who didn't.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Right, and what type of farmers do you think we are, then, Peter?
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I think the fact that we're stood here in the rain,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14erecting tents for these children,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16rather than making them do them themselves,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18we're the type who are going to look after them,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21give them a good time, and hopefully get the best out of them.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Normally, recruits were required to be over 14,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29but in special circumstances,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31younger children could also take part.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Almost 70,000 children worked in harvest camps in 1943.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Without them,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43producing food to feed the nation would have been almost impossible.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48- How many have we got? - Looks about 20 of them.- Hello!
0:20:48 > 0:20:50You come for our harvest camp?
0:20:53 > 0:20:59One job the harvest camps were involved in was new to farmers -
0:20:59 > 0:21:03collecting herbs for the pharmaceutical industry.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09At the start of the War, 90% of medicines
0:21:09 > 0:21:13were derived from plants, mainly sourced abroad.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16With imports cut off, and drugs urgently needed,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19pharmaceutical companies turned to home-grown herbs.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29Don't just pick the top. You want the whole plant, all right?
0:21:30 > 0:21:33In conjunction with Kew Gardens,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36the government drew up a list of essential plants
0:21:36 > 0:21:37needed for drug production
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and paid the British public to collect them.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43This was an ideal job for children.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Medical herbalist Linda Harrold has come to lend her expertise.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52So this was quite a commercial thing.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55We're not talking about herbalism,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57we're talking about mainstream medicine,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01pharmaceutical companies using these things as their raw materials
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and producing synthesised drugs from them.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- That is it.- So when you see pictures of people in the wartime
0:22:07 > 0:22:08with the aspirin, the little white pill,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10which was the painkiller of the day,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12it's not synthesised,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14they were collecting vast quantities of meadowsweet
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- and white willow bark to make aspirin.- Absolutely.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Today, the children are looking for goosegrass.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26You've got loads. What was this used for, the goosegrass?
0:22:26 > 0:22:27The goosegrass, cleavers,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30that was used very much for treating infections.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32It's very good. It works on the lymphatic system,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and obviously, at that time, lots more people were ill,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39lots more infections, but that's a really, really brilliant one.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Yeah. And you've got loads of it.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44I'm really pleased to see loads and loads of it.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46But we're going to need a lot more than that, aren't we?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48SHE LAUGHS
0:22:48 > 0:22:50That's the good thing about child labour,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53you could just send them off!
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I wish I had that energy!
0:22:57 > 0:22:59They were so important during this time.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01They picked so many herbs,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04it was incredible what they actually achieved.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08By 1944, the children of Britain
0:23:08 > 0:23:13were collecting up to 4,000 tonnes of plants a year.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16The hay has been drying in the churchyard
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and Peter is also making use of the harvest camp children
0:23:19 > 0:23:22to help him gather it up.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Now, watch your points!
0:23:27 > 0:23:29We've had a really good spell of weather,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33but I feel that the rain's coming on and we've got to get this hay cocked
0:23:33 > 0:23:36because, otherwise, it will ruin, it will go black in the ground.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38So the idea is to build it up into piles,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40and the bigger the piles as possible,
0:23:40 > 0:23:45with a very small surface area, just means that when the rain comes,
0:23:45 > 0:23:50it will basically run off and it will affect very little hay.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Let's get some more!
0:23:54 > 0:23:57We've roped in a bit of help,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and, well, it's mayhem.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Mind those spikes!
