# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Try this carrot cake recipe dating back to the Second World War.

# data[].attributes.headline
Stand up for the rights of others with words that burn

# data[].attributes.subject
Stand up for the rights of others with words that burn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Words That Burn challenges you to explore and take action for human rights through poetry.

Secondary Schools can explore human rights through poetry, with free educational resources designed to help students develop their own writing and performance style.

This is a project to explore and express human rights through poetry, in partnership with Cheltenham festivals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Words That Burn challenges you to explore and take action for human rights through poetry. Secondary Schools can explore human rights through poetry, with free educational resources designed to help students develop their own writing and performance style. This is a project to explore and express human rights through poetry, in partnership with Cheltenham festivals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Guiding has contributed to national life in the UK and in other countries at various times over the years, but perhaps especially in the two World Wars. Here I will try to bring together some brief information on what Guides did, both in Britain, and further afield.

Guiding was founded in 1910, and was still a relatively young organisation in 1914, with around 300,000 members registered when war broke out, often in scattered Patrols and Companies spread across the UK (there may well have been many other Guides not officially registered). Nevertheless, the Guides achieved a lot for their numbers, and, as was the case with women in general during the war, the Guides earned new respect for girls and what they were capable of, from both the work they did, the skills which their training had given them, and the calm and competent attitude with which they worked. Before World War I, it was not uncommon for Guides parading in uniform to be mocked, but that gradually ceased as they showed that they weren't just some kind of militant suffragette offshoot, or pretend army cadets, or a bunch of rebel girls roaming round the streets or countryside causing trouble when they should have been at home helping mother with the household chores - but that their practical training, particularly in first aid, lifesaving, rescue work, crisis management and practical home nursing, enabled them to cope smartly and efficiently in dealing with difficult situations where well-meaning adults were often left standing around helplessly, with no idea what to do for the best.

War work done by Guides included helping as telegram messengers, making dressings for hospitals and the red cross, laundering used bandages, cleaning and running rest centres, working at nurseries, teaching in infant schools, training people in stretcher work, running convalescent homes, working as hospital cooks, equipping field hospitals, running laundries, knitting and sewing garments for the red cross and soldiers' aid societies, collecting waste goods such as paper and jam jars for recycling, collecting second-hand clothes for charities, helping with harvest work and other farming and food production, working allotments and smallholdings to produce food, collecting sphagnum moss for absorbent wound dressings and herbs for medicinal use, collecting hedgerow fruits for food use, etc. Particularly in the latter years of the war, Guides were especially encouraged to take on and cultivate garden plots for food production as the scale of merchant ship sinkings in the Atlantic brought food rationing, and the very real threat of severe food shortages across the UK, extremely close. A group of around 90 Guides worked at MI5 headquarters as messengers, passing on highly classified information both in writing, and from memory (they replaced Scouts, who had been doing the job until then, apparently because the girls were more reliable!).

A War Service badge was created, which could be earned by 21 days of recognised voluntary war service, or 100 hours of recognised agricultural work, or the making of 15 specified garments including a pair of pyjamas, 4 pairs of socks and 2 shirts. Seperate dated badges were issued for each year, as shown.

In 1916 the Guides were challenged to raise £500 to build a rest hut for soldiers in France, as the Scouts had already provided one. Within a year the fund had raised £2348, enough to build a much larger hut than originally planned, with space for letter writing rooms and games rooms as well as the canteen - and enough money left over to buy a 'motor ambulance' too. Guides were also encouraged to raise money to invest in War Bonds, and a good some was raised for this cause. Money was also raised for other appeals which supported war-relief causes.

Although by no means on the scale of the second world war, there were some 'air raids' during world war I, with bombs being dropped from zeppelin airships, as well as from planes, mainly in south-east England in locations such as London and Great Yarmouth, but also in other locations on the east coast of Britain, including as far north as Edinburgh. Guides were involved in rescuing people from damaged buildings, and looking after those using rest shelters. They also provided 'concert parties' to entertain people in the affected areas, often raising funds for the Red Cross or similar causes in the process as well as distracting and calming those upset by the bombing.

Older Guides joined war work organisations such as the Women's Land Army, to volunteer their services - and disprove those who doubted that women would be able to cope with manual labour. In many Counties, Guiders and older Guides were specifically asked to volunteer for national war service, which would often be in factories or in farming. Guide units were often started at munitions factories, to occupy young female workforce during their breaks.

Finally, at the peace conference in Versailles, France, Guides acted as messengers during the talks in 1919, being trusted to carry confidential messages throughout the talks.

Guide service in World War II actually started 'before the beginning' - throughout the 1930s, but especially building up in 1938, and into 1939. Unlike the previous war, which had broken out comparatively unexpectedly, there wasn't such an element of surprise that war broke out again in September 1939, as tensions had been building steadily across Europe throughout the 1930s and various events had occurred recently which increased the risks - and although everyone comtinued to hope (and pray) that war might be averted, it had started to become increasingly unlikely that an effective peace could be negotiated, so whilst hoping for the best and encouraging positive attitudes, headquarters also urged Guiders to continue to train their Guides thoroughly with the necessary key skills they would need, in case the worst did happen. Things first came to a head in September 1938, with the invasion of Czechoslovakia, which left war seeming imminent - until the British Prime Minister brought back the famous 'piece of paper', which he had negotiated with the German government, and which appeared to guarantee peace. Thus it was, that as early as September 1938, Guides were heavily involved in assembling and issuing gas masks to the public, older Guiders and Rangers were encouraged to register with the government as volunteers for war work as part of their national service, and Sea Rangers from London and the surrounding Counties were recruited for the 'Thames Emergency Service', to serve as domestic crew and signallers on the small boats which could transfer injured people down the Thames from likely bombing target areas to the hospitals further downstream. Although the initial alarm in 1938 was averted, the tension remained constantly hovering in the background, and the country remained on the alert for war to break out at any time. The following eleven months were, in a sense, almost a let-off, a valuable chance for everyone to fit in that much-needed extra training and preparation in case of war, which increasing numbers of people, at heart, suspected must occur before long, for all that they tried to keep their hopes up. This was equally true in Guiding, where Guides were encouraged to brush up their first aid, to study and practice the air raid precaution information, to carry their gas mask as part of their uniform, to take increasing responsibility for the running of their units in case their Guiders were called away to serve, and to make plans for what war service they could offer, if they were called on to serve their country and community.

