| Where to see hundreds of handbags... | Where: The World of James Herriot, Kirkgate, Thirsk When: From 1st February 2006 Info: 01845 524234 |
It's amazing what can turn up when you're least expecting it. That's the experience of the staff at the award-winning World of James Herriot visitor centre. When appealing for fresh exhibits for a new display, the team at the museum found that someone had loaned them two handbags from the Second World War. It turned out that a 1940's enthusiast had sent two gas mask handbags for the exhibition called "Pockets to Pouches". The handbags were used by women through the war years simply because they looked like ordinary handbags, but they were far from it. Hidden at the bottom of the bags was a secret compartment used for keeping a gas mask. The alternative was the cardboard box that the mask came in, and in some cases ladies decorated the box to match their outfits. The bags were even more rare because they were made from leather, and during the war years most leather had to be used for military purposes only. Heather Amy from Thirsk (the home of "The World of James Herriot") has been a follower of the 1940's since she was a small girl, and for the past few years has been involved in recreating activities from the war years, and subsequently has a sizeable collection of her own. One of the bags is a simple leather bag which has a round base to carry the gas mask, the other, made by a London firm called Wald and Co, is called the "Waldybag" and comes complete with a gas mask. Both bags are on display at the museum, which charts the history of the handbag from its early days as a pouch or purse to the modern designer bags of today. | 
