The Importance of Family in WWII

During the Second World War, everyone had to sacrifice whatever they had in an effort towards victory. Family life was heavily hit, with sons, brothers and fathers heading around the world to fight for their country. Daughters, sisters and mothers too were sent around the world to nurse and care for the soldiers. Children were evacuated from large towns and cities to the countryside which often led to a light-hearted and delightful parallel to some of the horrors experienced elsewhere. Most of those who were left took up vital roles in providing supplies to support the war and home fronts and took up voluntary roles to make sure that home was able to feel like home. This put a tremendous stress on morale and family life. Despite all this hardship however, families did their best to ensure that although they were apart, they could still communicate and keep the spirit of family alive. This is certainly the case in the Hughes family who lived in Aberystwyth.

The Ceredigion Archives, home to many local treasures, have copies of the letters sent from the three Hughes brothers during WWII. A quick word for the archives before going forward; thank you for being so helpful and accessible, especially with the current Covid restrictions in place.  From the collection we learn that one of the brothers, Lewis, was stationed in a rather unique position during the war, in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF). This blog will start by examining the importance of family during the Second World War through the letters of Lewis Hughes.

Lewis Hughes

It is worth considering the context behind Lewis’ deployment to Iceland. Iceland remained a neutral state during WWII. On May 14, 1940, the Royal Marines invaded Iceland as part of Operation Fork and received little or no resistance. They raided the communications so that no contact, other than between allied forces, could be made. All Germans were also rounded up as a precautionary measure. Iceland provided a huge tactical advantage for allied forces as it could provide passage for Canadian troops and supply lines, as well as American supply lines, and later provided an inroad for their troops too. It was geographically situated between two key areas. The Western side lies on the allied waters, and the East was occupied by Germany and their naval blockades. Iceland was crucial as it became an extra place to provide Britain with supplies such as fishing goods. Iceland was also needed for its supply links with the Northern American supply routes.

Lewis was ranked Leading Air Craftsman (LAC). It is unclear exactly what role he undertook but there are a few possibilities. LACs were important to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Reykjavik as they comprised  construction elements, for example, carpenters and engineers. These were important to the construction and maintenance of RAF bases in Iceland. Furthermore, he could have also been involved in the upkeep of any aircraft which was stationed at the bases. It may also be possible, as a responsibility with the rank of LAC, that he could have led a fighter squadron too. With no direct indication of the role he undertook we cannot say for certain what he did, but there is no mention of flying, so perhaps he was not a pilot. There were of course general duty roles such as standing guard and patrolling for enemy presence. Whichever role Lewis did, it was a fine contribution into the security of Iceland and the all-important Atlantic waters.

Lewis, like both of his brothers, regularly sent letters and, when he could, packages back home. One of the communications he sent was a simple birthday card, with a bouquet of flowers on the front. Inside the card was the usual birthday poem, but down the bottom Lewis had simply written ‘I did remember. All the best’. With so few words it captures wonderfully his personality of both himself and the family. With the hardship of life during the period of the Second World War, the smallest and most innocent of gestures go an incredibly long way. Despite being on duty in his own efforts to represent Britain in another country, he found the time to remember and get a card sent back home. It is a small but wonderfully powerful reminder of the things that matter most. By keeping the family spirit alive, it means a handful of people have smiles on their faces, and maybe a story to share with those around them to encourage more smiles. It is a true example of the butterfly affect; a small morale boost to one person multiplies to a few people across the world. 

 

Lewis's birthday card home

 

Elwyn Hughes

Elwyn served as a gunner during the Second World War. Unlike Lewis, who was stationed in a neutral country, it is likely that Elwyn served in a hostile country which meant that his location had to be left unknown in case of an interception of mail by enemy forces. Because of this, we do not know where Elwyn was fighting (however, if you know where Elwyn fought, please do get in touch with us).

