Dame Clara Ellen Butt, DBE (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English contralto. Her main career was as a recitalist and concert singer. Her voice, both powerful and deep, impressed contemporary composers such as Saint-Saens and Elgar; the latter composed a song-cycle with her in mind as soloist. Butt appeared in only two operatic productions, both of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Later in her career she frequently appeared in recitals together with her husband, the baritone Kennerley Rumford. She made numerous recordings for the gramophone. Advert featured in the Bromley…
Category: WW1
Women Committee Set Up to Stop Girls Canoodling with Soldiers
During World War 1 a Women Committee was set up as there was concern about girls canoodling with the soldiers, and soldiers corrupting local girls. Consequently women were encouraged to join the street patrols in particular areas where girls and men might ‘enjoy’ a little ***. The War Office gave permission for these patrols to take place outside military camps and were also very active in public parks and cinemas. It was the Women’s Patrol Committee who recommended that lights were not dimmed between films! This, at a time when…
Would you have welcomed an Aussie to your home in 1918?
Would you have welcomed an Aussie to your home in 1918? When the war broke out in 1914, the echoes carried to all corners of the British Empire, and the call brought forth an extraordinary display of solidarity. Soldiers from as far away as Canada, New Zealand and Australia signed up to help in the war effort having been brought up with a strong sense of loyalty and obligation to the Empire. Of course fighting so far way from home, meant that soldiers who were lucky enough to get some…
Why do the British love to Queue?
I really like this advertisement to encourage people to queue in an orderly fashion for the trains and buses. It is no wonder that the Brits are know for being such great ‘queuers’, it seems our grandparents and great-grandparents have been conditioned to do so after adverts like this appearing in local newspapers. Though, these days, at times, we do like to break the queue, especially in the rush hour and at the supermarket check out (more difficult). [su_row][su_column size=”2/3″]Pass Down the Platform There are four, five, or six cars…
The New Women’s Service ,1918
The Women’s Royal Air Force, or “the Penguins” is the name given to the new women’s service formed to release men in the Royal Flying Corps. Lady Gertrude Crawford has been appointed the Chief Superintendent. As reported in the Bromley & District Times, 12th April 1918, pg 3
Spring Cleaning the 1918 Way
Want to clean your carpets? From steam carpet beating to the cordless vacuums today. Advert taken from the Bromley & District Times, 22nd March 1918. I assume the Scotsman in his kilt is the tradesman.
Tanks for the Memory
The country was in desperate need of money to pay for the Great War. Throughout the war the Government had been trying to encourage people to invest in war loans and saving certificates. None of the earlier issues had been particularly popular. In 1918 there was some desperation as Britain was on the brink of bankruptcy. In March, 1918 towns began to hold ‘Tank Days’. Tank Drake (yes, it was a male tank – the sex of a tank depended on the kind of weaponry it had ). With a…
The Paper Shortage – Recycling in 1918
There many were shortages by 1918. Paper had been in short supply for several years to such an extent that papers were reduced, not only in the number of pages, but also in reducing the size of the page. Around each Christmas, there were more pages, in order to increase the number of advertisements. Immediately after the Armistice, the papers quickly returned to their pre-war size. Today, supermarkets are beginning to introduce places to return plastic bottles and received some sort of credit. We didn’t have plastic bottles, but small…
National Kitchens Open During WW1
National Kitchens were opened during World War One to provide affordable nutritious meals for war workers and poorer people. The school dinner ladies and set up may have looked like this. This article was taken from the Bromley & District Times, 22nd March 2918 Communal Kitchen and School Dinners Under the able guidance of Mr A Goymer and the energetic secretaryship of Mr Foxwell, the village Food Control Committee has brought forward a scheme for a communal kitchen. Mr Goymer explained the details of cost and organisation, and said that…
New Suit or a Chocolate Egg for Easter?
How times have changed. I doubt very much that you would see an advert like this in the local newspaper today suggesting giving your son a new suit for Easter, but this is exactly what Issac Walton and Co. promoted for Easter in 1918. At least the models looked very pleased with their new suits!