In the two days immediately before the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, the planned evacuation scheme for children was activated, whereby children in urban areas gathered at their schools and were sent by specially chartered trains to 'destinations unknown' in the country - to live in rural towns and villages for the duration of the war, as it was (correctly) thought that urban areas were likely to be targets for civilian bombing. Guides were involved in meeting trains and escorting the groups of children, and young mothers with infants, to the village halls where local families would choose whom to house, and in making and serving refreshments to the weary travellers, some of whom had been en route for several hours. Others were involved in cleaning, repairing and furnishing empty houses, ready for the evacuees who were already on trains and en route. An immediate consequence of the evacuation was that many urban Guide units found themselves reduced to just the rump few over-14s who had left school and were in full-time employment - whereas rural units who had long struggled desperately to muster a couple of Patrols to keep going with - suddenly found themselves inundated with sometimes 40 or 60 Guides, all newly arrived in the area and desperate to transfer in and carry on their Guiding where they had left off. Many of the Guiders who had volunteered for war work following the plea in 'The Guider' the previous autumn found themselves called up to serve within hours or days, often being sent to bases or factories far from home, and thus having to leave their Packs and Companies behind, as also happened with those whose workplaces were transferred out of central London to safer country locations 'for the duration'. The sudden absence of most Guiders left it up to the Patrol Leaders to keep their Companies going - and often to run the local Brownie Pack too. The fact that so many units ran right through the war, despite the absence of any regular Guiders, indicates the success of the training the PLs had had. For, despite the disruption, it was important to maintain 'business as usual', in Guiding as in all other aspects of life, as far as could be managed.

With the declaration of war, many Companies and Patrols volunteered their services to the authorities as teams - and were soon put to work. One Patrol helped at an evacuated nursery every morning - including bathing dozens of babies and feeding many infants and children - the Child Nurse interest badges they wore being considered sufficient qualification. A group of Rangers worked at a hospital, and from initially doing unskilled work such as washing flower vases, they soon progressed to giving injections and dispensing from the medicine trolley, as they showed their reliability and trustworthiness. Many Guide units were involved in collecting waste material - waste paper, glass, metal, jam jars, cotton reels, and sphagnum moss to make dressings, as well as fruit for preserving, rose hips for syrup making and herbs for medicinal use. Guides in many areas were involved in 'Dig For Victory', creating and maintaining vegetable plots to produce much-needed fresh food through the year to eke out rations, and helping with farm work on weekends and holidays. Some units switched to meeting on Saturday mornings, especially if they were based in urban areas and their meeting places were hard to blackout - as air raids tended to be at night, making daytime meetings safer. Later in the war, particularly in south-east England, evening meetings would sometimes be held in various Guides' houses, with the Guides then staying overnight there, so they were in easy reach of household shelters if doodlebugs became a problem, as intact halls to meet in were harder to come by.

Waddow Hall, the Guider Training centre in the North of England, was turned into a children's emergency hospital for Lancashire County Council for the duration - within hours of the last Ranger Guider trainees leaving, the furniure was being cleared, beds moved, and windows blacked out - groundsheets from the camp store were found to be ideal for this! In Scotland, the Trefoil School - a residential school for disabled children - was set up by Guiders literally overnight during the first few days of the war - the children would otherwise have received no formal education as schools able to host physically disabled children were rare even in peacetime, and no arrangements had been made by the authorities for the evacuation of disabled children in war, especially those children who were housebound or could not attend mainstream schools because of their disabilities. The Trefoil School ran until 1976, by which time local authorities had taken over responsibility for the education of disabled children in their area, their building then became an adapted holiday centre for many years.

As countries in europe were occupied by the invading armies, so Guides and Scouts were always among the first organisations to be banned by the new government regimes, who objected to the Guide Promise and usually preferred to set up their own youth groups, designed to teach a rather different message, albeit through a similar medium of attractive outdoor adventure techniques and games. The bans meant that Guides in occupied countries could no longer wear uniforms and meet as Guides, on threat of arrest - uniforms had to be hidden or disposed of. Some units were secretly able to keep going by becoming 'first aid cadets' or 'sports clubs', but they had to be extremely careful to avoid raising suspicions regarding their true purpose and activities. In some countries, the invading army took active steps to try and discover the identities of Scouters and Guiders, some of whom were promptly imprisoned and killed - simply for having been active in the movements, and refusing to give away the names of fellow leaders and unit members who were yet to be captured. Other Guiders and Guides became involved in resistance movements within their countries, carrying out such activities as writing and distributing 'underground newspapers', smuggling food to refugees and escaped POWs, intelligence gathering, spying and reporting information using secret radio transmitters, listening to and passing on information recorded from banned radio stations such as the BBC, and guiding escaping people through sewer networks and across borders. Although some of the Guides involved in resistance work survived, some were imprisoned or sent to concentration camps, some were tortured, and some were executed for their wartime activities.

In 1940 war came close to Britain as the Channel Islands were invaded - and were held by the German army until June 1945. Guides were immediately outlawed there, as elsewhere in occupied Europe. But, thanks to the courage of a small band of Guiders and parents, unofficial meetings continued to be held on the islands, often gatherings of small groups of girls Guiders' houses, with the girls arriving at different times and by different routes, as all gatherings of people were banned. As the islands were cut off from resupply, especially after D-Day, food and fuel shortages continued to increase as the islands were held by German forces - but the allied armies lay between the German army and the French coast, preventing German supply boats from reaching the islands. Life on the islands became increassingly difficult, with the real threat of starvation as food and cooking fuel ran low, both for the locals and for the occupying army too - right up to the liberation day in 1945.

Soon another type of Guide came to Britain, nicknamed 'Golondrinas' - or swallows - these were the refugees who had escaped from occupied lands in Europe, and were staying temporarily in Britain until such time as they could safely go back to their homelands. The name was coined because, like the bird who visits for the summer before returning to mainland Europe for the rest of the year, so it was hoped that the visit of these Golondrinas would indeed be temporary and that, sooner or later, they too would be able to fly home in freedom. They had a base in a special room set aside in "Our Ark", the newly-opened Guide world centre in London. They took part in 'international camps' in Britain and did a great deal to bring 'international Guiding' to life at a time when few people in Britain had ever travelled abroad, or met 'foreigners'. Most were Lones, working by themselves to tackle the same badge programme they would have at home, but where groups from a particular country were congregated in a particular location, they were able to set up 'exile units' in Britain, and do war service from their new base as a unit.