Like Lewis, most of the writing refers to family life, the typically boring day in day out stuff which was taken for granted. However, in one communication Elwyn mentions that he is suffering from ‘head trouble’. Given that Elwyn held the rank of gunner, it is possible that he sustained some kind of a head wound. He goes on to mention that his hair is starting to grow back too so perhaps some shrapnel or debris came into contact with his head but thankfully did not cause too serious a wound. On the other hand, considering the time of writing, it is also plausible that ‘head trouble’ could be in relation to mental trauma.  In the present day, mental illness is openly talked about in all groups of people across society to improve their mental wellbeing, especially those in the armed forces. The stress and trauma coming alongside combat can be huge. It could be that Elwyn's head trouble was related to stress and or anxiety resulting in hair loss; perhaps stress induced alopecia. Whatever was the nature of the ‘head trouble’, the ability to confide in his family shows the bond that existed between a son and his parents during war. The empathy and family core values are still there, despite being in two wildly different situations across the world. 

Einion Hughes

Einion started off in a similar position to that of his brother Elwyn; he was a gunner. However, in evidence dated close together, where he fell ill with a cold so had to stay in France without returning home with his unit, his rank appears to have changed to private. It is likely that he was redeployed from his previous unit and put to use with a different unit. He also mentions that he was working on night duty and the stamp came from a medical ward, so perhaps he became some sort of guard to a hospital or medical unit. Although in all of his communications, Einion is a very cheery character, he was disappointed not to return home with his unit as his cold prevented him. Despite this set-back, he remained optimistic about a potential transfer and was hopeful that he would someday see them again. I suspect this character would be exactly the sort you would want to be fighting and working alongside. 

All of the brothers regularly checked in their letters home that everyone, especially their brothers, were well. Einion was in particular very keen to remain up to date and in the loop with his family’s well-being. Einion would ask more directly about Elwyn, perhaps because of the knowledge of his head wound and more immediate combat role. He does also ask after Lewis by name also, but perhaps he knew that, although still at risk,  Lewis was safer in his station in Reykjavik. 

Einion's letter home

Mum and Dad

We only have the letters the three brothers sent back home and there are currently no records of how the parents replied. However, giving that the three brothers sent numerous letters, we can understand the role of the Hughes parents. With their three sons spread across the world, they are still the glue binding everyone together. With parcels sent out and received from both parents and all three brothers, you really get a sense of how close this family in particular were but their story also gives insights into many more families being in similar circumstances during the Second World War. It would seem as though the parents were immensely proud and supported all their boys the best they could. The genuine feeing of closeness in the letters is a reflection of how they were raised and the sense of family that they have. There is constant talk about checking up on how each other is, how the neighbours are and the news from the home front. The reminders of what they are fighting for must have driven the efforts of everyone whether it was at the war front or the home front. They were true pillars in keeping the family morale going.

The Importance of Family

This blog has hopefully demonstrated the importance of family by holding up the shining of example of the Hughes family from the small town of Aberystwyth. We can see that family was at the heart of this family’s experience of the Second World War. The glimpses of personality which come through the writings back home give an essence of the characters that we can try to understand. The letters are all largely positive, and when they are personal, we can see sheer empathy and encouragement. The balance of support which they all gave and received shows a real sense of the hardship of family life, both as a collective and as individuals. The Hughes family unit gives us great insight into the heart-warming and inspiring story of this family, and family life in general during the war. The personal struggles and success are all cared for. This is just one example of what every family in Britain would have experienced during the Second World War.

Blog by Dan Ahern

A family's story of WWII - Colin and Edna Morgan

My parents were newly married when the Second World War broke out. My mother, Edna, had a hairdressing shop at 57 Great Darkgate Street and my father, Colin, worked in Boots Pharmacy. We are lucky enough to have my father’s service record along with some letters, notes and a number of photos from that time which has enabled us to piece together an account of their lives during the war. I have picked out some points from these which I hope gives an indication of life during this time.

 

My mother's hairdressing shop

 

My father volunteered for service and entered the Navy on 24th July 1940 to become JX208528 Ordinary Seaman Morgan after a period of training at HMS Rayleigh (Torpoint, Cornwall). He had a varied career including working on motor torpedo boats in Stornaway, convoy duty and postings in Belfast, Gibraltar and Freetown.

 

Game of Ludo, Freetown, on Christmas Day 1944

 

My mother continued to work in her hairdressing business in Aberystwyth together with her sister. She would travel to meet my father when he had shore leave including going to Ireland on at least one occasion. It must have been hard for them to communicate effectively during that time and train services were often disrupted in the war particularly if there were air raids. Their letters reference my father waiting for her in Plymouth station but they did not meet that day due to some misunderstanding caused by the timing of letters and telegrams.

