10/06/2026
📢This week's object is a Wooden Ratchet Rattle, more commonly known as a football rattle. While many people associate these distinctive noisemakers with football and rugby crowds, they also played an important role during both World Wars.
Operated by holding the handle and swinging it around, the rattle produces its loud, unmistakable sound through a simple mechanism of a gearwheel and rotating board. During WW1 and WW2, rattles like this were used as warning devices to alert people to poisonous gas threats and were later employed by Air Raid Precautions (ARP) organisations, which worked to protect civilians during air raids.
Long after their wartime service, wooden rattles became a familiar feature of sporting events across the UK, where fans used them to cheer on their teams until the early 1970s.
A simple wooden instrument with a remarkable story, this rattle reminds us how everyday objects can serve very different purposes across generations.
Explore the historical classrooms at the British Schools Museum and learn what schoollife was like during wartime. 🏛️📚
This week, our post was written by our student volunteers Nina and Charlotte.
