Hayling Island U3A will be exhibiting a fascinating set of posters at The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant from Monday 11th January until Friday 1st April, illustrating how WW1 affected life at home on Hayling Island.
Time line banners have been prepared for each year of the War, providing a contrast between World events, life at the Front and daily life on Hayling Island, as recorded at the time in the School log book, the Parish Magazines and local newspapers.
Devastating attacks on supply boats by German U-boats resulted in critical food shortages.
Extracts from local Council records of the time show how the people of Hayling rallied to government calls to grow more potatoes and to convert every scrap of land to the cultivation of a special form of vetch (a widely distributed scrambling herbaceous plant of the pea family, which is cultivated as a silage or fodder crop.)
This led to Hayling gaining the nickname ‘Beanshire’
A section of the display is dedicated to the men of Hayling, who served in WW1.
In addition to the 104 casualties, over three hundred men are listed, who served and were fortunate to survive the horrors of the conflict.
A number of biographies bear out the bravery, dedication and contribution that these men made to the defence of the Realm.
Just one poster depicts the women of Hayling who were left to raise the children, tend the crops and maintain the services normally undertaken by the men.