How did the privileged manage without their domestic servants in & after in WW2.

[dobfarm]

My mother married dad in 1939 just before WW2, she had given up her job of 14 years as an only live in maid servant of a lower middleclass household who could only afford one servant, mum had to do everything from cleaning, cook, washing, nanny, to dish washer-upper and answer the door or phone.
 
The lady of mums old household had found another maid but she  had to go in the land army and the lady was left like many with no servant. Mum had her rent paid by dads old employer, as dad was a gardener servant before the war, provided dad went back to work for his old employer after his time in the army in WW2.

 After mum had  - had my elder brother as  baby in 1940, a posh woman knocked at the door, being mums ex employer with a scheme to put to mum, that she should come back to work for her as a live in maid/nanny to her children when home for boarding school plus mums baby/general house work - Also  give the posh lady her ration cards saying it was mums duty to the war effort and could be in trouble if she refused.

I dare not  put to paper mums answer.

Any similar tales 

[Rena]

I think you'll find that everyone had to "do their bit" in WWII.   Those who worked on the land, or in other sectors had to state why they were needed "at home" and if the selectors decided a "privileged" person didn't have a good enough reason not to be conscripted, then he was conscripted.   My father worked for an engineering company owned by Quakers and those people are pacifists, that factory didn't build and supply war machinery - instead they trained about 350 land girls how to use one of the small dredging machines that they manufactured.   Once trained those land girls were sent around the country digging ditches around the fields, which were a means of collecting water instead of the rainwater being wasted by running off the land onto the roads.

Those people who had not been conscripted (called up) into the military to serve overseas or to defend the coastline, were allotted tasks nearer to home.   The younger privileged men would have been conscripted and the older  "Privileged" men would have had an extended education, thus would be expected to organise the home guard.  Large houses on estates would be taken over by the military as a military base, and many would be taken over as convalescent homes for injured military personnel, which would mean that the "privileged" would have to keep the place running smoothly.

Women who were not parents were expected to volunteer to work in factories, or on land or help in hospitals.  Those that did not volunteer were allotted places to serve the country in whatever capacity the authorities needed to fill vacancies.

[dobfarm]

I think you'll find that everyone had to "do their bit" in WWII.   Those who worked on the land, or in other sectors had to state why they were needed "at home" and if the selectors decided a "privileged" person didn't have a good enough reason not to be conscripted, then he was conscripted.   My father worked for an engineering company owned by Quakers and those people are pacifists, that factory didn't build and supply war machinery - instead they trained about 350 land girls how to use one of the small dredging machines that they manufactured.   Once trained those land girls were sent around the country digging ditches around the fields, which were a means of collecting water instead of the rainwater being wasted by running off the land onto the roads.

Those people who had not been conscripted (called up) into the military to serve overseas or to defend the coastline, were allotted tasks nearer to home.   The younger privileged men would have been conscripted and the older  "Privileged" men would have had an extended education, thus would be expected to organise the home guard.  Large houses on estates would be taken over by the military as a military base, and many would be taken over as convalescent homes for injured military personnel, which would mean that the "privileged" would have to keep the place running smoothly.

Women who were not parents were expected to volunteer to work in factories, or on land or help in hospitals.  Those that did not volunteer were allotted places to serve the country in whatever capacity the authorities needed to fill vacancies.

That sums it up well.

[Rena]

My mother married dad in 1939 just before WW2, she had given up her job of 14 years as an only live in maid servant of a lower middleclass household who could only afford one servant, mum had to do everything from cleaning, cook, washing, nanny to dish washer-upper and answer the door or phone.
 
 After mum had  - had my elder brother as  baby in 1940, a posh woman knocked at the door, being mums ex employer with a scheme to put to mum, that she should come back to work for her as a live in maid/nanny to her children when home for boarding school plus mums baby/general house work - Also  give the posh lady her ration cards saying it was mums duty to the war effort could be in trouble if she refused.

I dare not  put to paper mums answer.

Any similar tales 

I can relate to only one part of your story and that is the fact that my gt. grandmother did a similar job to your mum, being a live in maid, cum nursery nurse, etc. to a doctor's household and then a later census showed my grandmother aged 14 doing the same job for a Town councillor's family.

The thing about being "privileged" is that the wives couldn't cook so their family would have starved.  I've always felt sorry knowing that the French Marie-Antoinette during a bad harvest, has been sneered at (and lost her head) for suggesting that the poor starving people should be allowed to eat cake.  She had no idea that bread and cakes are made from the same crop, because privileged ladies were mainly only taught music, manners and how to embroider. 

[dobfarm]

deleted (Repeated)

[dobfarm]

My mother married dad in 1939 just before WW2, she had given up her job of 14 years as an only live in maid servant of a lower middleclass household who could only afford one servant, mum had to do everything from cleaning, cook, washing, nanny' to dish washer-upper and answer the door or phone.
 
 After mum had  - had my elder brother as  baby in 1940, a posh woman knocked at the door, being mums ex employer with a scheme to put to mum, that she should come back to work for her as a live in maid/nanny to her children when home for boarding school plus mums baby/general house work - Also  give the posh lady her ration cards saying it was mums duty to the war effort could be in trouble if she refused.

I dare not  put to paper mums answer.

Any similar tales 

I can relate to only one part of your story and that is the fact that my gt. grandmother did a similar job to your mum, being a live in maid, cum nursery nurse, etc. to a doctor's household and then a later census showed my grandmother aged 14 doing the same job for a Town councillor's family.

The thing about being "privileged" is that the wives couldn't cook so their family would have starved.  I've always felt sorry knowing that the French Marie-Antoinette during a bad harvest, has been sneered at (and lost her head) for suggesting that the poor starving people should be allowed to eat cake.  She had no idea that bread and cakes are made from the same crop, because privileged ladies were mainly only taught music, manners and how to embroider.

I suppose in some ways the privileged were worse off by not having being trained by their parents in basic household domestic maintenance, the running of and self care.

[Rena]

King George VI's wife Queen Elizabeth belonged to a Knitting and Sewing Club during WWII.  They knitted socks and gloves for the military and whatever else was needed.    I've just seen a current newspaper has a WWII poster on its front page "Knit For Victory".  I'm assuming that the well educated would be the ones to organise groups of ladies to knit and also to collect and pack boxes of essentials to send to the boys at the front line and also to the prisoners at war via the Red Cross. 

[dobfarm]

King George VI's wife Queen Elizabeth belonged to a Knitting and Sewing Club during WWII.  They knitted socks and gloves for the military and whatever else was needed.    I've just seen a current newspaper has a WWII poster on its front page "Knit For Victory".  I'm assuming that the well educated would be the ones to organise groups of ladies to knit and also to collect and pack boxes of essentials to send to the boys at the front line and also to the prisoners at war via the Red Cross.

The Queen mum was very strict that the King George the VI's immediate family observed a WW2 rationing of meals / make do & mend style of living to suit their needs as most ordinary folk did. She was an exception though as lead by example motto. (Great lady)

Yet ! the the term  'Start dress for dinner! bell' - ' tend table by domestic servants' and the whole event of dinner was a big event of the day in upper/middle class houses and it was said that's how the black market started from their needs or way of life.

Mind you! the term ' upper crust' came from the upstairs lot had the top half of a loaf of bread and downstairs had the bottom half (But the bottom half had the best nutrition - so 'lower crust' had the last laugh.)

[Jebber]

The class system goes back to medieval times when everyone dined at the same table, including servants.  Salt being of great value, was  central on the table, the nobility and other worthies sat one end, above the salt, the lesser beings sat at the lower end below the salt. Being above or below the salt evolved into the Upper and Lower classes.