The Red Box Library is a box of books, items and posters on all different subjects we receive once every three months at Loose Valley Care Home.
We’ve had a seaside box and a royal box in the past; this latest one was themed ‘The Home Front‘.
Inside the box were interesting books and articles from The Good Housekeeping Guide on ‘How to look after your husband and the home‘.
It also had an example shopping list from the 1940s that fed a family of five for a total of £3 and 10 shillings a week. We couldn’t get over how much you got for so little money!
There was a ‘Guess what it is quiz‘ and one item was a wooden triangle (a trivet for holding a hot pan). Our guess was “It’s a snooker ball holder!” and the whole group erupted in laughter when they saw the photos!
There were picture postcards of the old red telephone, teapot and cosy, Singer sewing machine, Ovaltine, Bovil and marmite. It was a fascinating box. Another interesting item was an egg substitute box with ‘CWS’ written on it, which Barbara said was the old name for the Co-op we have now.
Our residents remembered dried eggs and said;
“We just had to make do with it. Rationing was the thing in the 1940s; we all pulled together and helped each other. If we were short of sugar, a cup would be given to us. Doors were always unlocked and open.”
What a wonderful afternoon chatting and reminiscing about the past.
