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Nella Last's War
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January 2021: Nella Last's War: Thoughts While Reading
OMG - that quote about Mrs Helm and God striking Hitler dead is perfection!
Hi Elke,I thought it was brilliant!
In Nella's first diary entry, I was struck by her loneliness, Germany declared
war on Poland and her first thought was
she wished she had a friend.
Reading from that side of history, WWI
still fresh still fresh in the minds of citizens
that lived through it, hoping there wouldn't
be another war, yet preparing for one.
School age children, mothers with babies
evacuated to the countryside, billeted in
the home of strangers - God knows if they
will see their families and homes again.
I was impressed by the industry of the
Women's Volunteer Service (WVS), knitting
and making cot blankets out of socks
(which I never knew), I would have signed
up for this.
Yes, the mobilization of citizens is impressive. When I think of it: 20 years (since the last year) isn’t such a long time, so I can imagine how the memory was fresh in their minds. And wishing she had a friend... Is that because the strike of war is hard and she feels more alone? I am not far on in the book - looks like she is involved in the community, but...
The moving of children to the countryside is hudge and everyone just cooperates. So admirable.
I’ve read the first two chapters now. I find it compelling. Although I don’t have a lot to say about it as far as particular entries, etc. It seems almost surreal in a way reading through. As if it’s almost a dream. I think because I know it was real - every word is a play by play of life as it unfolds, this being the beginning of WWII.
Part of me shares her heavy heart, I feel the anxiety, the fear... more so maybe because I know what happened, and now I’m experiencing it through someone who actually lived it. Less so though, because she’s suffering being in the middle and all of the unknowing.
I can sense the emotions - every time I start reading there is an instant shift in the atmosphere, the tension is palpable.
Hi Charlotte,Yea! Your book came in. 👏
Good question, the start of war certainly
magnified it. How long has Nella been without
a friend? Thus far her sons are her friends.
Brenda wrote: "I’ve read the first two chapters now. I find it compelling. Although I don’t have a lot to say about it as far as particular entries, etc. It seems almost surreal in a way reading through. As if ..."
Hi Brenda,
Very well put. After a few entries, I have to
put the book aside. Her words are gripping.
pages fraught with fear, not just Nella's.
How could she have coped had it not been
for her writing and confiding in her diaries?
I am starting to sense that there might be something more stressful besides the war and there might be something more than just needing a friend. I am only guessing: her husband is not a close friend and she feels alone in the marriage. But if there is something about it we will only see further on.
Good that the doctor was near at hand.
Great fun to read about how people spent their evenings - before the internet, before the television and before the “rich Christmas cake”. 27 January 1940.
“... we took our cake and ate it slowly, ... finding time to think how wonderful it was that the ingredients came from so many far-off places”
I love this book! Love that it is about a middle-aged woman and how she goes through a chrisis. Very relatable.
I enjoy how the neighbours help eachother so that in the end their deeds are all intertwined. The doctor drops off a baby. Nella bakes bread. Nella makes soup for the sick mother. The girl next door sweeps the porch.
May I ask you? (I am not a native speaker.) What does it mean when the doctor says he wishes the baby’s gran would pass on? I just want to make sure: he means die, right?
Charlotte wrote: "I am starting to sense that there might be something more stressful besides the war and there might be something more than just needing a friend. I am only guessing: her husband is not a close fr..."
Hi Charlotte,
There is more with Nella, which she will later explain.
Nella's husband, William, is more reserved, depressive
or detached, he doesn't really get involved with his
family. Nella has to be cheerful for him.
Charlotte wrote: "Great fun to read about how people spent their evenings - before the internet, before the television and before the “rich Christmas cake”. 27 January 1940.
“... we took our cake and ate it slowl..."
I'll be caught up with later today.
Besides this, Nella was actually a comical performer. Interesting to think about. Her diary is more serious.
Mod
Yes, he is saying he wishes she would die.
I'm really looking forward to this one; I might cheat a bit and download a Kindle sample which I think is 10%. It won't matter so much for the diary format. You're both whetting my appetite.
I wonder also if their emotions have become hypersensitive? We get some sense of their life pre-war in some entries - the carefree days. They lived through WWI so they’ve a sense of what’s to come. Her entries begin knowing their son will go to the military and that they were at war.
I find it telling when Nella meets an old friend who helped her carry her packages off the bus. Nella didn’t recognize her. And another woman from the center who was always perfectly put together and Nella notices her nails are now bitten down and she looks haggard.
I think we really get a sense of first hand how the war is affecting people. I think she said her husband wasn’t taking it well in a beginning entry and she hoped the war wouldn’t last long as she didn’t know he’d survive. I just read an entry last night where Nella’s husband told her she’s been crying in the night, and Nella doesn’t realise, she doesn’t remember her dreams.
Charlotte- yes, the doctor meant they hoped she would die.
I also agree, I do love how they all come together. It’s so touching. I don’t always understand the raffles and such and some things they do at the centre, but I know it’s all for the greater good.
