As I sit in my hotel room watching BBC One, I immediately recognize multiple historical narratives that stick out to me. Coming from the United States, I had a different idea of national memory of World War II. Americans remember the war as the Good War, or a war against evil and anti-democratic ideas. The English remember World War II, or what they call the Second World War, as the People’s War.
The Churchill War Rooms articulated the People’s War well. One of the first exhibits explains why Winston Churchill remained above ground during the Blitz, or Germany’s bombing of London. Churchill wanted to portray a confident, united front against Hitler. Churchill’s visibility during the Blitz helped Londoners see him as an equal.
Even after retreating underground, Churchill remained committed to the People’s War. Churchill held himself to the same restrictions as the average Londoner. His rations were the same as everybody else. Among other things, his rations consisted of a very few eggs and a small ration of mincemeat. He also wore a very common bowler hat, smoked common and very recognizable cigars, and commonly used the v-for-victory sign in publicity stunts. All of these signs helped link the Prime Minister with the common folk and helped create the narrative of the People’s War.
Churchill’s attempts worked. One of the first Churchill posters in the War Room’s Churchill section is one captioned “Let Us Go Forward Together.” It does not mention the Nazis or any “Good War.” It simply calls to unite all Englishmen and women to drive forward toward victory. Our guest speaker on Tuesday helped materialize this sentiment during his speech. Our speaker lived through the Blitz, and later served in the British Royal Navy. He had the kindest remarks for Churchill, who he believes kept English support and morale behind the war. He believes Churchill’s ability to speak plainly and directly to the English people helped everyday Englishmen and women feel involved and apart of the war effort.
This People’s War theme helped me realize how different the U.K is to the U.S. Outside of driving on the left hand side, I felt as though London is a combination of New York, D.C, and Chicago. Familiar faces and familiar languages really helped ease me in to this trip. But the War Rooms helped me realize how much history truly defines who we are individually, locally, and nationally. In this beautiful city full of history, I began to understand how differently each nation on this trip views World War II. What a great beginning
.