Another form of wartime Guiding should be mentioned - Guiding in Concentration Camps, both in Europe and in the far east. In the far east in particular, many British children lived in colonies and protectorates whilst their parents were employed there, and when these colonies were invaded, all British adults and children were captured and taken to concentration camps, where they were then imprisoned for the duration of the war. Others, whose parents were based 'up-country' doing mission work, were living in their boarding schools when war broke out, and were captured as an entire school and imprisoned along with their teachers, often not knowing whether their parents were captured or still free. In the camps the adults tried to occupy the children's endless free time, both with schooling, and often with Guide and Scout groups, to try and take their minds off their circumstances, and off of worrying about their parents. These special units usually had members from many nations, and a programme of activities and challenges based on a merger of the different countries' programmes, adapted to circumstances - the 'half-day's hike' for first class might involve an appropriate number of laps of the camp perimeter, before the candidate could use the special stock of twigs to make a miniature model of a cooking fire, and describe just how she would cook the imaginary food on an imaginary full-size version of the model she had built. The ingenuity and bravery of the Guiders, who worked so hard to keep the children's spirits up day after day and year after year, despite the starvation conditions and the debilitating illnesses which were often rife in the camps, should not be forgotten.

During the early stages of the war on the 'home front', things were strangely quiet - the period became known as the 'phoney war', as there was no bombing, and apart from the blackout and some very limited early rationing, little real disruption or change from the peacetime conditions which had prevailed before. Some of the children who had been evacuated started to return home, as their parents reckoned the evacuation to have been an over-reaction, and the risk too low to justify the separation. But, in the south east of England in particular, this was the calm before the storm, as soon the 'Battle of Britain' started. Bombing raids on London and south coast areas soon took place nightly, with raids to other areas of Britain at times too. Many Londoners more or less lived in the shelters by night, snatching sleep as best they could in the cramped and stuffy conditions before going to work by day - and a general air of tiredness pervaded, not helped by the endless worry - even if you survived the night in the shelter without suffering a direct hit, when you left the shelter in the morning would your house still be there, or be demolished and all your posessions destroyed with it? And if not your house, would relatives, neighbours or friends have died? Would your school or workplace have gone? The local landmarks, or your corner shop?

Groups of Guides worked in communal shelters, running canteens, entertaining the crowds to try and take everyone's minds off what was going on, and giving first aid to any with minor injuries. Guides were involved in 'after the raid' squads, giving first aid to the walking wounded, and helping people to recover what furniture and possessions they could salvage from the bombed houses. They also started to teach 'blitz cooking', sometimes making meals for hundreds on open fires in bombed areas where no other cooking facilities existed. Mobile canteen vans were set up, staffed by Rangers and Guiders, able to travel quickly to bombed areas and serve hot drinks and food to the homeless and the emergency workers as soon as they arrived - and also to travel routes around the countryside delivering parcels of clothing, books and other comforts to soldiers stationed in lonely coastwatching or observer corps outposts, especially in winter - and often Patrols of Guides were there each night when the van returned, to wash the mountain of dishes and restock the supplies ready for the next day. Guides worked in canteens and rest centres, serving food, washing dishes and looking after young children. Guiders set up youth centres, to provide activity for teenagers who lacked occupation in the evenings, especially where parents were serving overseas or working long nightshifts in factories. Brownies and Guides were also involved in sewing and knitting garments for donation to the red cross, and to the forces serving overseas. Many of these had a special "From the Girl Guides" label sewn inside to indicate that they had been made and donated by Guides.

Just as the Guides in World War I had raised funds in a great national appeal, so the Guides of 1940 sought to emulate their older sisters. The 'Guide Gift Week' in 1940 was for air ambulance planes to evacuate injured soldiers from the battle front to hospital, with the schoolgirls being encouraged to donate a week's pocket money, and those in work half a day's salary - but, as in 1916, the appeal raised far more than the initial target - finally reaching £52,000 - and providing not only the longed-for ambulance planes, but also motor ambulances, an equipped rest hut for sailors in Iceland, and a lifeboat - while the shipyard were finishing it's construction, the appeal went out for little ships to sail to Dunkirk, so she went as she was, made several trips across the channel under fire, and on her return was named 'The Guide of Dunkirk' to commemorate her unexpected maiden voyage.

Rationing and shortages affected Guiding too - the Brownie Promise Badge was too time consuming to cut out and wasteful of materials, so alternative designs were produced, which were stamped into either rectangles or ovals of brass, rather than cut out as before. Where these could not be obtained, homemade sewn badges were sometimes seen, as Guiders used their ingenuity to make do. Homemade interest badges were seen too, as the regular ones ran short and fabric rationing meant factories had other priorities. There were different uniform shortages at different times, as factories had to concentrate on producing war materials and garments for the forces as a priority, but most Guides and Brownies were able to cobble together a uniform of sorts, and it was all the more reason to look after the uniforms they already had carefully. The Ranger uniform was altered, and the formal skirt suit dropped in favour of a knitted jumper and a skirt, which was easier on the coupons, especially since the jumper could be hand-knitted from waste wool rather than being bought; this was made all the more necessary by the large influx of new members to the Ranger section from those who wanted the training the section offered, so useful to those who wished to apply for roles in the women's services.

Despite the disruptions, Guiding continued, and after initial restrictions during the early stages of the war, so too did camping. In July 1941 the Patrol Leader's Camp Permit was introduced, to enable Guides to hold small camps even if a Guider with camping qualifications was not available. After being banned at first, soon camping was permitted under certain conditions - tents had to be camouflaged using paint or preferrably nets, pitched under trees, and away from coasts and military installations, and numbers on each site had to be kept low to reduce the risk of being mistaken for a military camp. Sites had to be near home - but this would be automatic anyway, given the strict rationing of petrol, and the national policy discouraging unnecessary train journeys. Slit trenches had to be dug to serve as air raid shelters, and there were strict blackout rules after dusk. Camping equipment was hard to come by - some had been requisitioned by the army and some destroyed by bombing - but by raiding lofts and garages, and by a certain amount of improvisation, and creation of home-made kit, Guides could usually assemble enough kit to make do.

