This past week there have been many moving ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) marking the end of the war in Europe. I was born shortly after the war (a "bundle for Britain") but this week's celebrations brought to mind wartime slogans and expressions that surfaced between 1939-45 and remained in use for years to come.
Some of the slogans like "Britain Can Take It" were purely designed to keep up the spirits of the British public. To get more people involved there was a "Dig For Victory" poster urging citizens to use gardens and allotments to produce potatoes and other vegetables. Sections of Hyde Park in London were even ploughed up to promote the growing of spuds and onions.
There were also quite a few creative slogans which tended to be of a more serious nature. The most prevalent messages were warnings about unwittingly giving away information which could be useful to the enemy. "Keep it under your hat" became a regular piece of advice for those linked to military operations.
Probably the most famous poster was "Careless Talk Costs Lives" which depicts two women gossiping in a restaurant with the adjacent wallpaper covered in Hitler motifs. It was often backed up with another slogan "Walls have ears" which you may still hear on occasions. It is believed to have been partly inspired by 18th century author Jonathan Swift who once wrote a cautionary" walls have tongues and hedges ears".
Alliteration also played a role in some wartime posters such as those designed to remind citizens that "Loose lips may sink ships" and the splendid "Tittle tattle lost the battle".
Keeping calm
Another wartime saying that is still often heard in Britain is "Keep calm and carry On" and variations on that. Some would say it has almost become the official motto for Britain whenever there is a crisis. It appeared just before World War II began when British citizens were told to prepare themselves for the German bombers.
The "keep calm" philosophy had first surfaced in World War 1 when the British government's defiant slogan was "Business as usual", adopted from a Winston Churchill speech. It suggested that whatever the enemy did it would not affect everyday life. Of course it was impossible to carry on as normal when you were involved in "the war to end all wars", but it was good for morale and the expression is still commonly used.
These wartime slogans are a reflection of the "stiff upper lip" culture particularly associated with the British when faced with a potential catastrophe. The expression derives from the belief that the first sign someone is fearful is when the upper lip starts trembling.
Spitfires and Wellingtons
May 8 was always a special day in our household because it was not just VE Day but also my father's birthday. He was delighted that this auspicious day should also fall on his birthday and it usually sparked a few wartime memories.
My dad was in the Royal Air Force, but not in a flying capacity. "Intelligence" he used to tell me with a wry smile. He was initially stationed at several RAF bases in southern England and there was plenty of drama as he witnessed the Blenheims, Wellingtons, Spitfires and Hurricanes limping back to the airfields after a mission. Quite a few aircraft crashed while attempting to land and he lost a lot of friends. The Spitfire was his favourite aircraft and he never forgot the bravery of the young pilots.
He was later transferred to Reykjavik, Iceland which the British had invaded in May 1940, fearing it could become a German base. Despite the occupation he found the local people friendly and recalled that his only unpleasant memory of Iceland was getting horribly seasick on the stormy voyage from Scotland.
Plane amazing
It was heartening to see one of Britain's two remaining Lancaster bombers taking part in this week's celebrations, flying over Buckingham Palace. The Lancaster was the workhorse of the British bombing fleet.
As a teenager, I assembled Airfix plastic kits of both British and German planes that featured in World War 2. The Lancaster was among those aircraft as well as another major English bomber, the Wellington. The fighters included the Hurricanes and Mosquitos. Like my father I admired the Spitfire with its simple but beautiful design.
Amongst the German planes in the Crutch air force were the Messerschmitt fighter and Stuka dive bomber along with the Dornier and Junker heavy bombers.
For several years these planes hung from my bedroom ceiling and there were many evenings I would drift off to sleep after indulging in my own version of the Battle of Britain.
Time for a cuppa
My favourite World War 2 tale comes from the Battle of Britain in August 1940. According to the Daily Express two Englishwomen witnessed a Messerschmitt being shot down near their home on the south coast. Shortly afterwards they came across the injured German pilot who had landed in in a field.
The German was wearing an Iron Cross and as the ladies approached he put his hands up in a surrender gesture. He then asked rather fearfully "Are you going to shoot me now?" One of the women replied "No, we don't do that in England. Would you like a cup of tea?"
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