After each speaker meeting, a short report is produced (with the speaker’s permission) for publication on the Club website and in the local parish magazine, Radley News.
2024-2025
November 2024: WW2 rationing and cooking for victory – a fair share for all
On 11 November (Armistice Day) Karen and her husband Bret, Home Front historians and re-enactors, gave a spirited and comprehensive talk complete with audio recordings from the period. The talk commenced by explaining the context of rationing prior to World War II: Britain saw the first widespread implementation of rationing in WW1 after there was a shortage of wheat and other commodities in 1916 when ships carrying supplies were targeted by the Germans.
During World War II, rationing became a cornerstone of British life. A comprehensive system was introduced in 1940, covering food. Ration books were issued to every individual depending on their diet and needs, containing coupons that could be exchanged for specific quantities of rationed items. Bananas and oranges, which originate overseas, were often auctioned off, raising large sums of money for the war effort. Families also often clubbed their coupons together for special occasions such as weddings to be able to obtain finer foodstuffs.
People were encouraged to use every available piece of spare land for food production under the banner of ‘Dig for Victory’, even the grounds of the Tower of London were dug up! Cooking programmes on the radio attracted enormous numbers of listeners and recipe leaflets were distributed to citizens. The Women’s Institute (WI) played its part in helping to preserve fruit and veg after being supplied with mobile canning machines; it is estimated WI members canned 5 million pounds of jam and 2 million pounds of preserves. The food rationing system ended in 1954, marking a significant milestone in Britain’s return to normality.
At the end of the talk we were invited to try some recipes from the period (see the photo below). If you want to find out about the recipes and other Home Front activities you can visit Karen and Bret’s website, Doing Their Bit: Life on the Home Front.
October 2024: ‘A Man and his Shed’: Herbert George Mullard and the Cowley Concrete company, 1895 to 1976
The talk by RHC Club member, Martin Buckland, told the story of Cowley Concrete, a company based in Abingdon off the Radley Road. It was founded in the early 1920s in Cowley by ‘Bert’ Mullard and operated in Abingdon until the late 1970s after which the site was redeveloped as a housing estate called Radley Green. Relocating to Abingdon allowed Cowley Concrete to take advantage of the area’s geology which is rich in gravel, a material heavily used in concrete production.
Cowley Concrete as a company produced many products from those that imitated stone, to those used in the construction of transport infrastructure, and to houses and even some art along the way. Cowley Concrete produced beams used in the Chiswick flyover and over the widened lines of the Underground near Kings Cross Station in London. The enormous concrete beams left the factory on long loaders which often proved a challenge for the drivers on the way to their destination with some of the small and bendy roads in the area at the time.
In terms of buildings around to Oxford, they built the earlier version of the Seacourt Tower in Botley, Research laboratories on South Parks Road in Oxford, the Cowley Centre and numerous social houses. Later in life, Bert Mullard became a member of Abingdon Town Council in 1945, later becoming Mayor of Abingdon 1951-53. In 1960 he was granted the status of Honorary Freeman of the borough of Abingdon. He turned later in life to Philanthropy and was a significant benefactor of Christ’s Hospital in Abingdon, a local charity dating from 1553.
Message from Martin: Martin Buckland thanks all those who spoke to him after the talk and added much useful information, particularly about themselves or their relatives who worked at Cowley Concrete. He would be most grateful if they could send their recollections to him at: martin.buckland@outlook.com. It all adds to the history of Abingdon people and employers maintained by the Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society (AAAHS), and would be of great interest to the Knight family who provided much of the material for the talk.
September 2024: Oral History Group presentation on ‘Radley during Covid’
Early in 2022, the Group started recording a series of interviews to capture memories about the effect of the Covid pandemic on people in Radley as a record for future generations. The talk presented the common themes uncovered and the insights gained from these recordings. It was important to do this work as soon as possible as memories and recollections fade quickly.
Of the people interviewed, few of them contracted COVID. Their lived experience varied; for some it worked out well but others had major problems.
On the positive side, online video conference platforms and the internet worked well as did working from home, which for many was the first time this had been an option. In terms of community, the church and village shop were a lifeline for many as was a local volunteer group (SERV) set up by residents.
On the negative side, lack of physical contact with loved ones and family members was a challenge many interviewees faced during the lockdowns. Many people spoke about opportunities that were missed. Some could be rescheduled, but for others, these were gone forever such as attending a funeral or a wedding or attending a year of university.
In general, the rules during the pandemic were adhered to, but there were mixed views regarding the severity of COVID, the government’s role and its trustworthiness. Despite this, all the interviewees received vaccines and wore masks. There was a common concern about the knock-on effects of COVID on our nation’s health and the impacts on people of delay in diagnosis and treatment. Overall, a very interesting talk and a valuable resource for future historians.