0:24:04 > 0:24:07To avoid exploitation, the Ministry of Agriculture
0:24:07 > 0:24:11introduced a minimum wage of six pence an hour for under-16s.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16We've got nine kids here. They're all very enthusiastic.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18They've all been armed with a pitchfork.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Each pitchfork has at least two spikes.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23All kids have, at the moment, at least two eyes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Catering for the children was often done by the farmer's wife.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Today, Ruth is doing the cooking.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Government advice was quite determined
0:24:44 > 0:24:46that despite the difficult conditions,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48despite the shortness of rations,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50that the children should be well-fed,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53that they should be getting a nutritious, balanced diet.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57But doing that on next to nothing is not easy.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02The sorts of rations that were available to those out in a tent,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04feeding children, day in, day out,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06two hot meals and packed lunches,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09were very thin, indeed.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Local people were encouraged to donate supplies of foods
0:25:15 > 0:25:19such as fruit, vegetables, and rabbit, to the camps,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21but these were far from abundant.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25The government issued a number of leaflets,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28in an attempt to help people who had to do this.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31It was all sorts of advice, from how to set up your field kitchen,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35to how to store the food outdoors in these sorts of conditions,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39through to recipes and menu planning.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43They even advised how thick to slice the bread for the sandwiches.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46So this recipe is a salmon loaf, and this comes from
0:25:46 > 0:25:48one of the government leaflets -
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Carried Meals, Snacks And Sandwiches.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The amounts here are either a small recipe for four
0:25:55 > 0:25:58or, scaled up, for 100 people at a time.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Ruth has made a white sauce,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04which she adds to the mashed potatoes,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07before stirring in some tinned salmon.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Fresh fish was in real short supply during the War.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13I mean, if you think about it, pretty much everybody
0:26:13 > 0:26:15who had made their livings on the sea before the War
0:26:15 > 0:26:17got called up one way or another,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19either into the Merchant Navy or into the Royal Navy,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21in a large number of cases,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and huge amounts of British waters
0:26:23 > 0:26:26were out of bounds to those few fishermen who were left.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31So tinned salmon, coming in from Canada,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35was one of the very few forms of fish available to most people
0:26:35 > 0:26:36in wartime Britain.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Tinned salmon was so popular in Britain
0:26:41 > 0:26:43that we became the biggest market for both US
0:26:43 > 0:26:45and Canadian exports.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Right, all mixed in.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Now, this gets steamed.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53This just sits
0:26:53 > 0:26:57on top of there and steams,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59or boils, whatever you want to call it,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02in a sort of bain-marie,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04for an hour and a half.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14With all the challenges faced in 1943,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18the help provided by child labour was vital to farmers.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27That's a doorstep-and-a-half!
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Children often worked an eight-hour day, so dinner was well-earned.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Righto, then.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37You can take yourselves a sandwich.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39And we'll get you some hot chocolate in a minute.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Makes you hungry, doesn't it, all this hard work out in the cold?
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Who's next? Come and get yourself a sandwich.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48So, what are they like?
0:27:48 > 0:27:50- Yummy.- Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53You like them? Nice and filling, aren't they?
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- Keep you going.- The best sandwiches.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59As a reward for their hard work,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01the government advised camp organisers
0:28:01 > 0:28:04to put on evening activities for the children.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Folk musician John Kirkpatrick
0:28:06 > 0:28:09has come along to provide some entertainment.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13# On the farm
0:28:13 > 0:28:15# Every Friday
0:28:15 > 0:28:17# On the farm
0:28:17 > 0:28:21# It's rabbit pie day... #
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Run Rabbit Run was written shortly after war was declared
0:28:25 > 0:28:26and was an instant hit.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31# ..I get up early and sing this little song
0:28:31 > 0:28:36# Run, rabbit. Run, rabbit Run! Run! Run!
0:28:36 > 0:28:41# Run, rabbit. Run, rabbit Run! Run! Run...! #
0:28:41 > 0:28:44To poke fun at the Nazis, singers Flanagan and Allen
0:28:44 > 0:28:47soon changed the lyrics.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52# ..Run, Adolf. Run, Adolf Run! Run! Run! #
0:28:52 > 0:28:56THEY APPLAUD AND CHEER Well done, everyone!
0:28:58 > 0:29:03Herbs were not the only medicinal product to be found on farms.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08Honey could be used to dress wounds, due to its antiseptic properties,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and helped reduce scarring.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13It's still used in medicine today.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18But it was also an excellent sugar substitute.
