Nella Last: From Kitchen Sink to Wartime Heroine - Furness Whisper

Picture this: It’s 1939, England. The air is thick with anticipation. The news on the wireless crackles with unsettling reports, casting a shadow over the warm, familiar routines of everyday life. In the kitchen, you’re Nella Last, a housewife, your hands submerged in warm, soapy water, washing dishes with the rhythmic sound of the mangle offering a sense of comfort. The kettle whistles, a sharp interruption to the gentle ticking of the clock, and the scent of strong tea begins to fill the room. But everything changes when war erupts, shattering the quiet of the home with the ominous screech of air raid sirens and the rumble of distant bombs. “I feel tonight like a person who, walking safely on the sea sands, suddenly finds his feet sinking in quicksand,” Nella writes in her diary on September 1, 1939, capturing the visceral fear that gripped the nation as war seemed inevitable.

In that moment, the ordinary comforts of life are lost, but Nella doesn’t just hunker down in fear, nor does she simply wait for the storm to pass. Despite the overwhelming uncertainty, she finds her strength and determination, turning her daily experiences into something far greater than mere survival. Nella Last’s journey, from a seemingly quiet housewife to a wartime heroine, is a testament to the extraordinary resilience of ordinary people.

Nella was born Nellie Lord in 1889, and she settled into life in Barrow-in-Furness. This industrial town, bustling with shipyard activity, was a world of heavy machinery, clattering workmen, and a constant hum of labour that shaped Nella’s early years. However, many specifics of those early years remain a bit of a mystery. “It’s been so close and heavy for over a week – just as it is before a storm breaks,” she wrote on September 3, 1939, painting a vivid picture of the oppressive atmosphere as the reality of war grew nearer.

We know she married Will Last in 1911 – perhaps with a soft rustle of a wedding dress, a fleeting symbol of hope amid the uncertainty of the times? She became a mother to two sons, Arthur and Clifford, whose youthful laughter likely filled their small home, providing moments of joy in a world on the brink of war. But what sets Nella apart isn’t just her ordinary life; it’s the way she transformed it into something extraordinary through the power of words.

Nella started writing. Not just a grocery list scrawled on the back of an envelope or a quick note to the milkman, but a monstrous, ever-growing diary filled with the scratch of her pen across page after page. We’re talking about a staggering 12 million words! “Words have always fascinated me,” Nella wrote in March 1945, acknowledging her lifelong love of writing and how it had become a crucial outlet during the turbulence of wartime. It’s hard to fathom what might inspire such a monumental undertaking, but Nella had a gift for observing the world around her, and her writing became a way to document not just the events of the day, but the deeper emotional currents running through her life.

Nella’s involvement in the Mass Observation project played a key role in her journey as a writer. This was an initiative that sought to document the everyday lives of ordinary Britons, capturing their thoughts, actions, and feelings during the war. “I often think of the many books my letters and my diary would make,” she mused in one of her many letters, reflecting on the volume of her writing and its potential historical significance. Little did she know that her observations would become a crucial window into the lives of everyday people, their experiences often overlooked by history.

Imagine – the anxieties of raising children during a global conflict, the quiet resilience of keeping a home together under immense pressure, the day-to-day struggles that become heroic acts in the face of war. Nella’s story encapsulates these moments. As a mother, wife, and active participant in the Women’s Voluntary Services (WVS), Nella’s thoughts were often preoccupied with the safety and well-being of her family, especially her sons. “I get a pencil and gallop away,” she wrote in 1940, capturing the rush of emotions and the urgent need to put her thoughts to paper as the world around her became ever more uncertain.

Nella’s diaries are filled with profound reflections, but they also reveal moments of humour, warmth, and even sorrow. “When I was a small child I remember a prophecy my dad heard – that little Prince Edward would never be crowned king and that in 1940 a world war would start that would end things,” she recalled, reflecting on childhood memories that were now eerily connected to the present-day realities of war. Such reflections serve as a window into the way Nella processed the war, often turning to the past for meaning in the midst of the chaos.

But perhaps most remarkable is how Nella’s writing served as a form of resistance against the monotony and dread of wartime life. Through her careful observation and commitment to capturing everyday experiences, she found a way to assert agency in a world that seemed increasingly beyond her control. Even in her more uncertain moments, Nella’s spirit shines through. “I was a queer, intense child,” she wrote in her diary, “who at a very early age learned to escape from pain and loneliness into books – any books.” These words speak to the depth of her character, as she turned to writing and literature to navigate both personal and global turmoil.

Nella’s ability to find beauty, humour, and meaning in the smallest of moments is what makes her story so compelling. Her diaries not only document the struggles of wartime Britain but also celebrate the quiet acts of bravery that took place on the home front. They remind us that heroes can come from the most unexpected places, often wearing aprons and wielding nothing more than a pencil or a knitting needle.

And speaking of inspiration, Nella’s legacy even sparked a film! “Housewife, 49” (2006) brought her wartime life to the big screen. It’s important to remember that the filmmakers took some creative liberties, likely drawing on historical research and the available portions of Nella’s diaries to craft a fictionalised account of her experiences, immersing viewers in the gritty reality of the home front and highlighting the strength of women like Nella who played an indispensable role in maintaining the fabric of society during the war.

So, the next time you think a housewife’s life is all about domestic drudgery, remember Nella Last – the woman who turned her everyday experiences into a historical treasure and a symbol of wartime resilience. Her dedication to documenting her life, even the most seemingly mundane moments, offers us a glimpse into a world forever changed by war and reminds us of the quiet heroes who helped shape history, one Nella Last: From Kitchen Sink to Wartime Heroine

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