Throughout the war, local communities adapted to the challenges they faced with their strength of Lancastrian spirit, sense of humour, and by pulling together. The fight at home was a long way from the front lines, but it was a battle of a very different kind, which also helped us to win the war.

From learning to cook economically with help from the local Women’s Institute, to recycling metal for the war effort, and using all of their garden and public spaces to dig for victory. There were unimaginable hardships faced, but there were also friendships, romances, music, and dancing to help people to forget about the war, even just for a brief moment.

We will uncover how soldiers and civilians prepared for war, training and learning new skills, and how people coped with death, danger, and damage to property.

We will be adding more stories about #resilience throughout the project.

Image: Local people contributing metal to the war effort (Lancaster Guardian Archive)