0:29:19 > 0:29:25By 1943, the rationing system was really starting to bite
0:29:25 > 0:29:30and morale was suffering.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33People were having to do without all of the foodstuffs
0:29:33 > 0:29:38they'd really enjoyed before the War, and top of that list was sugar.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41So, to boost morale, here on our wartime farm,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44I'm going to see if I can't get myself a few jars of honey
0:29:44 > 0:29:45by the end of the summer.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Alex is looking for a special type of bramble,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52which grows up through bushes, creating a long stem.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56I've got a very old-fashioned way of making honey
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and this bramble is going to help me in that process.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Alex is also making use of the surplus straw on the farm
0:30:06 > 0:30:10to create a skep, a traditional basket beehive.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13To stitch it together, he will be using the bramble.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15It needs to be carefully split open
0:30:15 > 0:30:18and the insides removed to form a strip,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21which is both flexible and strong.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25The bramble stem is threaded through the holes in a wooden ring
0:30:25 > 0:30:29to create a cage for the straw to sit in.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33OK, so, the idea is, is that is going to thread in here.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39And there we go, that's the start.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Right, we're getting to the end of the wooden wheel,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48so we're going to have to start now
0:30:48 > 0:30:52stitching into the straw and into the previous bind.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55A hollowed-out and sharpened turkey bone
0:30:55 > 0:30:58helps thread the cane through the straw.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02He will keep adding layers until the basket is complete.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Ruth is processing the herbs she picked with the harvest camp.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Pharmaceutical companies would pay good money for the herbs -
0:31:21 > 0:31:24a handy supplement to the farm's income -
0:31:24 > 0:31:27but only if the plants were properly dried and packaged
0:31:27 > 0:31:30to preserve their active ingredients.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Up to 80% of the herb's weight is lost during drying -
0:31:34 > 0:31:37that's how much water you need to drive off.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40And, of course, to do that effectively,
0:31:40 > 0:31:45the air needs to get all the way around the herbs.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48You don't want anywhere where things are against each other
0:31:48 > 0:31:51and moisture can get trapped, because if you do, rot will set in.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55And that includes turning things regularly.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00Another day or two, and they'll be ready to be packed up.
0:32:00 > 0:32:06The ideal temperature for drying herbs is around 35 degrees Celsius.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11On a damp day like today, then this comes into play - the stove,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14which is just turning out
0:32:14 > 0:32:18a little gentle heat, I don't want too much. I don't want to cook anything in here
0:32:18 > 0:32:22I just want to maintain warm airflow through the whole space.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26This shed's beautifully ventilated, so the air in here,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29as all this moisture comes off the herbs,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33the damp is driven up by the heat and can make its way out.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35So, the first things I do when I get them back
0:32:35 > 0:32:39is to, sort of, go through the herbs and pick them clean,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43because the pharmaceutical companies will only buy top quality.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45This is sage, of course.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Pharmaceutical companies would only pay five pence a pound
0:32:49 > 0:32:51for dried sage.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I've got a lot of it, so it's worth my doing.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Foxglove, however, that was much more lucrative.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00All the seed that I'm drying out,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02that retailed for seven and six a pound.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04That's a lot more than five pence.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08And even the leaves were one shilling and threepence.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Foxglove was so valuable
0:33:10 > 0:33:13because of its ability to lower blood pressure,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18but it must be handled with care, as it's extremely poisonous.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21And when I've finished here, the last job I will have to do
0:33:21 > 0:33:24as I leave the shed is to block up all the windows,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26to keep the light out,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28because sunlight, UV light,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32helps to decay the essential ingredients in the plants,
0:33:32 > 0:33:37so they don't only need it warm, they also need it dark.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Alex's skep is complete.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44During the War, a colony of honey bees
0:33:44 > 0:33:47could be purchased for around £3,
0:33:47 > 0:33:52but beekeeping expert Mike Holloway has brought one along for free.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54- Hello, Mike.- Hello, Alex.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56I apologise for my lack of mobility.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59- I've turned my ankle over. - Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- Thanks ever so much for coming down. Great to see you.- And you.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07Now, first things first, obviously, is the skep inspection.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10So, tell me what you think of that.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12You can be honest, Mike, I don't mind.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17I think you've done a proper job, there, Alex.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Unlike with a wooden hive containing removable frames,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Alex won't be able to inspect the bees' progress,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27but as it's made from surplus materials,
0:34:27 > 0:34:32the skep is a good, cheap, and disposable wartime alternative.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Now, the other thing I've made, as well,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36is a sort of top compartment,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38because my understanding of this
0:34:38 > 0:34:41is that we can get the queen and the brood in here,
0:34:41 > 0:34:42and her young in here,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- but we can deprive her access to this top area.- Indeed.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49But the workers can still get in there and produce comb and honey.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52What we'll have to do is put a grill across there,
0:34:52 > 0:34:56with spaces in large enough for workers to get through,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59- but too small for the queen to get through.- Great. OK.
