Nella Last's War: A Mother's Diary 1939-45 (1983) By Nella Last
 
In September 1939, Nella Last, an English housewife with two grown sons, began to keep a diary of her daily life which she sent into Mass-Observation, an organization set up in 1937 to "record the voice of the people." Many people kept only brief or inconsistent records but Nella kept a diary throughout the war and dutifully sent it in on a regular basis... and we should be grateful.
 
A thoughtful woman struggling to make sense of a changing world, Nella took up war work and found herself, to judge from her diary, more busy and fulfilled than she had been in years. Ordinary entries describing her war work and the gossip of the neighbors are interspersed with her thoughts and worries for the future ("They talk of 'the world after the war.' I wonder how many years and how much effort it will take to clear up the mess"). She doesn't hesitate to be deeply honest, writing about her marital frustrations and the backstabbing that accompanies her war work as easily as she records people's first impressions of gas masks.
 
Some published diaries suffer from what seems to be over-editing, an attempt to remove all controversy or cattiness or complaining. The editors of Nella's diaries gave most friends and neighbors pseudonyms and left the honesty in. The book is the better for it. All in all this book is both a fascinating read and a fascinating record.
 
Soft Cover
319 pages
In Good Condition