You can help your country : English children's work during the Second World War /
Berry Mayall and Virginia Morrow.
- Revised and updated edition.
- London : UCL Press, 2020.
- 1 online resource (xv, 259 pages) : illustrations (black and white, and colour)
Previous edition: 2011.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preface to the revised edition --1. Starting points -- 2. Children in social thought between the wars -- 3. Earners or learners? Work and school 1900-1939 -- 4. Children in wartime -- 5. Younger children's work: Doing their bit -- 6. Bringing in the harvest -- 7. Older children's work: Serving their country -- 8. Children in organisations: Working for freedom -- 9. Closing points -- Appendix : School histories -- References -- Index.
First published in 2011, You Can Help Your Country: English children's work during the Second World War reveals the remarkable, hidden history of children as social agents who actively participated in a national effort during a period of crisis. In praise of the book, Hugh Cunningham, celebrated author of The Invention of Childhood, wrote: 'Think of children and the Second World War, and evacuation comes immediately to mind. Berry Mayall and Virginia Morrow have a different story to tell, one in which all the children of the nation were encouraged to contribute to the war effort. Many responded enthusiastically. Evidence from school magazines and oral testimony shows children digging for victory, working on farms, knitting comforts for the troops, collecting waste for recycling, running households. What lessons, the authors ask, does this wartime participation by children have for our own time? The answers are challenging.'
World War, 1939-1945--Children--Great Britain. World War, 1939-1945--War work--Great Britain. World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Great Britain. Children. Social aspects. War work.