Farms: Wartime Farm Part 1 of 8
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Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn face up to the challenges of the biggest revolution ever seen in the history of the British countryside as they turn Manor Farm back to how it was run in the Second World War. When Britain entered the war, two-thirds of all Britain's food was imported - and now it was under threat from a Nazi blockade. To save Britain from starvation, the nation's farmers were tasked with doubling food production in what Churchill called 'the frontline of freedom'. This meant ploughing up 6.5 million acres of unused land - a combined area bigger than the whole of Wales. In this first episode, the farmers find themselves in a new location, a new time period and with a new team member. There is a new farmhouse to modernise, strict new rules to abide by and air raid precautions to contend with. The team begin by reclaiming badlands to grow new crops. Peter works with a blacksmith to design a special 'mole plough' to help drain the waterlogged clay fields. Ruth and Alex get to grips with a troublesome wartime tractor - and must plough through the night to get the wheat crop sown in time. On top of farmers' herculean efforts to double food production, their detailed knowledge of the landscape also made them ideal recruits for one of the war's most secret organisations - the 'Auxiliary Units', a British resistance force trained to use guerrilla tactics against German invasion. Wartime Farm was produced by the BBC in partnership with The Open University.
Comments
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@54:01 he is having a very lite dinner on his plate.
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Britain would lose another war on the scale of World War II. There isn't enough undeveloped land left to put to use for agriculture like there was then.
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I had a bit of laugh myself Southern Indiana is also a bit clay ridden. Once you dig about 6in down you hit clay.
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Surprised the blacksmiths didn't have on eye protection, my Grandpa put his eye OUT doing that :O
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who's the guy playing tommo in this one
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I love Henry the dog. :)
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thanks so much for sharing these videos !
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the war time garden was a brilliant,brilliant programme.
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oh ruth. tsk tsk an english historian and doesn't know that Frankenstein was the CREATOR not the creation?!
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I want to live in that cottage.
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It make's you think of "Dad's Army" when you think of the Home Guard but a lot of them were hardcore kill a krout veterans of WW1.
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i remember my grandpa always saying "Pills, carbo hydrates, minerals... all i know in '41 we didnt need a diet!"
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Ruth's father seems like such a nice guy, she's lucky to have him!
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I understand from having watched this series, that all "non-essential" animals had to be destroyed. Was there not any way some of that meat could have been salvaged and stored for use in the years to come?
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I'm 62, my mother was a land army girl before I was born, so I've heard a lot of stories about country life in WW2. Some funny, some sad, but all about how hard life was back then.
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If this during the 1st world war then why is filmed in color?
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What is said at 31.48h is so true, I allwaya wonder why the WWII soldiers were so ready to go to battle.
They all must have heard the horror stories of WWI soldiers, who would have been their fathers, or uncles -
Had to have a little laugh at him saying you can't grow in clay. All of North East Indiana is clay soil, and we are known as the corn state.
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As hard and laborious as this life once was, this is the kind of life I'd really love to be a part of instead of today's. I can only imagine the hardships people had during the world wars, but the amount of knowledge we gain by just watching the reenactments is simply invaluable. I'm so happy these series exist as I've learned so much already.
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Im 27yo and i have watched this series about 5 times now.
I absolutely love it!
Its really made me think about how i can reduce waste in my modern home.
Ive learnt to cook from scratch and food tastes so much better.
Ive used a few tricks like the hay box in epp2. Save power= save money.
Thank you BBC and to Ruth, Peter and Alex for being amazing on all these farming shows.