On the home front, war work continued. For Rangers the Home Emergency Service Armlet and Badge were introduced, with a programme of training to earn it, involving initiative, first aid, air raid precaution knowledge and other skills. Following a government request, the lower age limit for Rangers was reduced from 16 to 14 so that Ranger training was available to more school leavers prior to them joining the women's services. Guides and Brownies were involved in waste collection, hedgerow fruit collection, and creating allotments to provide extra food. Garments were sewed and knitted for the forces, and toys repaired and refurbished for issue to poor children at Christmas, as new toys were almost totally unobtainable.

In the February 1941 issue of The Guider, there was a commemoration of Robert Baden-Powell, who had died the previous month at his retirement home in Kenya. But there was also another message. For many months, Guides had been writing in to the magazine to ask what they could do for their sisters in Europe, as news crept out giving some vague notion of suffering there, though details were scant. Now Guides were told that it was time to start preparing an army of volunteers, ready to go into Europe as soon as war ended, to 'win the peace'. This, at a time when it was by no means certain that Britain would even win the war . . .

This idea, or ideal, suggested by the Guides themselves, became the GIS, or Guide International Service. Soon applications were being received from Rangers and Young Guiders who wanted to serve on the teams, and commando-style selection weekends were held, with the applicants being challenged to cope with difficult situations and unexpected problems on no sleep and little food, hauling their kit cross-country along muddy tracks on trek carts. Those who were not old enough to apply for selection to the teams were challenged too - the teams would need funds, both to buy equipment and to provide the living expenses for the volunteers who would be leaving homes and jobs to serve on the teams for many months at a time. So the GIS fund was established. The first team set out in July 1944, to Greece. They tried to learn some of the language during the days of voyage there, and on arrival found themselves involved in providing healthcare and supplying clothing rations to villagers in remote areas, often travelling on foot over mountain passes, the clothing bundles being carried on pack mules. They were soon spotted by local Guides, who recognised the trefoil badge on the sleeve of the army tunics they wore, and the local Guides became involved in helping and supporting the work as helpers and interpreters. A hospital unit, complete with medicines and a mobile laboratory, headed into the Netherlands on the day it was liberated, and set up a hospital to diagnose and treat infectious diseases, working through the major typhoid epidemic, and setting up maternity hospitals and feeding stations for the starving. Later a group went into the Belsen concentration camp to help with food and nutrition, and deal with the repatriation of 'displaced persons' who had been released from concentration camps but needed help to find homes to go to. A further group, originating in Australia, headed to Malaya to fight tropical diseases and help locals who had suffered following the invasion there. The work of the GIS continued until 1950, long after other relief organisations had had to pull out for want of funds, and despite the ongoing shortages and rationing in Britain. Throughout these years the work of the teams was entirely supported by the ongoing fundraising efforts and donations from individual Guides, Patrols and units. As well as relief work, trainings were run in europe to help restart Guiding in the countries where it had lain dormant during the war.

Although the end of the war brought peace, the feeling was generally more one of relief, rather than of celebration. Although war in Europe ended in May 1945, the war in Asia dragged on longer, and although the blackout was lifted shortly before the end of the war, rationing, especially of food, continued into the mid-1950s, and the fundraising to support the work of the GIS was ongoing, with regular appeals for more funds to help them finish their relief work.

Subsequent Wars/Conflicts

Guiding in Britain has had no direct or national involvement in subsequent wars, although Guides in the Falkland Islands were certainly affected by the occupation and war there in 1982. However, individual units have taken part in charity projects such as sending Christmas parcels to refugees, and to British soldiers serving in conflict areas, via charities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guiding has contributed to national life in the UK and in other countries at various times over the years, but perhaps especially in the two World Wars. Here I will try to bring together some brief information on what Guides did, both in Britain, and further afield.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Wartime Kitchen:

Living off Rations with Ration Book Cooking - Day One

How we lived and how we ate during the war, as in WW2, has been well publicised recently with the excellent BBC programme Wartime Farm, but, my plan to try to live off wartime rations started earlier this year, when I attempted to live on £1 a day - Meal Planning Monday: Live Below the Line ~ Live on £1 a Day for 5 Days to understand Food Poverty. It was hard, and I fell off the wagon on a couple of occasions, but it brought to mind how it must have been to live on rations not for one week, as I did, but for more than fifteen years, as the population of Great Britain did during and AFTER the war. Wartime rationing is well-known, but what is not so well-known is that rationing in the UK went on until 1954.......that is a VERY long time of coupon cutting and trying to be inventive and thrifty in the kitchen. The more I thought about it, the more I knew that I wanted to attempt to live off WW2 rations for at least a week. So, I asked two of my friends, Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen and Fiona, from London Unattached if they would like to join me, and thankfully (it's always better to have some moral support) they both agreed.

Never has ration book cooking been so relevant in the modern-day kitchen as most of the population struggle to make ends meet during the recession; and, apart from the obvious relevance to thrift and frugal cooking, I also wanted to post my week's ration book cooking challenge in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday (and Armistice Day on the 11th November). Without making any political statements, I have been wearing my poppy with pride for the last few weeks; to me, it's a small and humble gesture to all those men and woman who gave up their lives in all the wars, and by buying a poppy every year, I am happy to be donating something to the Royal British Legion, who continue to support all of those whose lives have been touched by war and conflicts. And now it's my time to attempt to live off rations for one week.

So, what are the rations then? The list shown below is for one adult, a general list, as rationing and amounts changed and fluctuated throughout the war, and, there were different rations for children, pregnant women and those who worked for the war effort in factories etc.

