The Victorian Milliner: The Women Who Created Fashionable Hats and Bonnets

The Victorian Milliner: The Women Who Created Fashionable Hats and Bonnets

Today I want to continue our look into Victorian jobs. This time I want to take a look at the Victorian milliner.

A milliner was someone who designed, made, trimmed, and sold hats, bonnets, and other headwear, that were mainly for women. In Victorian Britain, hats often showed a person’s social status, wealth, and of course fashion sense.

The word milliner  originally referred to merchants who sold luxury goods that were imported from places like Milan. Gradually, it came to be more associated with hats and bonnets.

During the early Victorian period, bonnets had become very popular. They were elaborately decorated with ribbons, lace, silk flowers, feathers, and sometimes even beads or jewels. A milliner would start off with a basic bonnet or hat frame. They were  made from things like straw, buckram, or wire. They would then be carefully shaped and decorated with trims, all by hand. This needed amazing patience, skill, and a good eye for detail.

Many milliners were women and it was one of the more socially accepted jobs for Victorian women. There weren’t many jobs that were considered respectable for Victorian women. It was believed a woman’s proper place was in the home. Respectability was hugely important and was closely associated with being modest and “ladylike,” so jobs that involved physical labour or working with men were often frowned upon. Jobs like teaching, sewing, nursing, or domestic service were all seen as more suitable because they were more like traditional female roles. Poorer women though, often had to work in any role they could find, regardless of whether society approved.

 

Some milliners worked in small family businesses or even owned their own shops, but others were employed in city workshops. In large cities like London, fashion was huge. Wealthy customers expected the very latest fashions which could change quickly. Fashion magazines and high society strongly influenced what was en vogue. If a duchess or lady wore a particular style of hat the demand could rise overnight. Just like trends today, which can change like the wind and are often influenced by famous people. It seems that some things never change.

But behind the glamour was very hard work. Many milliners worked long hours, especially during busy seasons. Some of these young women started working as a milliner as an apprentice in their early teens. They learned how to sew, trim, shape, and about customer service. The working conditions were not great, they could be cramped with poor lighting.

There was also the pressure to keep demanding customers happy. Wealthy clients could be very particular, they wanted the finest materials, the most fashionable designs and they wanted high quality.

Later in the Victorian era into the Edwardian era larger hats became popular with increasingly dramatic decorations. Sadly, this growing demand for feathers also contributed to the hunting of birds for fashion.

 

You may have heard the phrase “mad as a hatter.” In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, some hat makers used mercury when making felt hats. Breathing in the fumes over time could make them ill. It could cause shaking, memory problems, mood changes, and strange behaviour. This is where the phrase “mad as a hatter” is believed to come from.

 

Do you think Victorian milliners were artists as much as they were tradeswomen?

The Night Witches: The Incredible Women Who Struck Fear Into the German Army in WW2

The Night Witches: The Incredible Women Who Struck Fear Into the German Army in WW2

Today I want to tell you a little bit about a remarkable group of women known as the Night Witches.

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Yevdokiya Bershanskaya

The Night Witches were an all-female Soviet bomber regiment. They became famous for carrying out dangerous night bombing missions against German forces on the Eastern Front. Their official name was the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, later renamed the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment after their bravery was recognised.

image info:

Irina Fyodorovna Sebrova

After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, many young women who already knew how to fly wanted to help defend their country. They wrote to famous Soviet aviator Marina Raskova, who is often called the “Russian Amelia Earhart,” asking how they could serve. Using her influence with Joseph Stalin, she helped to gain approval for three women’s air force regiments, including the 588th.

Most of the women who joined were in their late teens or early twenties. Many had never seen combat before. Their commander was Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, who helped to turn these young volunteers into one of the most feared bomber units of the war.

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1941 Fighters move wounded man

They flew old Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes made of wood and canvas. These aircraft were originally designed as training planes and crop dusters, so they were slow, open to the cold air, and gave very little protection. They carried only small bomb loads, meaning crews often had to fly eight or more missions in a single night.

What made their attacks so terrifying was their technique. As they approached their target, they would cut their engines off and glide before releasing their bombs. German soldiers reportedly said that the noise was like a soft rushing sound that reminded them of a broomstick sweeping through the air, which is how some people believe they earned their nickname Night Witches.