0:34:59 > 0:35:05Mike has already prepared a straw and nettle shelter for the skep.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Talk me through the process. You've brought a colony here.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10It was a swarm that we picked up yesterday.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13And I've actually got the queen,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15got her in a little cage here.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17- She's in there, then? - Indeed, she is.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19What is that? A sort of old-school hair curler?
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Is that one of your hair curlers, Mike?
0:35:22 > 0:35:24I wish!
0:35:24 > 0:35:30We just put this on to make sure we don't get any stings round the...
0:35:30 > 0:35:34We don't want a sting to the face.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37And we'll make sure the queen goes into your skep
0:35:37 > 0:35:39and all the other bees will follow.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Mike's swarm contains around 10,000 bees.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45He introduces a few into Alex's skep,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48before placing it in the shelter.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Put that down for a moment.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Now, we don't want them all coming out the top, do we?
0:35:57 > 0:36:01So, I'll put this on the top,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03that should keep them interested, in there.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07So, we'll just shake those out onto there.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13When bees are swarming, their honey stomachs are full,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16making it difficult for them to sting.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18In the hands of experts, they are safe to work with,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22which is why Alex and Mike aren't wearing gloves.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Bees naturally tend to crawl upwards,
0:36:25 > 0:36:27so the sheet is placed at a gradient.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Now, we're hoping that they find that entrance, yeah?
0:36:32 > 0:36:34The queen is released near the edge of the skep...
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Pop her out, there she goes.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39..and the bees will follow her scent inside.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43It's almost as if someone's put a call out, and all of a sudden,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46they are racing up that sheet to get into that skep.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49- That's amazing, Mike. - Isn't it fascinating?
0:36:49 > 0:36:51That is absolutely wonderful to watch.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55- It's like water running uphill, isn't it?- It is.
0:36:55 > 0:36:56If you notice,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59there are some bees that have got their tails in the air,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02- like that one, there.- Yep, yep.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05All around the periphery of the slope.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10They are actually fanning an attractant pheromone,
0:37:10 > 0:37:16which is bringing down these bees that are flying to go into the skep
0:37:16 > 0:37:18and join the queen.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22It is a happy sound, isn't it, that you can hear, these bees?
0:37:22 > 0:37:24- This is a happy sound, yeah? - Yes, indeed.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34In May 1943,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37the British people received a much-needed morale boost.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42RAF Squadron No 617,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45better known as the Dambusters, had destroyed
0:37:45 > 0:37:47two major German dams,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51and there was a surge of public interest in RAF bombers.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53In desperate need of funds,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56the government seized on this enthusiasm
0:37:56 > 0:38:00by launching the Wings For Victory fundraising scheme.
0:38:00 > 0:38:06The scheme encouraged people to do yet more for the war effort,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09by saving money in government bonds.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16It is quite a difficult moment, isn't it?
0:38:16 > 0:38:19You know, this sort of, being on the defensive
0:38:19 > 0:38:22for so long, seeing ourselves as the victims here,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24and then suddenly, we're getting to the point where,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27"No, no. We're going to become the aggressors."
0:38:27 > 0:38:28And at the end of the day,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31the Germans have been pouring bombs on British cities
0:38:31 > 0:38:37but how did British people feel about then doing the very same
0:38:37 > 0:38:40to German women and children?
0:38:40 > 0:38:43It is always this dilemma with any form of aggression, isn't it?