WW2 Rations 1940: per one person (adult)

Butter: 50g (2oz)
Bacon or ham: 100g (4oz)
Margarine: 100g (4oz)
Cooking fat/lard: 100g (4oz)
Sugar: 225g (8oz).
Meat: To the value of 1/2d and sometimes 1/10d - about 1lb (450g) to 12ozs (350g)
Milk: 3 pints (1800ml) occasionally dropping to 2 pints (1200ml).
Cheese: 2oz (50g) rising to 8oz (225g)
Eggs: 1 fresh egg a week.
Tea: 50g (2oz).
Jam: 450g (1lb) every two months.
Dried eggs: 1 packet (12 eggs) every four weeks.
Sweets & Chocolate: 350g (12oz) every four weeks

Funnily enough the lack of sugar and fat doesn't appear to be a problem for me, as I don't take sugar in any of my hot beverages and I am always very scant with fat as I am on a low-fat diet! However, it will impact me when it comes to baking, which I do a lot. The eggs, or should I say the egg, will be a problem; but, as I live in the country, I have chickens and according to my dad, whose uncle ran a green grocers and had a small holding with rabbits and chickens, you could give up you egg ration in return for chicken meal, which I plan to do this week. Anyway, the first thing I did yesterday before I started my ration book cooking, was to make a loaf of bread, a National Loaf, with wholemeal flour and, curiously enough, a vitamin c tablet sometimes. Whereas we are used to wholemeal bread now and it has become part of the artisan bread movement, the UK was a nation of white bread lovers before the war, and the National Loaf was met with suspicion and dislike for most people. It was in 1942 that the government introduced the National Wheatmeal Loaf which used all of the wheat grain including the husks. Bakers were banned from making any other type of bread except the national loaf, and The Federation of Bakers was formed in an attempt to assist and organise wartime production and distribution of bread.

Recipe: The National Wheatmeal Loaf:

(Makes 2 loaves)
From: Ministry of Food - Jane Fearnley Whittingstall

1 ½ lb wholemeal bread flour
1 ½ tbsp salt
1 ½ tbsp dried yeast
1 dsp honey or treacle
450 ml tepid water
1) Mix together all the ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes until you have a soft dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave until dough has doubled in size (around 2 hours).
2) Knock back the dough, give a short knead then cut into two equal pieces. Place in 1.5 litre loaf tins, allow to rise for a further 2 hours.
2) pre-heat oven to 200°c then bake loaves for 30 min. To test the loaves turn them out of their tins and give the base a tap. if it sounds hollow they are ready. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

And now on to my meal plan for today, Monday 5th November:

Breakfast: One slice of National Wheatmeal Loaf with a scraping of margarine and 1 teaspoon of marmalade. Two cups of tea with milk and no sugar (about 1 tablespoon milk 30ml)

Lunch: Menu One from One-Pot Meals - Ministry of Food leaflet number 35:

Sausage Roll, Gravy, Carrots, Chopped Parsley Potatoes, Steamed Pudding with Jam

High Tea: Beetroot Sandwiches made with a scraping of butter

Some of the ingredients I used for my first day were not on ration, such as the sausages (although they were hard to obtain sometimes) and I also made my steamed sponge eggless too......but here's what I have left for the remaining six days, based on two adult's rations, as my husband is also joining me for ration book cookery week!

WW2 Rations 1940: Two Adults

Butter: 100g (4oz) Used about 1 teaspoon - 3 3/4 ozs (90g) left
Bacon or ham: 200g (8oz)
Margarine: 200g (8oz) Used 1 1/2 ozs (40g) - 6 1/2 ozs (160g) left
Cooking fat/lard: 200g (8oz)
Sugar: 450g (1lb). Used 1 1/2 ozs (40g) - 14 1/2 ozs (440g) left
Meat: To the value of 2/4d - about 2lb (900g)
Milk: 6 pints (3600ml) Used 300mls - 5 1/2 pints (3300mls) left
Cheese: 8oz (200g)
Eggs: 2 fresh egg a week - NOT taking this ration up as I have my own chickens
Tea: 100g (4oz).Used 1/2 oz (15g) - 3 1/2 ozs (85g) left
Jam: 900g (2lb) every two months. Used 2 tablespoons jam/marmalade - about 120g (41/2 ozs) left
Dried eggs: 1 packet (12 eggs) every four weeks
Sweets & Chocolate: 700g (1lb 8oz) every four weeks

Ingredients I used not on ration: flour, honey, salt, pepper, gravy browning (Bisto), leeks, sausages, onions, herbs, beetroot, breadcrumbs, carrots and potatoes.

Thus far, day one seems okay - the one pot meal menu was a Godsend and the other menus on the sheet are also tasty and easy to use within rationing. I also used my grandmother's old Indian Tree plates for the meals, as, modern-day plates are larger, and the portions that these wartime meals yield are much smaller than today.

I also used an old "Quick Cooker Bowl" for my sausage roll, which, should have been steamed in two old baked beans tins, but there were none handy when I came to cook the meal....... hence the recipe name sausage roll I suspect!

In addition to the numerous books I used for reference, and I will list them throughout the week, plus all of the vital first-hand information and tales that I gleaned from my parents, who both lived through the war and rationing, I was very kindly sent a copy of "Wartime Farm" by Fiona Smith over at Octopus Publishing Group, and I will be posting my review towards to end of the week, as well as sharing what I learned from the book too. The book accompanied the very successful series that was aired on BBC2 and BBC HD recently.

That's it for Day One, I will be sharing LOTS more recipes, tales, information and photos throughout the week, as well as a post on how I managed cooking in a Hay Box! As this is a meal plan of sorts, I am sending this over to Mrs M and her Meal Planning Monday link up, and, as you may see, I also have a link-up at the bottom of this post, where all of our collective post will be added from me, Fiona and Janice - so you can all visit them and see how they are managing with their living of rations for a week too. I hope that you will join me every day for my Wartime Kitchen: Living of Rations week......see you later, Karen.
Why not join Janice and Fiona on their Wartime Kitchens?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Wartime Kitchen: Living of Rations with Ration Book Cooking - Day One

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Never has ration book cooking been so relevant in the modern day kitchen, as most of the population struggle to make ends meet during the recession; and apart from the obvious relevance to thrift and frugal cooking, I also wanted to post my week's ration book cooking in the week leading up to Rememberer Sunday and Armistice Day on the 11th November.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Your VE Day messages | Remembrance| Royal British Legion

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Legion supporters left messages to remember, celebrate and honour the brave Second World War generation.

# data[].attributes.headline
A book all about Guiding in WW2 (For older girls/ adults)

# data[].attributes.subject
A book all about Guiding in WW2 (For older girls/ adults)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A completely original history of one of the most extraordinary movements in the world - the Girl Guides - and how they helped win the war.

Mention Girl Guides to any woman and the reaction will be strong. They either loved them or hated them; they were either proud to wear their uniform or refused to join. Whatever their feelings, most former Guides retain strong memories of their experiences.