Their first combat missions began in June 1942. From then until the end of the war, they flew across some of the fiercest fighting on the Eastern Front, including the Battle of the Caucasus, Crimean Offensive, operations in Poland, and the final push into Germany.

Despite their aircraft being outdated and them having to face anti-aircraft fire, searchlights, and enemy fighters, they kept going. Their courage was extraordinary. Many flew hundreds of missions. Irina Sebrova flew an astonishing 1,008 sorties, more than anyone else in the regiment.

By the end of the war, the regiment had flown over 23,000 combat sorties, dropped more than 3,000 tons of bombs, and delivered over 26,000 incendiary shells. They managed to damage bridges, railways, fuel depots, and enemy positions. They made a real impact on the war.

But their success came at a cost. Thirty-two members of the regiment sadly lost their lives during the war. Many were still only young.

In total, 23 members of the regiment were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, one of the highest honours possible.

The Night Witches proved that courage, skill, and determination were far more important than age, gender, or outdated equipment.

Had you heard of the Night Witches before today?

The Medieval Miller: One of the Most Important Jobs in the Village

The Medieval Miller: One of the Most Important Jobs in the Village

Today I want to continue our look into medieval jobs, and this time I want to take a look at the medieval miller. In medieval times the miller was incredibly important. Without millers, one of the most basic foods in daily life, bread, would have been much harder to make.
Bread was one of the most important foods in the medieval era. Most people ate bread every single day. The rich and the poor both relied on it, but the quality varied depending on your wealth.

Before mills became common, grain was often ground by hand at home using heavy stones called querns. This was a tiring job and it usually fell to women. It could take hours each day just to make enough flour for bread. Wheat, barley, oats, or rye was grown by farmers, usually on manorial lands or village farms. It was then brought in sacks to the local mill after it was harvested. The miller then had to carefully pour it into the mill machinery, where heavy millstones crushed it into flour. This sounds simple, but it was skilled work. The stones had to be properly aligned. If they were too close, the flour could burn or become too fine. If they were too far apart, the grain would not grind properly.

Most medieval mills were powered by water or wind. Watermills were obviously more common near rivers and streams and windmills more popular in flatter areas. The work must have also taken a toll on their health. Millers spent long hours breathing in flour and grain dust, which may have harmed their lungs. We do not have much direct evidence from medieval times, but later records and our modern knowledge do show us that this kind of dust can cause coughing and chest problems.

A miller’s job was also physically demanding. During busy times, especially after harvest, they might need to work from sunrise to sunset. They would have lifted heavy sacks, maintained the machinery, cleaned the mill, repaired any damaged parts and also kept everything running in any weather. If the water level dropped or the wind stopped, work could slow or stop completely.

Millers were usually not bakers. Their job ended once the grain became flour. The flour then went back to villagers, to bakers, monasteries, manor kitchens, ale brewers, or market traders. Bakers then turned the flour into bread, while brewers used the grain to make ale, another daily staple in medieval life.

Because milling was so essential, many mills were controlled by the local lord. In fact, some villagers were legally required to use the lord’s mill and pay a fee called a mill toll, which was often a small portion of their grain or flour. This was regulated under manorial law. There were rules the millers had to follow, the rules were to ensure fair measurements and honest toll collection. Millers had a bad reputation and some people believed that they kept extra flour for themselves.

This is actually mentioned in medieval stories, including in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The miller is portrayed as rough and cunning and it is even suggested that the miller cheated his customers. The miller is also described as big, broad, and very strong. This description reflects the physical work many millers did. They had to lift heavy grain sacks and work with large millstones that would have needed real strength. His character shows us how some medieval people saw millers, probably because they held so much control over food.

Manorial court records also show that people’s suspicion of millers was not just based on stories. Some people complained that millers took too much grain as payment, gave them back less flour than they should, or measured it unfairly. This doesn’t mean that all millers did this, but it does show us that people had fair reasons to suspect them.

In spite of this reputation, many millers were reasonably well-off in comparison to ordinary peasants. Everyone needed flour, so millers often had steady work and a regular income. Some owned their mills, others were employed by wealthier millers as labourers, apprentices to carry sacks, clean the machinery, and help with repairs.

A good miller would have needed strength, patience and mechanical skill. They needed to work closely with farmers, bakers, brewers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and the local lord.

Do you think medieval millers deserved their bad reputation?

