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Surrey Advertiser, Saturday 12th May 1945
Echoes of War exhibition. This VE Day and VJ Day commemoration project is supported using public funding by UK Government through Arts Council England.
In 2025, we marked 80 years since Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) and Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) – moments that when first celebrated, signalled the official end of the Second World War.
To honour these historic anniversaries, Elmbridge Museum brought together memories of the local community and Year 6 students from one of the museum’s member schools, St Andrew’s C of E Primary School, for a series of creative workshops.
These shared experiences have culminated in ‘Echoes of War’, an exhibition that explores the many strands of everyday life on the Home Front in Elmbridge during the Second World War.
As part of the exhibition, visitors were invited to engage with artist Emily Peasgood’s recreation of a Morrison shelter. Here, they listened to powerful Home Front stories, narrated by Elmbridge residents and local schoolchildren, bringing personal memories and voices from the past vividly to life.
The exhibition is comprised of four main themes:
Elmbridge Museum would like to thank all those who participated in the project and generously shared their memories with us. This VE Day and VJ Day commemoration project is supported using public funding by UK Government through Arts Council England.
Air Raid Precaution Uniform (129.1987)
Miss Olive Brookway served as an Air Raid Precaution (ARP) Warden in the Portmore Park area of Weybridge. The uniform on display was worn by Olive during her wartime service, a visible symbol of her responsibility for keeping her community safe during some of the most dangerous moments of the Second World War.
Long before the first bombs fell, the British Government began planning how to protect the Home Front. As early as September 1935, preparations were underway, and by 1937 the ARP service had been established. By the outbreak of war in 1939, around 1.5 million people were already involved in civil defence across the country.
ARP wardens were often the first point of contact during air raids. Their duties included registering residents, raising the alarm, enforcing the blackout, directing people to shelters, assisting the rescue and clear-up efforts, and carefully recording bombing incidents using official bomb report forms.
In Elmbridge, approximately ten wardens were appointed per square mile, making them a constant and reassuring presence. Through their vigilance and dedication, wardens like Olive Brookway played a vital role in protecting local residents and maintaining order in times of crisis.
Women’s Land Army uniform (272.1989/1)
The Women’s Land Army (WLA) played a vital role in keeping Britain fed during the Second World War, stepping in when thousands of male farm workers left for military service.
First established in 1917, the WLA was reformed in June 1939 as the threat of war loomed. At first, women were encouraged to volunteer, but by December 1941 they could be conscripted. By its peak in 1944, more than 80,000 women – fondly known as ‘land girls’ – were working on farms across Britain.
Land girls undertook demanding and often dirty work: milking cows, lambing, harvesting crops, catching rats and maintaining farms. Despite the physical nature of their labour, they were paid 28 shillings a week. This compared with 38 shillings for male workers. Half of their wages were deducted for board and lodging.
Working long hours in all weathers, the women of the WLA could be sent wherever they were needed, adapting to unfamiliar places and challenging conditions. Their resilience and hard work were essential to Britain’s wartime survival.
Gladys Muriel Carr, Women’s Land Army Girl 1945-46.
The breeches on display once belonged to Gladys Muriel Carr. Before the war, Gladys worked in London as a General Post Office telephonist, connecting voices across the city. On 22nd May 1945, aged just 21, she joined the WLA and was sent to work on farms in Surrey. Gladys remained with the WLA until 5th January 1946, leaving after the war ended.
These breeches were carefully preserved by her family. Gladys’ sister, Sylvia, and her brother-in-law, Tony, lived at various addresses in Walton and Weybridge. Tony, a former Town Planner, knew Avril Lansdell (Head Curator of Weybridge Museum) and Morag (Assistant Curator at Weybridge Museum) and later passed Gladys’ breeches on to them, ensuring that her story would not be forgotten.
Siren Suit (96.1998)
One of the most distinctive-and surprisingly practical-wartime garments to emerge during the Second World War was the siren suit. This all-in-one outfit was designed for speed and comfort, allowing wearers to throw it on over their clothes as soon as the air raid siren sounded.
Made famous by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, siren suits were loose-fitting and roomy, making them ideal for hurried trips to shelters in the middle of the night. They became particularly popular with women, offering warmth, ease of movement, and a way to preserve modesty during nighttime air raids.
The siren suit on display was worn by Nesta Thornton, a local resident who lived on York Road in Weybridge. Wartime service ran in the family—her sister, Thirsa, was awarded an O.B.E. in recognition of her work with the Red Cross.
Day dress (97.1995)
With thousands of men away serving in the armed forces, women stepped into new roles during the Second World War. Alongside paid work, they played a vital role on the Home Front – running households, managing strict rationing, recycling and reusing materials, and growing food in gardens and allotments. Everyday life required ingenuity, resilience, and adaptability.
This day dress belonged to a housewife living in Weybridge during the 1940s. At first glance it may appear simple, but it tells a powerful story of how fashion was reshaped by wartime necessity.
The dress was produced under the CC41 Utility Clothing Scheme, introduced to control materials and streamline manufacturing. Clothes were made to strict guidelines so they could be mass-produced, affordable for working women, and durable enough to withstand years of wear.
CC41 Utility Label. (257. 1970).
While some feared that utility clothing would make everyone look the same, fashion magazines such as Vogue urged readers to embrace the scheme. At the same time, the government’s Make Do and Mend campaign encouraged people to alter, repair, and reinvent their clothes as they wore out or were outgrown.