All too often regarded merely in terms of biscuit sales and sing-songs, hardly anybody is aware of the massive impact that the Guides had on gender equality and, more fundamentally, the outcome of the Second World War. In this eye-opening history, Janie Hampton explores how the Guides' work was crucial to Britain's victory. When the Blitz broke out, the Guides knew what to do. They kept up morale in bomb shelters, demonstrating 'blitz cooking' with emergency ovens made from the bricks of bombed houses at the request of the Ministry of Food. They grew food on their company allotments and knitted for the entire country. The embodiment of the Home Front spirit, they dug shelters, provided crucial First Aid, and also assisted the millions of children who were forced to flee their city homes to safer places in the country.

It is difficult to imagine what the war effort would have looked like without the Guides. Full of fond and funny anecdotes and rich social history, 'How the Guides Won the War' takes us on the journey of one of the twentieth century's most extraordinary movements.

MEDIA REVIEWS

'An enjoyably inspiring account of what was to be - for so many thousands of girls - an exciting and fulfilling time.' Scotsman

'A stirring, surprising story' Saga

'[Hampton] has caught the authentic tone of unwavering, not to say relentless, optimism characteristic of the Guiding movement.' Evening Standard

'Absorbing and unexpected ... a sobering and inspirational book.' Mail on Sunday

Your review has been submitted successfully.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How the Girl Guides Won the War by Janie Hampton | Waterstones

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A completely original history of one of the most extraordinary movements in the world - the Girl Guides - and how they helped win the war. Mention Girl Guides to any woman and the reaction will be strong. They either loved them or hated them; they were either proud to wear their uniform or refused to join.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a traditional game people played in the 1940s

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Play Hopscotch: Rules & Variations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A fun hopscotch play-by-play for all ages Hopscotch is arguably the best playground game of all time. It offers lighthearted fun and teaches younger players plenty of valuable developmental lessons like counting, gross motor skills, and…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Join us at 9pm on Friday 8 May for a UK-wide rendition of Dame Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again' to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

As we face some of the most challenging times since the end of the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to come together and unite.

We need you and as many people as possible to take part in this national moment of thanksgiving and celebration, in honour of our Second World War generation.

You can watch and join in on BBC One who will be featuring the singalong as part of their VE Day broadcast.

Join us by singing:

We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again
Some sunny day

Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
'Till the blue skies chase
Those dark clouds far away

And I will just say hello
To the folks that you know
Tell them you won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That, as I saw you go
You were singing this song

We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again
Some sunny day

And I will just say hello
To the folks that you know
Tell them you won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That, as I saw you go
You were singing this song

We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again
Some sunny day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
VE Day singalong | Remembrance | Royal British Legion

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As we face some of the most challenging times since the end of the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to come together and unite. We need you and as many people as possible to take part in this national moment of thanksgiving and celebration, in honour of our Second World War generation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food is expensive. If you do the grocery shopping for your household, you know that this is one of the highest costs related to your home and family. While it may be unlikely that you can completely eliminate your grocery bill, you can grow certain foods yourself. And, you can grow them from scraps that you would normally throw away.

Imagine having an unlimited supply of your family's favorite produce. Incidentally, produce is often one the most expensive items on most grocery lists so anything that you can cut down will help you to tremendously curb that grocery expense.

There are a number of fruits and vegetables that you can replant and grow yourself, ensuring that you always have these items on hand when you need them and helping you to cut down on the money that you spend on produce every week.

If you have ever considered growing your own food, this post contains a list of 25 foods that you can grow from the leftover scraps and seeds that you normally throw out.

If you're a fan of effortless gardening check out our newest perennial collection featuring hundreds of perennial flowers and vegetables.

1. Lettuce

Lettuce, Bok Choy and cabbage are relatively easy to grow from scraps. Instead of throwing out those leftover leaves, simply place them in a bowl with just a bit of water in the bottom. Keep the bowl somewhere that gets good sunlight and mist the leaves with water a couple of times each week. After 3 or 4 days, you will notice roots beginning to appear along with new leaves. When this happens you can transplant your lettuce or cabbage in soil.

2. Celery

Celery is one of the easiest foods to grow from leftover scraps. Just cut off the bottom or base of your celery and lay it in a bowl with just a bit of warm water in the bottom. Keep the bowl in direct sunlight as long as possible each day and after about a week, you will begin to see the leaves thickening and growing along the base. When this happens, you can transplant your celery in soil and wait for it to grow to full length.

3. Lemongrass

If you love using lemongrass but have a difficult time finding it, simply regrow your own. Lemongrass will grow just like regular grass. You just place the root that is leftover in a glass bowl or jar with enough water to cover it and leave it in the sunlight. After about a week, you will notice new growth and when this happens you can transplant your lemongrass in a pot or in your herb garden.

4. Bean Sprouts

If you love cooking with bean sprouts you can grow them yourself as well. You just need to soak a tablespoon or so of the beans that you want to grow in a jar with shallow water. Leave this overnight and in the morning, drain the water off and put the beans back in the container. Cover the container with a towel overnight and rinse them the next morning. Keep doing this until you notice the sprouts begin to appear and then until they reach the size that you want. This works well with mung beans and wheat berries.

5. Avocado

Avocado seeds can be used to grow a steady supply of this super food. You just have to wash the seed and use toothpicks to suspend it over water in a bowl or jar. The water should come up enough to cover the bottom inch of the seed. Keep the container in a warm place but not in direct sunlight and remember to check the water every day and add more as needed. It can take up to six weeks for the stem and roots to appear and once the stem reaches about 6 inches you will need to cut it down to 3 inches. When leaves begin appearing, you can plant the seed in soil, remembering to leave about half of it above ground.

6. Potatoes

Virtually everyone knows that potatoes can be grown from potato peelings. You need peelings that have eyes on them. Cut those peelings into two inch pieces, ensuring that there are at least two or three eyes on each piece. Allow them to dry out overnight and then simply plant them about four inches deep in your soil. Make sure that the eyes are facing up when planting. It will take a few weeks before you see the potato plant begin to grow.

7. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes can be grown much like regular potatoes. You just have to cut the sweet potato in half and suspend it using toothpicks above a container of shallow water. Roots will begin to appear in just a few days and sprouts will be seen on top of the potato around that same time. Once those sprouts reach about four inches or so in length, just twist them off and place them in a container of water. When the roots from this container reach about an inch in length, you can plant them in soil.