0:38:45 > 0:38:49The Wings For Victory scheme relied on local fundraising drives.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Well, I obviously don't think we should set about raising funds
0:38:56 > 0:38:58to buy bombs to bomb people,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02but I do think we should have some kind of party
0:39:02 > 0:39:05to reflect some of these fundraising activities.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12The team are organising a Wings For Victory fundraising dance.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Even with a war on, women still wanted to look good,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18and Ruth is after a new dress.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24At the outbreak of war, Britain was one of the leading
0:39:24 > 0:39:26textile manufacturers in the world.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30But it relied on raw materials from abroad,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32and these soon became scarce.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40Clothes rationing started in 1941 and the Board Of Trade
0:39:40 > 0:39:43introduced a scheme of "utility fashion"
0:39:43 > 0:39:47where the government regulated the cloth, price, quality,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51and even style of the clothes being produced.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Many women started creating their own clothes.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Ruth wants to make a new dress
0:39:57 > 0:40:00and she's found a novel source of fabric.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02We've all heard of parachute silk dresses,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04but that's not the only source of fabric
0:40:04 > 0:40:06that people turned to.
0:40:06 > 0:40:07This is quite an ingenious one.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Look, I've got a flour sack.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13They have to be made of cloth, one way or another.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15The manufacturers had cottoned on
0:40:15 > 0:40:18that if they made it in an attractive sort of material,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21people would buy their brand, rather than somebody else's brand.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23So you get this sort of thing. It's amazing, isn't it?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25This is a flour sack.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28So the whole of this advertising stuff can just peel straight off.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31I think it's only held on with flour and water paste.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33There's a little bit here that says,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35"To remove paper band, soak in water."
0:40:35 > 0:40:37They knew that that's what people were going to do.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40So this is my cunning plan for my summer dress -
0:40:40 > 0:40:43a couple of flour sacks.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Alex's bees will take some weeks to start producing honey.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05He wants to prepare some as a thank you to the children
0:41:05 > 0:41:08from the harvest camp,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10so Mike has lent him a comb from one of his hives.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14These cells on this frame are used by the worker bees
0:41:14 > 0:41:19to store surplus honey, and what they do is, they then cap it over with wax
0:41:19 > 0:41:23so that they can come back to it and feed throughout the winter.
0:41:24 > 0:41:29To extract the honey, the comb is scraped out of the frame.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Now, I think those little kids at our dance
0:41:32 > 0:41:36are just going to be so grateful for this stuff.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38They're going to love it.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43The next step is to pound the comb, breaking down the wax and honey.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44It's quite a workout, this.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Right, I think that is now pounded enough.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55It's certainly a lot finer grain than this stuff here.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59So that is now ready to go into the muslin sheet.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03So I just lay this sheet over this bowl.
0:42:07 > 0:42:12Now, the theory is that the honey is that much finer grained
0:42:12 > 0:42:16than the wax, so it will pour through
0:42:16 > 0:42:18the weave of this muslin sheet,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22and already, actually, you can see we've got some coming through.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27During the War, the price of honey was regulated
0:42:27 > 0:42:29and it could only be sold
0:42:29 > 0:42:31for around two shillings and six pence per pound.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34About £4 in today's money.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38I think we've got the right temperature in the room to do this.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42Of course, I'd love to have been sat outside doing this,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46catching the last few rays of sunshine,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49but I would have had every bee in the county
0:42:49 > 0:42:51breathing down my neck.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Not only is our house bombproof - it's also bee proof.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01As the War progressed and the pressure on imports
0:43:01 > 0:43:04became even greater,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06clothes rationing grew ever tighter.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10In 1941, a year's worth of coupons
0:43:10 > 0:43:13would have purchased a whole new outfit,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16but by 1943, the clothing allowance had almost halved.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21As a way of getting round the shortages,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24women formed communal sewing pools.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Ruth's enlisted the help of Jean Haynes,
0:43:28 > 0:43:32to turn her flour sack into a new dress for the fundraising dance.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34Oh, that's not bad, is it?
0:43:34 > 0:43:36That's quite a reasonable skirt width.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39We haven't got enough fabric to cut the skirt in one piece,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41so we've had to do a bit of asymmetrical lines on it,
0:43:41 > 0:43:43and we've got it in two.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Making a virtue of a necessity, really.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49Yes, there isn't enough material to go cutting away as we want to do,
0:43:49 > 0:43:50so we really have to cut tight.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Minimising fabric waste was of vital importance
0:43:55 > 0:43:58and there were strict government rules
0:43:58 > 0:44:00dictating the number of pockets,
0:44:00 > 0:44:04seams, and even buttons garments could have.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07'40s fashion was really dictated by this need for clever cutting,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10for using the minimum of fabric.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13It was all very, very cleverly put together.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15There were darts, they were gathered.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Collars were detachable
0:44:18 > 0:44:21because you could have one blouse, three collars, three outfits.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27Sewing pools increased in popularity throughout the War.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30They not only provided the equipment for dressmaking,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32but also some much-needed expertise.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36The youngsters, and particularly the young townies,
0:44:36 > 0:44:37coming out into the countryside,
0:44:37 > 0:44:40they just hadn't picked up those skills in quite the same way,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43so it was a way of learning, as well as sharing equipment.
