UNSURPRISINGLY, the pages of COUNTRY LIFE were overshadowed by war and austerity during this decade. Although there was less reporting of actual warfare than during the First World War, much space was devoted to the Home Front and encouraging debate about and engagement in domestic agriculture and animal husbandry. Harsh criticism was levied at Whitehall officials issuing edicts to the countryside from their London offices—see overleaf for a typical example, in which inoperable plans on egg rationing were unveiled.

The letters pages often saw correspondence from prisoners of war, not only giving a vital insight into the ‘lighter’ side of camp life, but also printed in the hope