8. Ginger

Ginger root is very easy to grow and once you get started, you can keep your supply of ginger full. You just need to plant a spare piece of your ginger root in potting soil, making sure that the buds are facing up. You will notice new shoots and new roots in about a week or so and once this happens you can pull it up and use it again. Remember to save a piece of the rhizome so that you can replant it and grow more for the next time you need it.

9. Pineapple

You can grow your own pineapple even if you don't live in the tropics. You just cut the top off and insert a few toothpicks to hold it above a container filled with water. Keep the container in direct sunlight. If it is warm outside, sit it on the porch or deck during the day and bring it in at night. Remember to change the water every other day or so and keep the container filled so that it reaches just about the base. You will notice roots in about a week or so and once they are formed you can transplant into potting soil. If you live in a cooler area, it is best to grow your pineapple indoors.

10. Garlic

Garlic is really easy to grow and can be done from just one clove. When you buy garlic, you get several cloves so just pull one off and plant it with the roots facing down in potting soil. Garlic likes plenty of direct sunlight so in warmer weather, keep it outdoors in the sun during the day. Once you notice that new shoots have established, cut the shoots back and your plant will produce a bulb. You can take part of this new bulb and plant again.

11. Onions

Onions are very easy to grow indoors or out. You just have to cut the root of the onion off and make sure that you leave about a half an inch of onion when you do. Cover lightly with potting soil and keep in a sunny area. For green onions, simply put the white base with the roots intact in a container of water and place in direct sunlight. Change the water out every few days and the green will continue to grow. Just snip what you need and allow it to grow as long as you like.

12. Pumpkins

If you tend to carve pumpkins on Halloween, you can save those seeds and plant them. Even if you prefer toasting your seeds for a yummy snack, you can save a couple for growing new pumpkins. Just spread the seeds out in a sunny area outdoors and cover with soil. You can also plant an entire pumpkin. Once you finish displaying that Jack-O-Lantern, just fill it with soil and plant the entire thing.

13. Mushrooms

You can grow mushrooms from cuttings, although they are a bit more difficult than many other vegetables. You will need a warm area with a lot of humidity and soil that is rich in nutrients. It is much better to grow your mushrooms in a pot as opposed to in the ground because you have a better shot at controlling the temperature and the humidity. You just have to cut away the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk or stem in the soil. Leave the very top exposed and this base will begin to grow a new head.

14. Peppers

You can grow a number of hot peppers from the seeds that are leftover. Just collect the seeds from your habaneros, jalapenos or any other peppers that you have on hand. Plant them in potting soil and keep in direct sunlight unless it is warm outside and then you can just plant them in your garden area. Peppers grow relatively fast and don't require a lot of care. Once you get a new crop, just save some of the seeds for replanting again.

15. Fennel

Growing fennel requires that you keep the roots intact. You need about an inch of the base of the fennel to get it to regrow. Just place this base in a container with about a cup of water and leave it in direct sunlight. The windowsill is the perfect place to grow fennel. When the roots grow strong and you notice new green shoots coming up from the center of the base, you can transplant into soil.

16. Tomatoes

Tomatoes can be grown just by saving those seeds that you probably throw out anyway. You just have to rinse the seeds and allow them to dry. Plant in a good, rich potting soil until you notice growth coming in. Allow the seeds to get a few inches high before transplanting them outdoors. During cold weather you can grow your tomatoes indoors. Just remember to keep them in an area that gets plenty of sunlight and water a few times each week.

17. Basil

Basil is relatively easy to regrow. You just have to have a stem about four inches high. Place this stem in a glass of water with the leaves well above the water line. Leave the glass sitting in a bright area but not in direct sunlight. Roots should begin to form in a few days and when those roots reach a couple of inches long, you can transplant them in soil.

18. Cilantro

Cilantro can be grown from scraps as well. Just place the bottom of the stem in a glass of water and leave in a bright area, near a windowsill perhaps. When the roots grow a couple of inches long, you can transplant the cilantro into a pot and you will notice new sprigs in just a few weeks.

19. Turnips

Root plants, turnips grow well from clippings or leftover scraps. You just need to salvage the tops of the turnip and place in a container of water. You should notice new green tops growing in just a few days after you begin. Just allow the root to continue growing until it's ready to be transplanted in the ground. This works with many root vegetables such as beets, turnips and even parsnips.

20. Cherries

You can actually grow your own cherry tree from the pit of the cherry, although it does take some time to grow an entire tree. You will need to keep the pit in cold storage for a few weeks so that they will germinate. To do this, simply clean the pit, pack it in nutrient rich soil and store it in a lidded container in your refrigerator. Leave for about twelve weeks and then transplant outdoors.

21. Apples

You can plant seeds from those delicious apples and grow your own apple trees. These are a little difficult but they will grow although you should note that you can plant several of the seeds from a single apple and end up with different types of apple trees. Just allow the seeds to dry out and then plant them. Note that you will need at least two apple trees in order for them to grow well so save more than one seed the next time you enjoy an apple.

22. Peaches

Peaches, nectarines and plums can all be grown from their seeds. Note that it does take a couple of years before you will be able to get any fruit from trees that you grow from seed but it will definitely be worth it if you begin now. You just have to dry the seeds out very well to prepare them for planting and plant them in a nutrient rich soil and in an area that gets plenty of sunlight.

23. Lemons

Lemon trees can be grown from seeds and if you live in an area that gets really cold winters, you can simply grow dwarf trees indoors. Meyer lemons tend to have smaller plants so choose these if you want an indoor lemon tree. You will begin to get lemons from your tree in just a couple of years so remember that you won't actually get lemons the same year that you plant them. Just be sure to clean and dry your seeds before planting and choose a soil that is rich in nutrients for the best results.

24. Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts can be grown from seeds, although they do need to be planted near another hazelnut tree in order to germinate. Just dry the nuts well and plant them in a rich soil. You can begin your plantings indoors and then transplant outdoors during warmer weather if you want or if you live in an area that is warm year-round, just plant them whenever you are ready. You will begin growing your own hazelnuts within just a couple of years.