My father also spent some time working as an instructor at HMS Glendower, Pwllheli. I have read that Glendower was built during the war by Billy Butlin at the request of the Admiralty; at the end of the war he took back ownership of it and Butlin's Pwllheli was opened to the public after some reconstruction. My father was pleased to have been back in Wales but yearned to be that little bit further south to be back home in Aberystwyth with my mother and his new daughter (my sister) who was born in 1942.

Their letters give some indication of the everyday austerity and stress that people faced during that time. There is reference to my mother getting electricity installed in her house in Llanbadarn in 1941 and my father feeling very lucky to be able to buy a bottle of squash so that he could use it to accompany his daily rum ration to make a hot toddy of sorts. Also the unaccustomed luxury of him being able to wash his underclothes and have a bath when based at Glendower.

As you would expect my mother worried a lot for the safety of her husband but service men also worried about the safety of their families and often received telegrams calling them home as their families had been bombed out of their homes. For this reason my father worried when my mother stayed with her family back in her home town - Merthyr Tydfil. It was a nerve wracking time for them both and letters were much anticipated and gratefully received.

Sailors removing ice from the upper deck of a ship in the North Atlantic

I have a handwritten account of my father’s experiences on convoy duty whilst being under U-boat attack. He was on HMS Orchis, a flower class corvette, working as a leading torpedo operator on North Atlantic convoy duty. The crew were housed beneath the mess deck with bunks positioned on the side of the ship. The noise of exploding depth charges and torpedoes prevented any rest for the crew for 4 days and nights. Finally however the convoy made it to St John’s, Newfoundland due to fog halting the U-boat attacks as they had no radar and were still reliant on visual sightings.

 

Part of the rescued crew of a sunken U-boat landing at Gibraltar, Feb 1945

My father served to the end of the war and his record shows that he was released to Reserve on 3rd June 1945. I believe that he volunteered to work down the coal mines in South Wales in order to be released from the Navy earlier than he would otherwise have been. He was finally discharged on 29th June 1946. Below is a letter of recognition stamped 'Borough of Aberystwyth' that was sent to my father's brother Ivor, who served in the army in WWII.  I assume that my father must have had one on his return home too but we never found a copy amongst his things.

 

Blog by Alison Comley

Digging for Victory in WWII

During the Second World War, Ceredigion appeared to be far removed from the conflict because of its quiet, rural location. However, seeing as WWII was a total war with widespread impacts, the local population and rural economy were considerably marked by its effects. Food production in and around Aberystwyth played an important role in the war, as there were plentiful farms in the area that provided a considerable output of milk, eggs and meat.  People became involved with local food production and geared up to help the war effort; even soldiers who were based locally for training helped on the farms during harvests due to the shortage of workers. Evacuees who had been sent to Aberystwyth often helped on the farms alongside local children to help alleviate crop damage caused by pests, and local schools taught practical gardening skills to young boys using the school allotments. Although Aberystwyth was lucky to not be bombed by the German air force, the Chief Constable in the area did report a few accounts of explosives being dropped near local farms, often causing damage to precious crops. Alongside the important role of farming in the area, Aberystwyth was also involved in the nationwide campaign known as ‘Dig for Victory’.

Dig for Victory was a government campaign to help combat potential food shortages that might occur during the war. The campaign played an integral role in Britain’s victory, as without additional food being grown locally, Britain may have been forced to surrender due to the German U-boat offensive that stopped vital food imports from reaching the shore. The public were encouraged to grow their own fruit and vegetables in their backyards, even those living in cities without an abundance of garden space. Local councils were granted permission by the government to convert parks, playing fields and unoccupied land into allotments, and it became a statutory offence to trespass in such areas. Many of the new growers had little to no experience and needed some extra help and advice on how to harvest and store their own produce, so the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries launched an educational movement in the form of advice leaflets, monthly guides and short films which were played before films at the cinema, All of these provided valuable knowledge about how and when to grow a variety of different crops. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for Wales was based in Aberystwyth, and from this office issues of land usage were dealt with both locally and on a national scale. A selection of Dig for Victory educational leaflets, in both Welsh and English, are currently available in the Ceredigion Archives, who acquired them from 17 Eastgate Street, which I believe was the old location of the Ministry.

