From source C I can understand that the effects of the Blitz on the people of Britain were disguised through staged photographs such as this one.
This picture was taken on the 15th of September 1940, and portrays a cheerful group of people. The caption beneath the picture says that their houses had recently been bombed because of the previous nights air raids.
This picture would have been publicized as it is a smiling and happy group, even though there houses had just been bombed. They are wearing nice clothes and are all facing the camera and either smiling, hugging or giving the ‘thumbs up’ sign. I know this picture was staged because of these poses and clothes.
The caption underneath also says that even though these people’s houses were wrecked, the tenants of the buildings still showed the British “grit”. Which is a very positive reaction towards the Blitz and so would have more of a chance of being published than source B.
What the photographer chose not to include, was the buildings’ ruins behind the crowd. This picture must have been taken specifically to show to the British public, and not to show the less attractive and destructive pictures which would have then decreased the British morale.
I have come to think that the effects of the Blitz on the people of Britain was not shown in public, but censored so as not to demoralize the country. I think that source B shows more of what it was really like during the Blitz, and was taken to show this truth. I also think that source C would have been taken to boost the moral support of the British, rather than show the truth.
3. Does source D support the evidence of sources B and C about the damage done during air raids?
Source D supports the evidence of source B about the damage done during air raids as they are taken three years apart, but still the same damage such as deaths and bombing of houses is taking place.
Both sources show what happens after an air raid attack. Source B shows bodies being covered after a girls’ school was hit on the 20th of January 1943. Source D also shows what it is like after an air raid, on Coventry, but shows the ‘sorting of personal property’.
Neither are pleasant photos and both were censored, although source B was banned and source D was only temporarily banned for about three months. Both of these pictures portray a different part of the Blitz and both are effective at doing so.
Source D focuses on the property from the buildings lying on the floor and that the buildings were in ruins, while source B looks more towards the dead bodies setting on the ground, and does not show any ruined buildings. It is because of this, source D was published and source B was not. Source D would not have been so demoralizing and source B, which has dead bodies, compared to damaged buildings and property in the streets, would have.
Source D does not support source B in the way that source B is about the bodies on the ground and that it was banned, and source D is about the ‘sorting of personal property’ and the censorship was only temporary.
Source D supports the evidence of source C in the way that both had something to do with the issue of ruined building and property, but source C was staged as the crowd is smiling and happy, while source D shows the reality of what it was really like after your houses being bombed.
Source C was not banned as it shows a cheerful group of people who were still enjoying themselves even though they no longer had a house to live in. Source D shows people in the same situation, but the reality of that situation.
Source D does not support source C as well as source B and is hard to find evidence for source C from source D.
4. Use sources E, F and G and your own knowledge, to explain why the government was concerned about the morale of the British people in the autumn of 1940?
Source E helps to explain why the government was concerned about the morale of the British people in the autumn of 1940 as it a secret report to the government from the Ministry of Information and was written on the 10th of September 1940, in autumn. This would have greatly concerned the government about Britain’s morale as the report states that “…with mothers and young children hysterical and asking to be removed from the district.” This would have worried the government as they needed to keep people from worrying and distressing over the bombing. They were trying to keep the spirits high during the Blitz. They needed people in the war to keep fighting and so to do this they needed their family and friends to be supportive of them to keep up the spirits.
Source F helps to support the reason why the government was concerned about the morale in autumn1940 as ‘even the King and Queen were booed the other day when they visited the destroyed areas.’ Although it does say that ‘it is said’, so it may have only been rumour about the King and Queen being booed.
The public were obviously distressed and thought to blame the King and Queen. This meant that the demoralization of these people lead back to the King and Queen, and the government. From the caption above the source, it is said that Harold Nicolson knew several members of the government, and so would probably have a good idea as to what the government were publicizing and what the government thought what the public believed was happening. The public were giving a feeling of defeatism.
