Nella Last, a wife and mother, chronicled her daily experiences of civilian life during the Second World War for the Mass-Observation Archive. She found solace and an outlet from a stifling provincial existence and a repressive marriage through her writing, which she began in 1937 and continued diligently. Her diaries, rich with the observations of an intelligent woman navigating ordinary life, were ultimately published after her death. Last's distinctive voice captured the spirit and realities of her time.
In September 1939, housewife and mother Nella Last began a diary whose entries, in their regularity, length and quality, have created a record of the Second World War which is powerful, fascinating and unique. When war broke out, Nella's younger son joined the army while the rest of the family tried to adapt to civilian life.