Imagine, your world has changed quite drastically over the last few years, Dad is somewhere in Europe fighting for King and country. Mum has a job in the local munitions factory and is tired and sad all the time. The local air raid shelter is loosing its excitement since your friends lost their home and a neighbour in a recent air raid. Your birthday is looming and rationing means that you probably won't get what you would like.
During the Second World War many toy manufacturers turned to helping with war production, and the selection of toys available became limited. For example, Teddy Bear companies such as Dean’s Rag Book Co. made life jackets. Chad Valley made children’s clothing and Merrythought made military uniform accessories.
Due to the effect of the almost nightly bombing of our cities, children's toys were seen as essential to their morale. Home made toys were very popular, such as stilts and wooden swords, and mothers and women's groups such as the Wrens would knit and sew soft toys for local children.
Materials were in short supply and Bears were not mohair or plush, they weren't articulated and were in smaller shapes and sizes, Old clothes and blankets made wonderful and well loved Bears for war time children. This continued into the early 1950's along with rationing and rebuilding after the war.
The Second World War also saw miniature Teddy Bears going to war with British Servicemen. Many stories have come to light over the years of Bears going into action, for example, https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/teddy-bear-that-became-world-war-two-hero.html , They were often given to young men by their sweethearts as mascots to remind the servicemen of home and their loved one's.
This brief look at Bears at war has been inspired by tomorrow being 6th June 2019, 75 years since D-Day / the Normandy landings.
Bears are with us through joy and tragedy and bring us comfort and a sense of security.
References:
https://www.militaria-history.co.uk/articles/british-war-toys/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/goodlife/11569210/The-teddy-bear-that-went-to-war-and-then-went-viral.html
https://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/must-toys-1940s/
Pauline Cockerill, The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book, 1991
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