Legacy of war
Impact of World War II on the Lake District
Some of the wartime infrastructure was used after the war officially ended and many of the remains can still be seen today.
Lowther huts
The Nissan huts built in the grounds of Lowther castle to house the tank regiments during the war were later used to house displaced Polish refugees.
"Windermere boys"
In 1945, 300 traumatised Jewish children from Nazi concentration camps were flown from Prague to Crosby in Eden, Carlisle. They were brought to Windermere to recuperate, and became known locally as the ‘Windermere boys’. It was thought that the landscape of the Lake District would aid the recovery of the children.
Find out more at From Auschwitz to Ambleside (opens in new window) and watch out for repeats of the BBC programme The Orphans Who Survived The Concentration Camps. (opens in new window).
Crashed bomber
There is a memorial on the summit of Great Carrs in Coniston Parish, which marks the site of a crashed Halifax bomber. Sadly eight men lost their lives in the crash, seven were Canadian and one British.
World War II activities and resources for teachers
We've created several World War II-related activities:
- WWII activity baking with rationed ingredients (Word document)
- WWII activity clothes rationing (Word document)
- WWII activity food and ration books (Word document)
- WWII Grow your own food activity (Word document)
- WWII activity identification cards includes templates (Word document)
- WWII activity make a gas mask includes templates (Word document)
- WWII activity packing for evacuation includes labels (Word document)
- WWII activity rationing food quantities (Word document)
- WWII activity snakes and ladders board game (Word document)
- WWII Record Book of Food Eaten (PDF)
Created with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund