catching up with old girls
Brenda Barnes Class of 1949
née Isitt
B
renda Barnes left RMS in 1949. She was a pupil during the war and has vivid memories of her days at RMS. In 2020 the language of conflict has often been used to talk about the pandemic. We asked Brenda about her thoughts on the parallels between WW2 and Lockdown. Here are a few of her reflections: The Enemy During World War Two we knew the enemy to be Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party and were able to protect ourselves by always carrying gas masks and identity cards and taking shelter when the Warning Siren sounded. Striking posters with catchy slogans such as ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’ (illustrated by a hat to keep information under) or ‘Dig for Victory’ (a boot driving a spade into the ground) encouraged us all to smile and play our part. Today the enemy is an unknown virus, lurking everywhere. The different rules for each country within the UK cause confusion.
22 | Masonica 2021
The Media In wartime the country was run by a coalition of experienced Conservative, Labour and Liberal politicians with the help of Service Chiefs. Decisions were made before being published in newspapers or announced on the radio, everything passed by censor. Today we all have too much information, largely due to the media, leaking facts, prying with long range cameras and constantly giving us their opinions. Isolation In the early days of wartime, London councils were given the power to requisition empty properties or make use of surplus rooms in occupied houses. Consequently, a family of five Belgian refugees were billeted in our two downstairs rooms, we being confined to the large cosy kitchen. Both being three - generation families, we got on well and enjoyed experiencing each other’s cultures. Today there are over eight million single households in the country, completely isolated during periods of lockdown and causing loneliness. Summer 2020 Happy memories for me will be time spent in the garden, under amazing clear blue skies, due to lack of pollution, the wonderful sound of birdsong replacing the usual motorway buzz and successfully growing salad crops. Welcome family visits, me inside, family outside and lately being able to meet up with friends in the local park, catching up on their news over a cup of coffee. Through the winter, with another lockdown I returned to the old wartime adage ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’.