Figure 1 is an example of one of the sources found in Aberystwyth from the Dig for Victory campaign. It shows Leaflet 2 of the campaign titled Wynwyn - Cennin - Shallots - Garlleg, (Onions - Leeks - Shallots - Garlic). The leaflet provides an example of the advice the government supplied to the public during the war, and in this case the four-page long leaflet advised how best to grow and store a variety of root vegetables. These were important ingredients in wartime meals because they added flavour to meals that could otherwise be bland, as well as providing vital nutrients. The leaflet includes information about different varieties of onions, which types store the best and how to grow them for storage. It also provided information about manuring, raising the plants, autumn-sown varieties, cultivation, weeding, fertiliser, harvesting and storing and non-keeping kinds, and details about other types of root vegetables mentioned. This source was found in the local area in Welsh, but there are also English versions available online which demonstrates that these leaflets would have been widely circulated, around both Wales and England. 

Dig for Victory Leaflet 2

 

Leaflet 23 of the Dig for Victory campaign, below, is called Making the Most of a Small Plot, which was printed in colour and showed an illustrated plan for a vegetable plot on the reverse. The plan demonstrated how to grow vegetables for summer and winter, explaining that every “able-bodied household that has a garden or can get an allotment must grow them” in order to stay healthy during the war. They urge the public to do their “bit” no matter the size of their gardens and ask them to enquire about earlier leaflets that were published entitled How To Dig and How To Sow Seeds if they required more assistance. The leaflet shows the address of the location where more leaflets could be acquired as being in Lancashire despite the leaflet being found in Aberystwyth, which provides some evidence to my earlier statement that the same leaflets were circulated across the UK. We can also assume that gardens in Aberystwyth may have been more spacious than those in cities due to its rural location, so people may have been able to grow more than this small plot plan allows.

Dig for Victory leaflet 23

Leaflet 22 of the campaign, shown below, focuses on How to Grow Small Fruits, which includes blackcurrants, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, currants, blackberries and loganberries. It gives details about how best to grow the different varieties, as well as the nutrients and vitamins can be gained by eating them. It further provides information about how to save space when planting small fruits if you have a smaller allotment, or how to grow fruit bushes if you have more space available. It also advised the public to seek out local advice when growing fruits, because the ideal growing conditions for fruit differs across the UK. This is complimented by the source shown in Figure 6, which notes possible lectures given by local fruit experts in Aberystwyth.

 

Dig for Victory leaflet 22

 

There were multiple other leaflets that advised on fruit growing; Leaflet 18 was called Better Fruit: Disease Control in Private Gardens and aimed at improving fruit yields through a programme of pest and disease control. The leaflet was six pages long, and provided advice about pruning, spraying, specific care of the different fruit types, banding, insect pests, injurious fungi, the main types of spraying apparatus for smaller gardens and the use of pest control washes like lime sulphur spray and derris. The Dig For Victory campaign published many more leaflets involving fruit which were not found with the leaflets shown here, which include Jam and Jelly Making (Leaflet 10) and Bottling and Canning Fruit and Vegetables (Leaflet 11). Whilst these leaflets were not found locally, it is safe to assume that they would have also been circulated.

 

Dig for Victory leaflet 18

 

Figure 5, below, is not a leaflet from the Dig For Victory campaign, but a booklet named General Information for Village Produce Associations: Allotment Societies and Other Food Production Clubs in Rural Districts. The booklet was published by the County Garden Produce Central Committee, and contained information resources about food production that were specific to rural districts like Aberystwyth. Whilst I could not access the full booklet, the back page shows a list of publications where the public could find tips and tricks for home growing including all of the Dig For Victory leaflets. The list included leaflets entitled Grow for Winter as well as Summer (Leaflet 1), Storing Vegetables for Winter Use (Leaflet 3), Root Vegetables for the Small Grower (Leaflet 6), How to Make a Compost Heap (Leaflet 7), How to Grow Tomatoes (Leaflet 8), Storing Potatoes for Food and Seed (Leaflet 13), Drying - Salting - Pickles - Chutneys (Leaflet 14), How to Sow Seeds (Leaflet 19) and How to Dig (Leaflet 20). This indicates that the leaflets found in Aberystwyth may not be the only leaflets in circulation in the area.
 