The Brave War Pigeons: The Feathered Messengers Who Saved Lives in WW2

The Brave War Pigeons: The Feathered Messengers Who Saved Lives in WW2

I have recently told you about some of the incredible animals and pigeons that served during the Second World War, and today I want to explain exactly what it is that they did and just how important they were to the war effort.

When many of us think of heroes of the Second World War, we rightfully think of the amazing courageous men that served. But there were also other heroes, not only human ones. They were the small, feathered messengers. War pigeons may seem unusual today, especially in our world of modern technology, but during the war they became lifesavers.
Before the Second World War, pigeon keeping was already a really popular hobby, especially in the UK. A lot of families kept homing pigeons, they bred them, trained them and raced them. Pigeon racing was really popular. There were many clubs and competitions all across the country. This became hugely useful when the war started. It meant that there were a lot of trained birds and skilled pigeon keepers who could help the military.

Most war pigeons came through the National Pigeon Service, which was set up in the United Kingdom during the war. It used trained homing pigeons from civilian pigeon keepers, most of whom willingly offered or loaned their birds to help the war effort. In some cases, pigeons could also be requisitioned for service.
For some pigeon keepers, letting the military use their birds must have been difficult and some of them never returned. Many owners were probably proud to help the war effort, others may have been worried or heartbroken about sending them into danger.

Messenger pigeons have a very special skill. They can find their way back home from unfamiliar places far away from their home. This made them incredibly useful. Before a mission, pigeons would be taken from their loft and transported with soldiers, sailors, aircrews, or resistance fighters. A message could be written on tiny paper, placed inside a small capsule that was attached to the pigeon’s leg, and the bird would be released to fly home. It could often be the difference between life and death.

During the war, radios could break, batteries could fail to work and messages and signals could be intercepted by the enemy. In these dangerous conditions, pigeons provided a very reliable backup. They carried messages from ships stranded at sea, from aircraft that had crashed, and from troops that may be trapped behind enemy lines. They were also used by resistance groups in occupied Europe to pass secret intelligence back to Britain.

The pigeons had to face terrifying conditions. They had to fly through storms and into smoke. They had to do mission while there was explosions and enemy fire around them. The enemy even targeted them to stop the messages from getting through, and the Germans even used trained hawks to try to intercept them. But many of these courageous little birds still continued to fly. They were driven by instinct and by training.
Some of their stories are remarkable.

One famous pigeon was Cher Ami. He served in the First World War. He showed people how valuable messenger pigeons could be in war.

In the Second World War, Mary of Exeter became legendary. She was wounded multiple times and she was even attacked by a hawk. She thankfully survived and continued to deliver messages. Her injuries were so severe at times that there were concerns she would not recover, but she kept going.

Another extraordinary pigeon was G.I. Joe. In 1943, British troops had captured a village in Calvi Risorta, but Allied aircraft had not been told and they were preparing to bomb the area. G.I. Joe flew around 20 miles in about 20 minutes carrying the urgent message to stop the attack. The planned bombing was thankfully stopped just in time. He is often credited as saving more than 1,000 Allied soldiers and civilians.

There was also Commando, who delivered messages from occupied France on several dangerous missions. Each successful flight helped provide intelligence to Allied forces.
It is easy to forget that these humble birds had absolutely no understanding of politics, borders, or war. They did not choose to serve. They were sent into danger by humans. But they saved countless lives. They became heroes.

The bravery of animals did not go unnoticed. Some were awarded the Dickin Medal for outstanding courage and service. The medal was created in 1943 by People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. It is often called the animal Victoria Cross. It recognised the incredible risks animals took for our freedom.

These were small, vulnerable creatures in an enormous global conflict, but they made a real difference.

Today, pigeons often have a bad reputation. Many people see them as dirty or as a nuisance in towns and cities so it is easy to overlook them. But this can make us forget that these humble birds once helped to save many lives during the war. So when you look at the humble birds around us today, think about their amazing sacrifice.

Had you realised just how important pigeons were during the war?

The Medieval Apothecary: The Skilled Healer Who Prepared Medicines in the Middle Ages

The Medieval Apothecary: The Skilled Healer Who Prepared Medicines in the Middle Ages

Today I want to continue our look into medieval jobs, and this time I want to take a look at the medieval apothecary. You may recognise the name, but I think we often forget how important these people were during the Middle Ages. Before modern pharmacies, hospitals, or antibiotics, apothecaries played a huge role in helping people to manage illness, pain, and injury.

