大象传媒

Villagers in Flintham in Nottinghamshire have documented rural life during World War One using old shop stock, receipts and bookkeeping collected over one hundred years at the village shop.

Fred White took over the village shop in Flintham in 1911 and his daughter Muriel ran it until 1982. They saved most of their unsold shop stock, paperwork and advertising which villagers later discovered in old outhouses.

The documents show that the villagers were struggling during WW1. Prices went up instantly and there was panic buying. Fred White, the shopkeeper was struggling to get items and the local grocers association gave him advice on how much to put prices up.

Average weekly takings at the shop doubled during the war years. People weren鈥檛 spending more but prices had dramatically increased and never came down.

The collection also details how the villagers donated to a fund for Christmas boxes of puddings and mince pies sent to the troops at the front from the village.

Location: Flintham, Nottinghamshire NG23 5LF
Image: The original village shop front, courtesy of Flintham Museum, compared to today

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