Could you hack life on the home front?

Mar 18 2008 by Matthew Aplin, South Wales Echo

A MUM-OF-SIX has warned families taking part in the new series of Coal House that they will face a tough new life on the home front.

The new television series, Coal House At War, will once again take three Welsh families back in time – but for this series they will be living the reality of the World War II home front during the 1940s.

Those taking part in Coal House At War will swap modern luxuries for the chance to sample the reality of the 1940s – a lifestyle that includes rationing, fear of air raids, black-outs and “Digging for Victory” as those on the home front learn to become self-sufficient.

One person who knows all about Coal House is mum-of-six Stephanie Phillips, of Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, who took part in the first series.

And she warned that the new families might have a whole host of new problems.

Stephanie, 40, said: “One difficult problem they might have is rationing.

“With us, as long as we had money we could buy food but that might not be the case in the new series.

“We were quite lucky because all the families got on. It’s quite important that the new families all click otherwise it might not be a happy stay. I think the hardest thing was the first couple of days. To not know what was expected of us was difficult. We only had a vague idea what to do.

“The water issue was the hardest thing. We had to heat it on one little stove and we needed it for cleaning, cooking and washing up.

“I’m sure they will make it hard for the new families. They are not going to make it easy for them, that’s for sure.”

As well as the three main families, Coal House At War will involve people taking part as Bevin Boys – men conscripted away from the frontline to work in the mines, children and guardians as evacuees from the cities, qualified teachers for the classroom drills of the 1940s war syllabus and participants for period events including Armistice Day celebrations and rugby and football matches.

n If you think you could step out of 21st-Century life and live in a coal mining community as it was during World War II call 08703 500 700 or log on to bbc.co.uk/coalhouse

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matthew.aplin@mediawales.co.uk