The word apothecary comes from the Greek word apotheke, which means storehouse. In the early medieval period, much of the knowledge about healing came from ancient Greek and Roman writers, alongside monastic medicine. Monasteries were also very important because the monks usually grew medicinal herbs in their gardens. They also copied medical texts by hand. Remedies were usually made from plants, spices, oils, minerals, and sometimes even animal products.

Willow bark was often used for headaches. Honey was used for wounds because it could help to keep them clean. Coughs and sore throats were treated with syrups made from honey, liquorice, or herbs like thyme. For stomach problems, they used mint and fennel. Some remedies actually worked.

Some remedies that were used by medieval apothecaries are still recognised today. Willow bark, for example, contains natural compounds that are similar to those used in aspirin for pain relief. Honey is still used to help sore throats and can also help with wound care. Herbs like mint, fennel, and chamomile are still commonly used to help with digestion, relaxation, and mild stomach discomfort.

As towns and cities started to grow during the High Middle Ages, the role of the apothecary became a lot more specialised. Rather than medicine being prepared just in monasteries or by local wise women, trained apothecaries began opening up shops. 

An apothecary’s job was to make and sell remedies. They created ointments, syrups and powders. 

Many apothecaries worked closely with physicians. In wealthier towns, a physician would often diagnose the patient and then decide what treatment was needed. The apothecary then prepared the medicine. But most ordinary people could not afford a physician and so the apothecary may well have been the first person they turned to.

Training to become an apothecary took years. Most learned as apprentices. They would have learned under experienced masters. They needed to be able to recognise hundreds of ingredients, understand how to measure and mix them correctly, and know how long remedies would keep before they spoiled. Mistakes could be dangerous even fatal.

During outbreaks of diseases like the Black Death, apothecaries would have had to face the fear and the danger, but they were often helpless to do anything about it.

Medieval apothecaries helped to lay the foundations for the modern pharmacy. 

Do you think that you would have trusted a medieval apothecary’s remedies?

Judy the Pointer: The Brave Ship’s Dog Who Became a Prisoner of War

Judy the Pointer: The Brave Ship’s Dog Who Became a Prisoner of War

  

Today I want to tell you about one of the most incredible animal stories of the Second World War. I have been finding out about Judy, a liver-and-white Pointer dog who became more than just a ship’s mascot. She was a loyal companion, a protector, and the only dog officially registered as a prisoner of war during the war.

 Judy was born in Shanghai in China, in February 1936. As a puppy, she escaped from her kennel and spent time living on the streets before eventually being returned home.

In 1936, the crew of the Royal Navy gunboat HMS Gnat decided they wanted a ship’s mascot and they chose Judy. She quickly became part of the crew’s family. They had hoped to train her as a gundog, but Judy had very little interest in hunting.

HMS Gnat

She proved to be incredibly alert. Judy could hear approaching aircraft long before the crew could. She barked warnings to them that gave them precious extra time. She also warned the crew of river pirates who were attempting surprise attacks and she even helped the crew to avoid danger on the Yangtze River. The sailors loved her.

 In 1939, Judy transferred with some of the crew to HMS Grasshopper. After war broke out, the ship was eventually sent to Singapore. In early 1942 during the Japanese advance through Southeast Asia, everything changed.

 During the Battle of Singapore, Grasshopper came under heavy attack from Japanese aircraft. Judy again detected the planes before the men. Despite the warning, the ship was badly bombed and it began to sink. The crew evacuated to a small deserted island.

HMS Grasshopper

 When they reached the shore  they realised that Judy was missing. One sailor returned to the burning ship to search for supplies and found Judy trapped underneath some fallen lockers. She was rescued just in time. On the island there was no fresh water. Then Judy began to dig near to the shoreline. Beneath the sand she uncovered a freshwater spring. She effectively saved everyone from dehydration.

 The crew later escaped from the island, but their struggle did not end there. They had to trek around 200 miles across the jungle. They had to deal with exhaustion and hunger, not to mention danger. Judy even survived a crocodile attack and continued to warn the men about predators.

 The group were eventually captured by Japanese forces and they all became prisoners of war.

Life in the prison camps was brutal. The men suffered from starvation, disease, beatings, and forced labour. Judy was smuggled into the camp hidden under some sacks. There she met Leading Aircraftman Frank Williams, the man she would bond with for the rest of her life.