CC41 utility clothing remained in use until 1952, long after the war ended—an enduring reminder of how wartime ingenuity shaped everyday life.
Home Guard Uniform (156.1984)
Frank Andrews was a resident of Walton and served in the 3rd Surrey (Weybridge) Battalion of the Home Guard between 1940 and 1944. The uniform was worn during his service, representing the commitment of local men who stood ready to defend their communities at a moment’s notice.
The Home Guard was formed in May 1940, at a time when the threat of German invasion was imminent just days before the evacuation of Dunkirk. It was a volunteer force made up of men who were not eligible for frontline military service but were determined to play their part in Britain’s defence.
Home Guard duties were wide-ranging and often carried out alongside full-time jobs. Men manned roadblocks, guarded factories and bridges, removed signposts to confuse the enemy, and placed obstacles in open fields to prevent aircraft from landing. Members were trained to use weapons and were allowed to keep up to ten pounds of ammunition at home, ensuring they could respond immediately if invasion came.
At its peak the Home Guard had around two million troops. Across the UK, 1,206 lost their lives while on duty or later died from their wounds – a reminder that this part-time service carried very real risks.
The Second World War brought an unprecedented level of government involvement in everyday life. As people stepped into new roles on the Home Front to support the war effort, they also faced profound changes at home, reshaping how families lived, worked, and coped on a daily basis.
Line Block of design for ''Warship Week''. (448.1967/2).
Ships were expensive to build. To reduce the money borrowed from other countries the government appealed to the British people for help. Warship Week was a series of fundraising events organised across the country over a period of 24 weeks from 1941 to 1942. It was hoped that these funds would cover the costs of the expansion in shipbuilding.
Towns and districts were tasked with organising fundraising events and residents were encouraged to subscribe to Government War Savings Bonds and Certificates. In return, the community would gain a sponsorship of a Naval Vessel. Nationally, the events were incredibly successful, raising just under £1bn, or £46bn in today’s money.
During World War Two, the communities of Esher and Claygate successfully held a Warship Week in January 1942, raising funds to “adopt” a warship. The ship they adopted was HMS Cossack. HMS Cossack had become famous for a daring mission to save British prisoners of war (POWs) in Norway and having destroyed the German battleship, Bismark. It was itself torpedoed in October 1941 having left Gibraltar escorting a convoy to England. Captain Edward Lyon Berthon of Esher died with 158 of his crew. A further 29 were injured.
Model of Tribal class destroyer LO3 HMS Cossack. (63.1997/1)
The people of Esher vowed the death of Captain Berthon would not be in vain. It was originally envisaged to raise £450,000 for a submarine during Esher Warship Week between 21st February and 28th February 1942. However, residents set about raising the £700,000 needed to buy a new Cossack instead.
After months of meticulous planning, Warship Week arrived with parades, bridge and whist drives, concert parties, dances, auctions, raffles and hundreds of other fundraising events taking place throughout the district. The campaign exceeded all expectations with £1,192,211 in investments, savings and donations being raised. The replacement HMS Cossack was built and launched in 1945.
Image of funeral for casualties of Air Raid at Vickers Armstrongs Ltd, Brooklands. (152.1964/6)
As a result of its involvement in war industry, parts of Elmbridge became prominent targets. September 4th 1940 marks the deadliest attack in the local area during World War Two. On this day, the Vickers-Armstrong factory in Weybridge was targeted by the German Luftwaffe. 88 people were killed and over 400 people were injured.
The company was involved in producing aircraft, namely Wellington Bombers, for the war effort. Production took place throughout the night, and two planes were built every 24 hours. Such a massive production site attracted unwanted enemy attention.
Just after 1pm on that fateful day, German bombers appeared in the skies above Vickers and bombarded the factory with its workers inside. One bomb made a direct hit on the factory’s air raid shelter. It was the single biggest attack of the Battle of Britain so far.
Despite the attack, the work of Vickers in Elmbridge continued. Their design department was moved to a secret location near Burhill Golf Course, and their experimental department was temporarily moved to Redhill Road in Cobham.
After nearly six years of war Germany officially surrendered on 7th May 1945. The conflict in Europe was finally over. The announcement was broadcast across the radio that evening. VE Day was declared a national holiday that would take place the next day. Across the Borough, thousands of people rejoiced as communities came together to celebrate the end of the European conflict with street parties.
“I can always remember V.E Day night: there was a street party and a big bonfire in the middle of Eastcote Avenue to celebrate the end of the war.” June, East Molesey resident.
Daily Express newspaper of VE Day. (128.1995/12).
Despite the joy and celebration, it was a day of mixed emotions for some who mourned loved ones they had lost during the war. Others worried about friends and relatives still serving overseas.
While the conflict was over in Europe, the war continued in the Far East and Pacific. Many troops were redeployed instead of coming home. The end of the war in Japan came a few months later in August after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is known as VJ Day.
The impact of the Second World War endured long after the close of the war. Millions of lives had been lost. Homes and cities were destroyed and needed to be rebuilt.
80 years on from VE and VJ Day, we take the opportunity to remember all those who resiliently faced suffering and death in our Borough and those who did not see the arrival of peacetime that they had bravely fought for.
This exciting blog post explores the efforts of Year 6 students at St. Andrew’s C of E Primary School and their involvement with the Echoes of War project.
Take me to the St Andrew's blog post