Mod
I never win anything. 😀
Charlotte wrote: Besides this, Nella was actually a comical performer. Interesting to think about. Her diary is more serious.I thought that was great to learn about her. She’s very ingenious as well and seems to go out of her way to find ways to be helpful. I love when she takes the big bundle to the hospital and the nun says “oh yes, we know all about your resourcefulness”. I also love the snippets she shares of her sons. How she’s glad they consider her a friend. She seems like a wonderful, sweet woman.
Unfortunately the war is a black cloud hanging over and touching everything. I’m curious where the diary ends- I feel so much for Nella and the others. It’s unfortunate that we only start to learn about her in the face of these horrible events.
Tania wrote: In a raffle, you buy a raffle ticket (or many) which is simply a printed number; there will be a table of prizes, and at the end of the night all the numbers go into a bowl and are picked out by someone. If your number is picked, you win a prize. It carries on until all the prizes are gone.But why did they have all the raffles then? To get money for the center for resources and supplies? They seem to have a lot of raffles. Maybe it was just something they did in those days? Or she is just at a place where raffles happen a lot?
I will watch the movie after and maybe that will put some of these things in place for me. I can’t always form a picture from what she writes. Sometimes it’s outdated or a UK thing I’m not familiar with.
Mod
Mod
Thank you for reminding me!I just ordered Nella Last’s Peace.
I don’t know how much I’ll be able to read, but I’d like to read some of it to see life on the other side. Decompress a bit.
Yes, now I understand about the raffle and why they would have so many. Thanks again!! 😊😊
Mod
Good idea to read the follow-up, if just to remind us that life eventually returns to some kind of normality after a crises.
I wonder how it all ends too. I don’t want to know (about her husband and sons) yet - only when we reach the end.
Brenda wrote: "Charlotte- yes, the doctor meant they hoped she would die."Did anyone here think it was unusual to say something like that?
Mod
Charlotte wrote: Did anyone here think it was unusual to say something like that?In normal circumstances it probably would be unkind. But, in this instance, they are in the midst of a war going on and everyone in the house was ill. No one could take care of the grandmother and there were no nurses that could do it. Its unfortunate, but to me it seems a case of brutal reality. This is also 80 years ago, and they didn't have the resources we have now. The thought processes and handling of things probably seems archaic, but they knew much less then as well. I so felt for the baby, and was so glad Nella was such a kind and good caretaker.
Tania, I just saw you answered that. Sorry! :)
Mod
Tania: Good idea to read the follow-up, if just to remind us that life eventually returns to some kind of normality after a crises.I'd certainly like to be reminded of that now myself.
The entry from Thursday, 9 January, 1941 really struck me.Her son is finally able to come home for leave as he was too ill at Christmas. He’s read some of these diary entries of hers, and it’s just so lovely how he tells her not to change. The conversation they had was gut wrenching but so touching as well, how well they communicate. Such a beautiful relationship she has with her sons.
I’m in awe. My family would never have a conversation like that.
Nella is so alone and struggling so.We are reading about Dunkirk seen from the mothers’ side. I think it is a breathtaking inside view of history.
I know this is on an entirely different scale, but I am reading about Nella and her husband processing the news from the wireless and thinking I have just had the same arguments with my husband here and now... (off course not on the same magnitude)
Charlotte wrote: "Great fun to read about how people spent their evenings - before the internet, before the television and before the “rich Christmas cake”. 27 January 1940.
“... we took our cake and ate it slowl..."
Hi Charlotte,
This was a lovely Christmas scene.
Charlotte wrote: "I love this book! Love that it is about a middle-aged woman and how she goes through a chrisis. Very relatable."I admire Nella's frankness of what feeling and going through
Charlotte wrote: "I enjoy how the neighbours help eachother so that in the end their deeds are all intertwined. The doctor drops off a baby. Nella bakes bread. Nella makes soup for the sick mother. The girl next doo..."Caring for others is Nella's strength, it is remarkable
going through personal sadness and depression, she
has so much to give. I love their community spirit.
Her nine year old neighbor helping Nella was thoughtful,
Nella made the decision to get to know them, she is
choosing her friend.
Charlotte wrote: "Besides this, Nella was actually a comical performer. Interesting to think about. Her diary is more serious."I was surprised by this aspect of Nella, her relationship
with Cliff is now understandable, he takes after her.
Brenda wrote: "I wonder also if their emotions have become hypersensitive? We get some sense of their life pre-war in some entries - the carefree days. They lived through WWI so they’ve a sense of what’s to come..."
Hi Brenda,
William Last served in the navy during WWI, entering
another war and to see their son, Cliff getting ready to
shipped out has, no doubt, put him in quite a state of
anxiety. Nella is his anchor.
I don’t think I realized...”women between the ages of 16 & 49 had to register as ‘mobile’ if they had no children living at home, and could be directed to any work the government thought essential.”I guess I assumed that the women working were all volunteers, I never realised there was no choice.