 Frank shared his tiny daily ration of rice with her, even though he barely had enough for himself. Their bond was extraordinary. Judy lifted morale in the camps, warning prisoners when guards approached and of snakes and scorpions.

 Frank worried that the guards would kill her, so he convinced the camp commandant to officially register Judy as a prisoner of war. She was given the registration number 81A Gloegoer Medan, making her the only dog to be officially recognised as a POW during the Second World War.

 You would have thought she had been through enough, but sadly not. In June 1944, the Japanese decided to move prisoners from one POW camp to another. Mainly from Sumatra toward Singapore for labour.

 To transport them, they loaded the prisoners onto the Japanese cargo/passenger ship Harugiku Maru – what POWs often called a “hell ship.”

Judy was secretly smuggled on board inside a rice sack. The ship was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Truculent, which didn’t know Allied POWs were on board.

 Frank threw Judy through a porthole into the sea in a attempt to save her. More than 500 people died, but Judy survived and according to some survivor accounts, she helped struggling prisoners stay afloat by bringing them debris to cling to.

 After the Allies liberated the camp, Judy was smuggled to Britain with Frank. Following six months in quarantine, she was reunited with him properly. In 1946, she was awarded the Dickin Medal, often called the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Dickin Medal

 Her citation praised her magnificent courage, endurance, intelligence, and the lives she helped save.

 After the war, Judy and Frank travelled around Britain raising money for charities and visiting families of former prisoners of war. Many of them found comfort in her presence. She seemed to carry with her the memory of survival, loyalty, and hope.

 

In 1948, Judy travelled with Frank to East Africa. Sadly, in 1950 she developed a tumour. After complications, she was put to sleep on the 17^th of February 1950, aged nearly 14.

 Judy was buried in . wearing her RAF jacket and with her medals beside her.

Judys grave

 She gave the men loyalty and love, even when she was surrounded by cruelty.

 Do you think animals sometimes understand far more about human emotion and courage than we actually realise?

 

 

 

 

 

The Victorian Maid-of-All-Work: The Young Servant Who Did Almost Everything

The Victorian Maid-of-All-Work: The Young Servant Who Did Almost Everything

Today I want to continue our look into Victorian servants. This time I want to take a look at the maid-of-all-work. She was one of the hardest-working servants in Victorian Britain, but she is very often the least remembered. While grand country houses usually had large teams of servants with specific roles, many smaller middle-class homes could only afford one servant. That servant was usually the maid-of-all-work.

The role became especially common during the 19^th century. During this century Britain’s middle class was growing fast. And with this growth more families wanted the status of employing a servant. They may not have been able to afford a cook, housemaid, nursemaid, and laundry maid separately. Instead, they hired one young woman and expected her to do almost everything. This must have been an unimaginable amount of work.

Most maids-of-all-work came from poor or working-class families. Many were very young, sometimes they were only 13 or 14 years old when they entered service. For some of these girls, becoming a servant offered them regular food, somewhere to sleep, and wages to send home to their families. But it also meant leaving home at a young age, often moving to an unfamiliar town or city. It must have been so frightening and lonely. She usually earned less than servants in large wealthy houses as well.

Her day usually began before anyone else in the house had woken up. She usually woke up at around 5am, or sometimes earlier in winter. One of her first jobs was to light the fires in the house so that the rooms would be warm by the time the family woke up. This was dirty and heavy work.

The rest of the day was a constant cycle. She swept floors, dusted furniture, cleaned grates, polished metal, emptied chamber pots, carried water, washed dishes, helped prepare meals, scrubbed steps, and answered the door. In some households she also helped with the laundry, the sewing, the shopping, and the childcare. There was rarely any time for a break.

Unlike servants in wealthy households who had other servants to share the duties, the maid-of-all-work usually worked alone. That made her role even more demanding. If something needed doing, it was her responsibility. There was no one else to step in.

The demands were intense, many employers expected obedience, silence, and efficiency. Any mistakes could lead to dismissal. Some mistresses were kind, but others were extremely difficult to please. Living where you worked also meant there was very little escape from the pressure.

Many maids-of-all-work learned quickly and adapted to the difficult routines. Even though their work was often overlooked.

By the late Victorian period, domestic service had become one of the largest employers of women in Britain. The maid-of-all-work formed a huge part of that workforce.

 

Do you think that the maid-of-all-work was one of the most underappreciated servants in Victorian Britain?