0:44:43 > 0:44:44That's right.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46Making do with what you could get.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51While Ruth prepares for the fundraising dance,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Peter has urgent work to do with the hay.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57It's been drying in the churchyard
0:44:57 > 0:45:00and now he must bring it in before the rain comes.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07He's going to take advantage of a baling machine,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11something that increased in use during the War,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13thanks to the Ministry Of Agriculture's
0:45:13 > 0:45:15scheme of lending equipment -
0:45:15 > 0:45:18and experienced operators - to farmers.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Mr Evans, how are you?
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Not so bad.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Well, we've brought you some hay, and you've got a baler.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32So, is this the sort of baler that would have gone round the farms?
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Round different farms on contract.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36- What, from the War-Ag? - War-Ag, yeah.
0:45:36 > 0:45:43Farmer Maurice Evans still uses his Massey Harris 701 baler today.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47It was one of the first machines that could be moved around a field
0:45:47 > 0:45:51collecting hay as it went, as well as being used as a static baler.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54So, these spikes here, picking up the hay, taking it in here,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56and it's going up into the auger.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Can't even get the lid open,
0:46:03 > 0:46:04Oh, wow. OK, right!
0:46:04 > 0:46:07I wasn't expecting that.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11So the hay is coming up into here, the Archimedes screw,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15the auger, is pushing it this way and into that hay box.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18- And, obviously, the bale comes out there, I take it?- Yeah.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21The neddy pushes it down into the chamber.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25- Sorry, what is this? - That's a knotter.- A knotter?
0:46:25 > 0:46:28- Blimey, this looks like something out of a science-fiction movie. - Yeah.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32I mean, this really is farming being dragged into the modern world.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35I mean, a farmer during the Second World War...
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Previously, there was ricks, weren't there?
0:46:37 > 0:46:39And rick knives was a lot of work.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41They used to put it in ricks
0:46:41 > 0:46:43and then it got to the stage where they could sell the hay,
0:46:43 > 0:46:45but they had to carry it loose,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48and it would be all up the road and everything else.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51So they decided then to hire a baler in,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54take the loose hay out of the rick,
0:46:54 > 0:46:56and bale it up and put it on a trailer,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58and it would be easier for transport.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09That looks absolutely lethal.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21This might look like a lot of hay,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25but it isn't, not after this machine is finished with it.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28It's going to reduce this down to,
0:47:28 > 0:47:30maybe six bales, tops.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34So, it just emphasises how much easier it must have made it
0:47:34 > 0:47:35for someone farming
0:47:35 > 0:47:37during that period in the War,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40to be able to transport the hay, to be able to..
0:47:40 > 0:47:43gauge exactly how much they had,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45and, of course, to be able to sell any surplus.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53This is looking pretty good!
0:47:53 > 0:47:56There's certainly a split there.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00In fact, that is a hay bale.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04That's a really good hay bale, actually.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06That's one of the best hay bales I've ever seen,
0:48:06 > 0:48:08because it's my hay bale.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12It's the hay that I've cut in the churchyard
0:48:12 > 0:48:14and baled up. That is awesome!
0:48:17 > 0:48:21Beauty products were abundant in Britain during the 1930s,
0:48:21 > 0:48:22but the outbreak of war
0:48:22 > 0:48:24meant many of the raw ingredients
0:48:24 > 0:48:26were no longer available.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Although make-up wasn't rationed,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33cosmetics companies were only making a quarter of pre-war amounts.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39But for women, it was important to still look their best.
