Another equally important reason for why the British government would evacuate children from major cities is to avoid mass panic and a collapse in morale. The government used propaganda and censorship to drive their messages home and gain peoples support. The British government had an organization called the ministry of information which used propaganda in several ways: poster campaigns to encourage people to join the voluntary services and work hard in order to help the war effort, posters were produced that warned people of the dangers of ‘careless talk’. There was a fear that German spies could be working in the country so people were told not to talk about war in public. The government censored newspapers during the war. They reported on bombings but concentrated on the heroism of the rescuers rather than the deaths and injuries to keep up morale.
Guilo Douhet and Richard Titmuss were theoreticians who told the government about the theory of mass demoralisations the idea that the public would want to give in to the nazis if they were getting killed this was also known as the surrender mentality which increased the British governments fear of mass panic and collapse in fear. Soldiers would only fight a war valiantly if they know families in the home front are protected so Britain had to avoid mass panic and a collapse in morale if they wanted their soldiers to fight a valiant war and not give up to the Germans. The British government wanted to avoid panic so they started planning as early as 1921 under John Anderson and the imperial defence committee. At the beginning of the war everyone was issued with a gas mask, which they had to carry with him or her whenever they went. Many people volunteered to join vital home defence services such as the ARP (Air Raid Precaution) wardens and the AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service). There were almost half a million recruits as Air Raid Wardens at the start of the war. They were key figures in the event of a bombing raid, ensuring there was calm, that people knew how the raid was progressing and that people were helped after the raid. The government also supplied its citizens with air raid shelters. The first shelters were delivered in February 1939. These were Anderson shelters, which were sunk in the ground in the back garden. They had enough room for a family and were safer than staying in a house. Later in 1941, the Morrison shelter was introduced. This could be erected indoors and 500,000 had been distributed by the end of the year. The government’s fear of mass panic is linked to the governments fear of mass bombing because the more cities being bombed the more people will lose the will to fight where as the less cities being bombed the less people will lose the fight to will.
Another reason why the British government evacuated children from the major cities in the early years of the Second World War because of the fear of gas bomb attack. In expectation that The Germans would use poison gas everyone was issued with a gas mask. Children had Mickey Mouse masks, and babies were placed in a gas tent, similar to an oxygen tent. At first the masks could be frightening to wear and difficult to breathe through. The government’s fear of gas bomb attack is linked to the government’s fear of mass bombing because both are types of bombing also both types of attack were used in the First World War and the British government wants to avoid both keeping the morale high and not developing a ‘surrender mentality’.
The British government evacuated children from major cities in the early years of world war two is because they feared for the future generation. They did not want the future of the country to be killed because of mass bombing. The children who were to be evacuated would need to be kept safe since they are the future army and if they are not protected, the government would have no soldiers, no mine workers etc.
The British government evacuated children from major cities in the early years of world war two because they wanted to avoid mass burial and mass diseases because if people saw lots of dead and diseased there would be mass demoralisation and a surrender mentality, which is linked back to the government avoiding mass panic and a collapse in morale. The reason why they are linked is because when soldiers and the people in the home front hear more and more people are dying it will lead the soldiers not to fight valiantly therefore ultimately losing the war and it will lead to the masses giving into the Nazis.
Another reason why the British government evacuated the children in the early years of World war two because they wanted to avoid mass destruction. They remembered all the broken buildings and burnt roads after the First World War and they did not want to relive that war or destruction again.
The British government evacuated children from the major cities in the early years because of re-evacuation. The second time of evacuation was in the summer of 1940 after the phoney war ended because the Germans launched an attack to the west in France. Britain anticipated mass bombing of its mainland after the French fell to the Germans and the evacuation of the soldiers at Dunkirk. When the bombs started to arrive there was a rapid need to re-evacuate and move children out again.
Therefore I have come to a conclusion that the British government evacuated children from the major cities in the early years of world war two because fear of deaths, gas bombs, to save the future generation and to avoid mass panic and a collapse in morale. I think the most important reason why the British government evacuated children from the major cities is because of the fear of mass bombing. The fear of mass bombing links back to the memories of the first world war also the bombs which will be used in the second world war will be more effective more faster more bigger than before. Mass bombing could also wipe out the young generation who are needed for future jobs of the British economy also mass bombing is linked back to mass panic because if there is mass bombing more people will die which will then lead to more people panicking and having a ‘surrender mentality’. If Soldiers hear about mass panic in the home front they will not fight a valiant war and in due course lose the war.