Thursday 22 April 2010

Up, up and away!

From April 2010
It's been such an action packed week. Our elder son came to stay for a few days last week, and on Thursday it was Christopher's birthday. His choice for the day was to visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum. I'd been dropping hints about a local quilting exhibition, but sadly it didn't take his fancy quite so much!
From April 2010

Now you may be more interested in aeroplanes than I am, although I was fascinated by the older contraptions which appeared to be made of nothing more than string and wood.
From April 2010
From April 2010
What did interest me though was the WRNS exhibition (Women's Royal Naval Service).

During World War I many women suddenly found themselves in demand to do men's jobs, after the men had been called up. The first women were allowed to join the Royal Navy in about 1917, to do the jobs that enabled more men to go to sea. Sadly, many found themselves out of work when the WRNS was disbanded after the war.
From April 2010
From April 2010
From April 2010
From April 2010

The WRNS was reformed in 1938, as World War II loomed. This time they were allowed to do more of the operational work and received training in many of the jobs previously thought unsuitable for women.
From April 2010
From April 2010
From April 2010

We loved this sign!
From April 2010

Christopher certainly enjoyed himself, which was the main thing.
From April 2010

After Oliver left we went away for a few days, so I've loads more photographs to share. I'll show you some of those next time.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

We visited Yeovilton when Nick's friend came to stay last summer - the kids (young and old) had a great day!

Jo in TAS said...

That sign cracked me up! I love looking at the uniforms the women wore back then.

Amelia said...

sunflower41I am sure this is always more interesting to men than women...however it was a bit of history to soak into our old brain.

Lynn said...

Can't imagine why Christopher wouldn't want to go to a quilt exhibition on his birthday! Love the old planes. I especially like the mannequins. They look very fashionable in their uniforms.

Sew Create It - Jane said...

Looks like an interesting day out!

scraphappy said...

Well, not as nice as a quilt exhibit, but still a nice holiday together.

Simone de Klerk said...

It seems like you had a great day! I especially like the old pictures.
Wishing you a lovely Friday!

Candace said...

Looks like a fun educational day, and Christopher looks to be very happy.

Gretchen said...

Thanks for sharing your fun trip! I have been reading a lot of WWI and WWII history lately and I really enjoyed seeing the info about the WRNS. Say a happy belated b-day to Christopher for me :) I like his choice of museums!