The Women’s Institute at War

Jam and Jerusalem is the popular summing up of the Women’s Institute. In fact, the branches played a major role in village life during World War 2, and in this talk, Phoebe Merrick discusses their role in the lower Test Valley area of Hampshire. They did much for morale and social cohesion in many villages, and were instrumental in spreading information about feeding and caring for their families throughout those six war years from 1939 to 1945.