0:48:39 > 0:48:44With her dress finished and hair washed, Ruth and her daughter, Eve,
0:48:44 > 0:48:47have called upon the services of historic make-up specialists
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Sharon and Gloria
0:48:49 > 0:48:52to help them get ready for the Wings For Victory dance.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57We're having a bit of a look in all the women's magazines
0:48:57 > 0:48:59and there's an enormous number of articles
0:48:59 > 0:49:00about hair and make-up, aren't there?
0:49:00 > 0:49:02"Beauty tightens the belt.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06"It's our patriotic duty to cut down a bit on cosmetics,
0:49:06 > 0:49:08"but you can still stay lovely!"
0:49:08 > 0:49:11It's a huge issue of morale now, when we come into wartime,
0:49:11 > 0:49:15that still trying to look good and look your best
0:49:15 > 0:49:18is a sense of actually being defiant.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21You know, you would be letting the side down if you let yourself go.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Let's have a little bit of that in there, then, Gloria.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27In the absence of factory-made products,
0:49:27 > 0:49:31women employed home-made methods to enhance their looks,
0:49:31 > 0:49:35including using sugar water to set their hair.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Some ladies used beer, but when we spoke to our great-aunt about it,
0:49:38 > 0:49:41she said, "If there was any beer around, we would have drunk it."
0:49:41 > 0:49:45Beauty was seen as such a morale booster
0:49:45 > 0:49:47that the Minister of Labour
0:49:47 > 0:49:49made skilled hairdressers exempt from conscription.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54Almost all hairstyles in the '40s required the hair to be curled,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58taking inspiration from the Hollywood movie stars of the day.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03So, the finger wave technique is to use your comb
0:50:03 > 0:50:09and fingers to push the hair into flat S-shaped waves,
0:50:09 > 0:50:12and when the hair has dried,
0:50:12 > 0:50:17it does create a beautiful wave.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21Ruth's hairstyle requires flat pin curls at the front,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23which will add definition,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25and larger barrel curls at the back for volume.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28I feel really weird like this.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31- Do I look weird?- Yes!
0:50:31 > 0:50:34Glamour in the making, glamour in the making!
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Female munitions workers also had a special allowance
0:50:41 > 0:50:44of high-end make-up to wear in the factories,
0:50:44 > 0:50:48raising their spirits, as they laboured in often grimy conditions.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52For a period that was very austere, it's still very glamorous
0:50:52 > 0:50:55so a cream rouge just to give a bit of a flush.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58You get them starting to use mascaras.
0:50:58 > 0:51:03They came in a little block, and a brush, and you mix it with water,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07or a bit of spit, and brush it on.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10And this was something which started off
0:51:10 > 0:51:12as a little pack of product
0:51:12 > 0:51:16for men to use on their beards and moustaches.
0:51:16 > 0:51:21So from men's vanity came a product which women could use.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36- Isn't that fantastic?- Blimey!
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Oh, God!
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Wait till you get the lippy on!
0:51:43 > 0:51:45The hay baling is going well,
0:51:45 > 0:51:47but to maximise efficiency,
0:51:47 > 0:51:49it's vital that Peter gets it finished
0:51:49 > 0:51:52while he still has access to the baler.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57When I said that we'd get six bales out of this load,
0:51:57 > 0:52:01I didn't actually think we'd get six bales, but we have.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04I mean, you could probably get three times this amount on a trailer.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07So, that means you can use less fuel in your tractor.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10It's just so beneficial, having these bales,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13but we've got hay all over this farm.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16We need to get it in, we need to get it baled.
0:52:16 > 0:52:17So I'm going to get another load,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19It's going to take me into the evening,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22so I don't think I'm going to make this dance tonight.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27America had entered the War in December 1941,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34From 1942, US troops poured into Britain,
0:52:34 > 0:52:38including more than 130,000 African-American servicemen.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45They brought with them a new phenomenon - the Jive.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54Occasions like this provided an escape
0:52:54 > 0:52:57from the drudgery of everyday life,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00as well as raising money for the government's
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Wings For Victory national savings scheme.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Whoa!
0:53:07 > 0:53:10You've certainly scrubbed up!
0:53:10 > 0:53:13This is the new dress, is it? There may be a war on,
0:53:13 > 0:53:15but some people can still turn out well, can't they?
