The Literal Voice of Experience

The last American World War I veteran Frank Woodruff Buckles died Feb. 27. With him, a portal to history closed and access to valuable information would never be spread to the newer generations.

But on March 7, students in S. Volke’s AP European history class accessed other valuable information when they experienced Olga Illari’s firsthand account of what life was like during World War II.

Mrs. Illari grew up in the heart of London during the years of food rationing, night raids and the Anderson shelter.

Naturally, London during World War II was subjected to night raids when aircraft, usually Zeppelins, would drop bombs over London.

Mrs. Illari explained how odd ‘Doodlebug’ bombs were.

“They were the queerest things,” she said. “You could hear the bombs above, but then there would be silence and then a large explosion nearby. After the bombings were over the next morning, we would go out and scavenge the rubble.”

When asked what she looked for, Mrs. Illari laughed and said, “Toys, mostly. We were just kids.”

Great Britain was rationed for 14 years, leaving families resorting to growing victory gardens and raising their own animals. The Illari family had a few rabbits and chickens of their own.

“Normally, animals weren’t allowed to be raised in the city,” Mrs. Illari said, “but due to war time, my father built a chicken coup in our backyard.”

But night raids and rationing weren’t the biggest of the Illari family’s problems. In addition to these common problems, the Illaris had to combat another enemy. At the time of World War II, Italy was allied with the Axis powers — the opposing force against Great Britain and its Allies. The Illari family was subjected to cruel prejudice, despite both of her parents being English citizens.

“They were horrible to us,” she said. “They would sometimes go as far as throwing rocks at us, but today, people are nice and friendly.”

Clearly, wartime London was not an easy place for the Illaris.

Mrs. Illari is a true primary source for not only World War II domestic life, but also a first-hand witness to 9/11. Mrs. Volke’s class was given the opportunity to receive this first-hand account. Looking back on her experiences, Mrs. Illari has no regrets, she said.

“But hey,” she said with a smile, “I survived. I made it through.”