When I didn’t always need a forecast, to know the weather

Listening to a quiz show recently, one of the questions was what national service was banned during the Second World War. The answer was weather forecasts.
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For six long years the UK public didn't have a daily uncoded weather forecast.

The reason behind this was , weather played a huge part in military planning

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D-Day was probably the most high-profile operation affected by the conditions.

Reader pics snow - Frozen Milk delivered today!

Pat Thompson TotleyReader pics snow - Frozen Milk delivered today!

Pat Thompson Totley
Reader pics snow - Frozen Milk delivered today! Pat Thompson Totley

Weather conditions and locations given could give the enemy an indication of our military movements or plans.

From the start of the war we didn’t get normal weather forecasts until May 8 1945 by the BBC.

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This reminded me of my early childhood, when we lived in a small terraced house in Ellesmere, we had two bedrooms and an attic.

We never really needed weather forecasts, the weather was always obvious to us in our home.

During the summer the sunrays would shine brightly through our attic skylight warming our room.

When the winds came you’d hear the wind through the roof, and sash windows, you definitely felt the draughts.

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Our windows weren't double glazed, double glazed windows were a thing of Tomorrow's world.

We had to hold our hot water bottles tight and pull our candlewick covers over our heads. No duvets then, but itchy thick blankets to keep us warm.

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For some the large coats you wore in the day doubled up blankets at night.

No central heating, or fitted carpets linoleum was the norm, round the edges of our rooms.

When it was really, really cold the frost was on the inside of the windows, not seen that for years.

Our milk was delivered daily, in winter the milk would be frozen and in the summer it could be tainted by the sun.

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When we went downstairs to get breakfast,- if the milk was good.

We didn’t have a gas fire, and instant heat, but a large coal range which hopefully would be lit by my dad in the morning, either when he’d just come in from his night shift at Firth Brown or before he went on an early shift.

This would warm only one room, not the home, and when the fire died down we would have to go down into the dark, damp cellar to get some more coal-if we had any.

We only had a range for a few years. One day when I came home from school the range had gone, and it was replaced by a modern gas fire with a back boiler providing hot water, for a bathroom we didn’t have.

Now when I lay in bed under a warm duvet and double glazed window.

It’s hard to tell what the weather is like outside, that’s when a weather forecast comes in handy.

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