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Yeah, yeah, but you haven't noticed the shoes, look!
0:53:18 > 0:53:21Ah, that's the sign of a good hardworking farm girl.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- Wow!- It's great, isn't it?- You can tell the Americans are in town.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01Joseph Sewell is an expert in Jive and Swing dancing.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05It's an infectious dance. You can't find a dancer dancing
0:54:05 > 0:54:08that's not smiling. It's just impossible.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11It's such a vibrant form of dance, isn't it?
0:54:11 > 0:54:12What is it officially called?
0:54:12 > 0:54:15The dance that we're doing is called Lindy Hop.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17It's an African-American dance.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19When you had the black GIs coming across
0:54:19 > 0:54:21and brought the real-deal Lindy Hop,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24that's when it really started to take off.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27It must have made such an enormous impact
0:54:27 > 0:54:30in village halls up and down the country.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33I guess the white dancers would have danced something a little more subdued.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Once the GIs got out there, chucking the ladies around,
0:54:36 > 0:54:38it would have blown people's socks off,
0:54:38 > 0:54:40but it would have made everyone feel good who was watching.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42There is one thing here
0:54:42 > 0:54:45that wouldn't have happened during the War,
0:54:45 > 0:54:47and that's black and white GIs being in the same dance.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50The Americans brought with them not only their dance,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54but also their social attitudes, their segregation,
0:54:54 > 0:54:56that we weren't used to here.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01Yes. The white GIs would not tolerate being in the same building as the black GIs.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03African-American troops
0:55:03 > 0:55:06frequently came over in advance of the white GIs
0:55:06 > 0:55:10and had established themselves in local communities.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15When white GIs arrived and tried to impose segregation,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18they often met a stony response from the British people.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21Do you think we could have a go, show us how to do it?
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Absolutely, two fine ladies like yourselves!
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Ladies, get ready for the time of your life.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33- Sorry.- You're doing well.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38The Lindy Hop was developed by mixing
0:55:38 > 0:55:42established dances like the Breakaway and the Charleston,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45becoming popular at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49This new style spread like wildfire.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07SHE SCREAMS
0:56:08 > 0:56:11APPLAUSE
0:56:13 > 0:56:17That was fantastic, Joseph!
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Tuck into that and tell me what you think.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23The children from the harvest camp have also come along
0:56:23 > 0:56:26to the Jive and have had some bread and honey
0:56:26 > 0:56:28as a farewell treat.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32One of the main reasons for these sorts of events in the first place
0:56:32 > 0:56:36was to raise money for the war effort, wasn't it?
0:56:36 > 0:56:37National savings certificates -
0:56:37 > 0:56:39a system whereby ordinary people,
0:56:39 > 0:56:42instead of putting their money in the bank, gave it to the government.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45Nearly four million pounds at their prices,
0:56:45 > 0:56:47which, you know, when you think of what that means today,
0:56:47 > 0:56:49it's just vast.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53How would we have done it without the savings
0:56:53 > 0:56:56of ordinary British people? It made it possible for us to win.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Hopefully, while we're all here,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Peter will finish baling that hay.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09That's a must-do job.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11Yeah. And the children, haven't they been
0:57:11 > 0:57:14an enormous help? They've just done loads.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16You know, it's been great to have them around.
0:57:16 > 0:57:22I sort of feel like we've genuinely boosted morale, here on the farm.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24But, of course, it's all to play for in the next couple of months.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26It's make-or-break season,
0:57:26 > 0:57:28we've got to bring in a wartime harvest
0:57:28 > 0:57:30and it's not going to be easy.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34Despite another year of hardship at home,
0:57:34 > 0:57:38farmers' efforts in the fields would not go unrewarded.
0:57:38 > 0:57:431943 would see Britain's biggest acreage of crops,
0:57:43 > 0:57:47not just in the Second World War, but in the history of the country.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50Not quite got my sea legs yet!
0:57:50 > 0:57:51Next time,
0:57:51 > 0:57:55- the team find new methods of communication...- Look at that!
0:57:55 > 0:57:58He's fast, isn't he?
0:57:59 > 0:58:01..bring in a vital harvest...
0:58:03 > 0:58:05..and preparations for D-Day come to Manor Farm.