Comte Hughes de la Rochefoucauld

Getting around

Continuous London-Paris rail ferry service

Launched in 1936, the Night Ferry allowed passengers to travel between London and Paris by train without changing, as the rail cars were loaded onto a ferry boat to cross the English Channel.

What it cost

High cost of food for workers

Food consumed 82 percent of a typical worker's budget in 1948, with meat costing 82 cents a pound, forcing many to eat meat only twice a week.

What people wore

Simulating stockings and essential headwear

When stockings became impossible to obtain, women dyed their legs with walnut oil or specialized kits and drew a thin black line on the back of the calf to simulate a seam. Some even wore handmade floral hair nets or turbans, as hats were essential for going out in public.

Music

Clandestine dances during the war

From 1940 to 1945, all collective dancing was officially prohibited by the Vichy regime, forcing youth to hold clandestine balls in barns, fields, and even stables. Despite the ban, these gatherings remained popular for dancing the waltz, rumba, tango, and march.

Daily life

School children's labor and chores

School children performed manual labor for the war effort, such as going to potato fields every Thursday to remove Colorado beetles from the plants. Students also helped clean the local school swimming pool by scrubbing the walls and floor barefoot with brushes.