Figure 5

 

Figure 6, below, contains information that is the most specific to Aberystwyth out of the sources I could find, as it is a letter written on the 20th of May 1943 by the Cardiganshire County Gardens Produce Committee to the Agricultural Office in Aberaeron. After a committee meeting it was decided that they needed to “ask each Association Secretary to send [...] a programme of Demonstrations and Lectures proposed for the Winter and Spring months of 1943-44." The information given at the lectures was then to be published in an advice booklet that could be distributed locally, and it is possible that Figure 7 is the booklet that was created from this letter. The lectures were to be given throughout the year, so that the advice corresponded to the season and growing conditions, and called on a variety of local experts, agriculturalists and farmers for their expert advice. The letter also provides the addresses of the buildings in Aberystwyth where the lecturers could be located, including the Agricultural Buildings on Alexandra Road and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 17 Eastgate Street.  They called for demonstrations and lectures on a variety of topics for the booklet, including the pruning and ringing of fruit trees, spraying lime sulphur, grafting, budding, storage, composting, mat making, bee keeping, general garden cultivation, insects and pests, fungoid diseases, rabbits, poultry, goat keeping, manuring, cropping, herb growing, crop rotation and specialised information about different varieties of fruit and vegetables. The County Committee also offered to pay the travel expenses of the lecturers travelling from locations further away, like Lampeter, Newcastle Emlyn and Aberaeron, which gives us an indication that they were keen for the help.

Figure 6

Figure 7, below is a handbook of references called Home Grown Food: Handbook of information on Home Grown Food for Village Produce Association, Allotment Societies and Clubs. It was published by the Cardiganshire County Garden Produce Committee, and whilst I have not had access to the internal content of the handbook, the back page contains a list of references that the Committee were hoping to obtain through the lectures and demonstrations previously mentioned. For example, the booklet contains information about where to contact the National Allotment Society, Poultry experts, where to find poultry or rabbit wire, information about rabbits, pig keepers council, the British goat society, beekeeping societies and fruit preservation instructions. Furthermore all of the advice, instruction and demonstrations were offered free of charge, and the public were urged to contact the Cardiganshire County Garden Produce Committee if more help was needed. 

Figure 7

Blog by Zoe Cashman 

Sources:

Primary Sources

“Better Fruit: Disease Control in Private Gardens.” Dig For Victory, Leaflet 18, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, n.d. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

“General information for Village Produce Associations: Allotment Societies and Other Food Production Clubs in Rural Districts.” (County Garden Produce Central Committee under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries), 1942. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

“Home Grown Food: Handbook of information on Home Grown Food for Village Produce Association, Allotment Societies and Clubs”. Cardiganshire County Garden Produce Committee under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (D.R. Evans & Co., The Bridge Press, Lampeter), n.d. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

“How to Grow Small Fruits.” Dig For Victory, Leaflet 22, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, n.d. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

“Making the Most of a Small Plot.” Dig For Victory, Leaflet 23, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, n.d. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

“Wynwyn - Cennin - Shallots – Garlleg.” Dig For Victory, Leaflet 2, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, 17 Eastgate St., Aberystwyth. n.d. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

Printed letter to the Secretary of each Association asking for their "Programme of Demonstrations & Lectures" for the Winter and Spring months of 1943-1944, so that they might produce a booklet. 20 May 1943. https://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk/catalogue.php?sched=adx.0404.html&lastsearch=dig%20for%20victory.

Secondary Sources

Davies, Gwyn. “Ceredigion in the Second World War.” Ceredigion Journal of the Ceredigion Antiquarian Society Vol XIII, No. 4 (2000): pp.81-90.

Dig For Victory. “The Home Front in WW2, Growing and Cooking Rationed Food.” [accessed 17/07/21]. https://dig-for-victory.org.uk/.

National Archives. “Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and predecessors: Welsh Department Regional Office: Registered Files.” [accessed 24/07/21]. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10512.

Smith, Daniel. The Spade as Mighty as the Sword: The Story of the Second World War ‘Dig For Victory’ Campaign. London: Aurum Press Ltd, 2013.

The National Library of Wales. Yr Ail Ryfel Byd yng Nghymru. Llandysul: Gomer Press, 2010.