25. Chestnuts

Growing chestnuts is really easy, provided you choose a type of chestnut that is indigenous to your planting zone. Remember to dry the nuts out well before planting and note that you may have to wait a few years before your trees really begin bearing nuts. You will also need to plant more than one chestnut tree for cross pollination or you won't get much from them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Foods You Can Re-Grow Yourself from Kitchen Scraps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food is expensive. If you do the grocery shopping for your household, you know that this is one of the highest costs related to your home and family. While it may be unlikely that you can completely eliminate your grocery bill, you can grow certain foods yourself.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Knitting, baking and singing hymns. That's what the Girl Guides is all about, right? Well, not according to a new book which tells the little-known story of the huge contributions that Guides made in World War II.

The moment that war was declared in 1939, Margaret Collins, at the time a guide living in Maidstone, Kent, knew exactly where she was - helping out in the town hall, where she listened in the Mayor's parlour to the declaration of war.

"Various information offices were set up and I helped direct the evacuees," she says. "First, we Guides scrubbed the large old houses along the London Road, which had stood empty because of the Depression. They were taken over by the council and we got them ready for pregnant mothers.

"We hardly went to school at all, even though it was my last year. Once air-raid shelters had been dug and blast walls put up, then we got back to school."

Margaret was one of 750,000 Guides in the UK when war broke out. Suddenly, there was a huge pool of skilled girls and young women willing to contribute to the war effort.

How Guides in Poland resisted Nazis...

"The Polish Guides were amazing," says Ms Hampton. "They were part of the resistance. They were messengers, they smuggled food to prisoners of war, smuggled Jewish children out and kept them safe. Many of the Guides were Jewish themselves.

"They found their way through the sewers of Warsaw - that bit really just kept making my hair stand on end. They had an amazing principle: 'not to die, until the death'. So when they were in concentration camps they didn't just give up even though they knew they would die."

Guides were earning badges as proficient electricians, mechanics, first-aiders, and signallers. The telegraphist badge required them to construct their own wireless receiver and send messages in Morse code at a speed of 30 letters per minute.

This training meant they had basic skills in many fields, which could be put to good use in the country's moment of need.

Margaret's story, and many like hers, are told in How Girl Guides Won the War, by Janie Hampton.

With the men away and older women called up to the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Women's Royal Navy, and the Female Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Guides stepped in as much needed nursery nurses and teachers.

It sometimes took the initiative of those in authority to spot the potential of Guides. Hampton's book reveals how, for example, the vicar of Claybury Park in Ilford, Essex, asked Guides to run a nursery in his church hall.

...and one escaped

Anna, a 17 year old Guide from Warsaw, explains her excellent stalking skills to a Guide training camp in Waddow, Lancashire 1942.

"My father escaped from Poland in 1939 while I and my mother and sisters remained there. Word had passed to us that he was ill and fretting for news. We arranged that I, as a Guide, must be the one to go to him.

So I managed to escape over three frontiers and came here. You see it was very easy, the snow was on the ground, and I wrapped myself in a white blanket. Twice I had no difficulty. The third frontier I had to pass so near the German sentry I could hear him breathing. If I had not learnt in Guides to stalk, I would not be here."

Elsewhere, they distributed gas masks, whitewashed kerbs so people could find their way in a blackout, kept up morale in bomb shelters with songs, and raised funds to buy ambulances and lifeboats.

The government also realised it had a home army of willing volunteers. The Ministry of Food asked Guides to demonstrate Blitz cooking to Londoners. This entailed constructing emergency ovens out of bricks from bombed houses. Guides also shared the wartime recipes they had invented, for instance, mock fishcakes made from potato and anchovy sauce.

"It was that ability to use your imagination with what was available," says Ms Hampton. "But you can't have imagination if you haven't already made lots of campfires and learnt how to do it."

Guides knitted socks for soldiers and helped in the national campaign to "dig for victory". And refugees and evacuees were assigned to Guide companies.

"Guides helped refugees by being something familiar in a time of great change and displacement," says Ms Hampton. "It became a family to many girls, providing them with structure in the form of patrols, achievements in the form of proficiency badges, and friendships that often lasted their whole lives."

These skills proved essential to every individual Guide during WW2, but also to the entire war effort.

Mrs Betty Wiggins-Jones, who was 16 and a lieutenant of the Cheltenham Guide Company when war broke out, accumulated badges for sewing, Red-Cross, and camping amongst others. "The skills we learned at Guides helped us during the war - even just to be self-reliant.

"Guides gave us a strength of character, and taught us to be independent and cheerful. Keeping up the morale of the country was very important in those days, very important."

In Guide companies, royalty mixed with the daughters of the working classes, breaking down the social barriers so fastidiously upheld by the Victorians.

'I was a Guide in the 1930s'

Betty Wiggins-Jones, 87, enrolled as a Brownie in 1931 and later became a Guide.

"In 1939, just before war broke out, my patrol were invited to camp with the then Princess Royal at Harewood House, Leeds. On the Sunday we had a Church parade and I was picked to represent England and carry the royal standard.

"Those skills have lasted me my lifetime. The knots I learned as a Brownie and a Guide I still use to put up my bean sticks."

Ms Hampton believes that in many ways the Girl Guiding movement has been a driving force in the fight for women's equality.

When it began in 1909, girls were not supposed to run, or even raise their arms above their head, but soon Guides were learning to swim, cycle, and shoot.

"At a time when most girls would have left school at 14, this was a form of formal education. There were no organised evening classes or Open University. Girls could leave school at 14, go into service or work in a factory, and then could get more qualifications through Guides, which would lead to other jobs."

Since the war, Guides have been thought of as rather "uncool", says Ms Hampton, and their contribution to British life forgotten.

Nineteen-year-old Steph Wooller, leader of the 1st Hellingly Brownies in Sussex East, says she hopes the "incredible" history of Guiding can change people's perceptions.

"I saw a BBC documentary on 100 years of Guiding, which introduced me to the history behind Guiding. But I certainly didn't have any idea of the extent to which they were involved in the war effort. I think it's really interesting. Our heritage is really something to be proud of.

"Girls think they'll be learning knitting, or knotting, or doing semaphore, she adds, but the majority of the time you're street dancing, or doing floristry - whatever you want really. We're trying to get away from that bad stereotype."

For Ms Hampton, the process of compiling her book changed her view.

"It made me feel a lot more proud of Guides and realise what a jolly good thing they are".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How the Guides knitted and dug for victory

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Knitting, baking and singing hymns. That's what the Girl Guides is all about, right? Well, not according to a new book which tells the little-known story of the huge contributions that Guides made in World War II.