Brenda wrote: "I don’t think I realized...”women between the ages of 16 & 49 had to register as ‘mobile’ if they had no children living at home, and could be directed to any work the government thought essential...."My mum was in that age group, living near London with her widowed mother. She was in a reserved occupation so did office work previously done by her male boss who went into the Navy. She commuted to central London by train every day for work, & took her turn on “fire watch” overnight on the roof of the office block. Her protection for this? - a tin helmet, plus a bucket of sand to put out a fire if a bomb landed! On nights when she was at home, they either tried to sleep in the shelter in the garden, or she was patrolling local streets with other Wardens. My mum was very small & timid, but people somehow found the strength to help each other get through awful times. Even while commuting many people spent their time knitting socks, scarves etc to be sent to the troops. I only found out more about her early life when I took her to a local history display about the war. I was shocked to see the maps & old photos of all the destruction of the local area, & to hear her talk to the organisers about her experiences.
Trisha, thank you so much for sharing this. I just can't even fathom how horrific it all must have been. And living today, we don't realize either sometimes how rudimentary the tools they had were. Technology has changed, but also they had to do with what was available. Being they needed things for the war, it doesn't seem they had much to work with. From reading Nella Last's diary and hearing about your mum, it really rings true that one doesn't know their strength until put to the test.
While these accounts are nightmarish, it's interesting to me to see the other side. So many books and movies I've seen seem to capture the war itself. I appreciate learning about the behind the scenes, and all those left at home trying to survive, and do their part.
Brenda wrote: "Trisha, thank you so much for sharing this..."I’ve thought a lot about that generation, especially in the last year. They must have been so strong. In the early stages of the pandemic I found it difficult shopping when so many things were scarce - but they queued to buy tiny quantities of rationed food & never wasted anything. No fridge or freezer so storage was difficult. My mum even used milk when it went sour, making some type of cottage cheese! She dug up most of their garden & grew vegetables. Rationing lasted until well into the 1950’s.
One of my own strangest experiences was when I had to travel on the London Tube network the day after the 7/7 bombings (in 2005). Everyone was nervous but it seemed fairly normal on the train - until we suddenly stopped between stations. Suddenly strangers were all talking to each other. Finally the driver made an announcement, the train moved off & passengers returned to the usual silence. It really freaked me out - it was exactly how my mum had described being on trains during air raids all those years before.
message 47:
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Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.
(last edited Jan 13, 2021 08:14AM)
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Trisha, fantastic to hear about your mum's experiences. I'd like to try to find out more about my grandmothers war; I know she drove ambulances, I believe on the frontline which was where she met my grandfather; I know he wouldn't speak about it, but she may have, I'll have to see if I can find out.
My grandmother came here in her early twenties on her own from Poland right before the war started. A few years before she died she made an offhand comment that one of her sisters was shot by the Nazi's (they were in Warsaw I believe) but she didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it. I never thought to ask her about any of it before then.
Tania wrote: Trisha, fantastic to hear about your mum's experiences. I'd like to try to find out more about my grandmothers war; I know she drove ambulances, I believe on the frontline which was where she met my grandfather; I know he wouldn't speak about it, but she may have, I'll have to see if I can find out. That would be interesting if you could find anything out. What a brave woman she must have been! I wonder, considering what they said in the book about having to go where they sent you, if she was made to be an ambulance driver? Your poor grandfather. How awful for him.
Trisha wrote: I’ve thought a lot about that generation, especially in the last year. They must have been so strong. In the early stages of the pandemic I found it difficult shopping when so many things were scarce - but they queued to buy tiny quantities of rationed food & never wasted anything. No fridge or freezer so storage was difficult. My mum even used milk when it went sour, making some type of cottage cheese! She dug up most of their garden & grew vegetables. Rationing lasted until well into the 1950’s.One of my own strangest experiences was when I had to travel on the London Tube network the day after the 7/7 bombings (in 2005). Everyone was nervous but it seemed fairly normal on the train - until we suddenly stopped between stations. Suddenly strangers were all talking to each other. Finally the driver made an announcement, the train moved off & passengers returned to the usual silence. It really freaked me out - it was exactly how my mum had described being on trains during air raids all those years before.
I've had similar thoughts during the pandemic, and making me wonder even more what it must have been like. People complained because the shelves were empty, but it can't even compare.
That is a strange experience for you on the tube. And imagine all those who were actually living in the stations during the air raids.
Afternoon Tea and Scones with the Lovely Ladies
Books mentioned in this topic
Victory in The Kitchen: Wartime Recipes (other topics)Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries of Housewife, 49 (other topics)
Nella Last in the 1950s: The Further Diaries of Housewife, 49 (other topics)
The title "Nella Last's War" is also a personal struggle,
a war of what is expected/demanded of her and the
strength to define who she is.
As you read of her life, observe the tone in the book.
Nella Last and her "elder boy" Arthur
Nella and her "younger boy" Cliff
“[Her neighbor] says she prays God to strike Hitler dead.
Cannot help thinking if God wanted to do that he would
not have waited till Mrs. Helm asked him to do so.”
Wednesday, 29 November 1939