American Reacts to "Rare film about London during WW2"

I identify with this decade more than I do now. How simple life was. Nobody looking downwards to their mobile phones, no aggressive attitudes, no homelessness, no road rage. No stabbings everywhere, no takeaways and people not being pleasant to one another. Be proud of your ancestors who fought to make a difference. Unfortunately their efforts only made some difference the rest is history. It is important to remember the sacrifices that were made and hopefully it will not be forgotten.

My mum's dad was a prisoner of war for nearly three years, but bless my Nan she had to work in a munitions factory I respect this generation. No way this generation could cope.

A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision to hostile aircraft, making the attacker's approach difficult and hazardous (source: Wikipedia)

Joel. Not many US people know about the effects of WWII on the UK. Rationing of food and everyday items was in place. Visiting US GI’s eat well on barracks canteens, but if they were invited to a private house then they came to see a family suffering from severe food rationing, food was bland and tasteless spices were imported and were less important than fuel, ammunitions and other war materials. I am sure the UK’s reputation from bland and small portions was the feeling taken back to the US when the GI’s returned home. Try UK food these days, the variety of foods is tremendous and tend to be more pure than their US counterparts.

@9:01 "Shout out to Britain for the war effort" We owe our forebears so much for standing up to the tyranny of Nazi Germany. Hitler wanted his Third Reich to last for 1,000 years. If he had succeeded the whole of Europe and beyond would have been subjugated. Prime video did a miniseries called 'The man in the High Castle' that portrayed an alternate history in which Hitler's murderous regime won and even the USA fell under Nazi rule. It is a chilling depiction of what could have been.

You may enjoy the light comedy 'good night sweetheart' starring Nicholas Lyndhurst (only fools and horses). A time traveller between the 1990's and 1940's.

Can't remember the last time I saw a man carry his raincoat folded over his shoulder....walking to the train, loving this.

The lack of any sky scrapers around St Paul's and Tower Bridge is what stands out to me the most

Something you might find interesting - and if you are curious about what it might have been like during an air raid in WWII - there were a series of 'live' broadcasts made by an American broadcaster named Ed Murrow. For these he would situate himself on the roof of a building during an actual air raid which was broadcast back to the States. He was a real friend to this country and I think he was responsible for gaining a lot of sympathy and support from the USA. He was later Knighted by the Queen for this service. The broadcasts can be found easily on YouTube.

If you think that there is no variety in appearance and that people were dressed drably, remember that clothes were rationed during the war. You couldn't just go out and buy something bright and fashionable when you needed the coupons to by warm clothes to see you through winter when there was very little fuel for heating.

Was the comment : 'water had to be cleaner back then' referring to the Thames? The river was an open sewer and must have been biologically dead for decades before it was officially declared so in 1957. Standing on the old London Bridge in the 50's, I could see the water looked like soup.

I was born in 1959. Rations didn't stop after WW2. I think that mindset regarding food was indoctrinated. A salad in my home consisted of a lettuce leaf, a slice tomato and cucumber. When I was born my Dad was about 33years old, worked as a Merchant Seaman as a youngster.... and his mantra was I'll never to to bed hungry again.

One of the biggest differences with a film today of London is that there are no tourists. The people in this old clip are just going to and from work. . love the guy standing in the tobacconist shop greeting people in his gloves .

I was one years old when WW2 started. My father was away for five years, serving in North Africa. To be honest, living in a village, we children escaped the worst horrors. Of course we were rationed, no sweets or ice cream etc but we had plenty of fresh home grown food. Our cottage had no electricity or running water. Ice on the inside of the windows. One meagre coal fire. However we were very happy. Naturally it was a very different world back then. The Canadian airforce were stationed nearby and we were I troduced to chewing gum! The local dances were a bonus for the local girls and the handsome Canadians! A lot of heartbreak (and occasional baby), were the legacy they left behind.

Funnily, I recognised the song Harbour Lights. I was born in 1944, towards the end of the war but that song must have played for some time afterwards for me to know it. There would have been a lot of uniforms around as servicemen were on leave. Many reasons for the uniformity of dress, but in wartime there was no money around for fashion. It was all we could do to eat. Powered egg, most things rationed. That went on after the war for a time. I remember ration books, bomb sites, and so on. And yes those were American troops towards the end.

No crazies with pink hair back then or people with bladed instruments of enrichment. 8:01 that is a barrage balloon.

we was bombed to hell but the British spirit pulled us through

Before I even watch, I know that we know that Joe’ll “get it” because he’s been here, he knows that grit & determination that’s been handed down through generations It’s not something we boast about or even really talk about, it’s just there…

Barrage balloons were used to keep enemy bombers at a high altitude. They were part of an integrated air defence system which is basically coordinating anti aircraft fire, fighter aircraft, barrage balloons, (from information received by radar and observers), onto enemy aircraft. The US uniforms dates the film from 1942 onwards. Dominic

Thank you Joel for showing this video. It brought back so many memories. I'm an ex-Londoner (now over 60 years in Adelaide, South Australia) but I wasn't born until 1947. However, I can honestly say that nothing much had changed while I was growing up. We never questioned all the bomb sites that we played on. Our home was a 'temporary' prefabricated house. These were intended as emergency housing as so many houses were lost in bombing, but were still being used decades later. Lots of other memories were there, the steam trains, the horse-drawn delivery vehicles and the men with their raincoats reminded me of my father coming home from work. Wonderful memories!