Source G also helps to support the reason why the government was concerned about the morale of the British people in autumn1940 because it was published in 1988 and so would have a role of hindsight and knowing what happened and what the public and government really did feel.
It says that the attendance at work was surprisingly good and that war production still continued, so Britain could maintain the situation of the war.
At the time, there was ‘widespread fear’, and so people were ‘trekking’, although they did continue to turn up for work.
During the autumn of 1940 the British were under threat of a Nazi invasion, air raids on London were intense and accurate, there was a decline in the RAF and over half were lost during battle, Hitler was only 26 miles away from the shoreline and there was even a lack of shelters and large groups of people were forced to hide in public underground shelter, so the British morale needed to maintain a high level. If it were to stay low, then the hope of winning the battle would also be low.
This was what the government’s main worry was. They were desperately trying to keep the moral up. They were banning certain images and only keeping
The only area left where Britain could fight from was in North Africa or with the Navy, as Britain had lost it’s seize on Europe.
With all of the pressure, deaths, shortage of supplies and loss of homes and properties, there was a slim chance that Britain could endure the war. Many people were panicking and fleeing to other parts of Britain to get away from the air raids.
The government would have found this very bad for moral support. They would have had to still enforce the good moral upon the public as such things were happening.
All of these reasons link into why the government had to keep the morale of the British public high.
5. “The impression that the British faced the Blitz with courage and unity is a myth.” Use the sources, and your own knowledge, to explain whether you agree with this statement.
The statement that the British did not have courage and unity when it came to facing the Blitz is true to some extent, and can be supported by sources D, E and F.
Source D shows the effect of an air raid on Coventry on the 15th of November 1940 and that there was rubble and belongings across the street. It also shows a man, in the middle of the picture, pointing to another man. The expression on his face looks angry at another man and is probably arguing about property.
This picture would support that opinion as it does not show any unity or courage. Instead it shows angry people fighting over belongings. This would give a person who did not know much about the Blitz an impression that is believed not to have been very much community spirit.
Source E is a secret report from the Ministry of Information to the government. This report does not say anything about anybody uniting or being courageous, but it does say that “When the siren goes, people run madly for shelters.”
This does not say that people united and faced the air raids with courage, rather then running madly for shelters. This source too supports the statement.
Source F, from the diary of Harold Nicolson, says that “Everyone is worried…” and “…even the King and Queen were booed…” This may only be rumour, but it would not have been suitable for the government to publicize.
As Nicolson knew several members of the government, this is obviously what the government thought as well. So even though the government was trying to boost morale, people still lacked in spirit.
All of these sources support this statement, but sources A, B and C do not.
Source A helps to argue against the statement by saying “Out of terror and tragedy came courage and an unshakeable determination.” This means that because of the terror and tragedy, a form of determined courage developed. This source has a role of hindsight, as it was published after the Blitz, so the author knew what happened and the result.
Although it supports that people were united and had courage, it also shows that people were afraid, but their fright turned into courage.
Source B is a photograph that shows dead bodies and was not published because it was demoralizing, but it does show that the British united. In order to overcome the tragic deaths of friends and family, they united and did so with courage, with the help of the government and the moral support of friends and family.
Source C shows very happy people having a good time even through the Blitz. This picture did not show what it was really like during the Blitz as it was staged and was also quite early on in the Blitz, and situations did change.
Source C also shows belongings behind the people, but does not show any ruined buildings. It was taken to show what it does and not reality and shows that posing was used to show that the war was not as bad as everyone thought.
Source G can be used for and against the statement. It says that the attendance at work was still well maintained and that this continued, but also says that people were ‘trekking’ which showed a lack of courage or unity.
This source shows that there was a lack of unity and courage, but also shows that people were still willing to turn up for work. This says the opposite to a lack of unity or courage, so this source could be used for either argument.
People had been seen through many other battles, such as Dunkirk, and lived to fight another day. The Home Guard was piling up with about one quarter of a million volunteers by the first day, people were volunteering for ARP, fire services and evacuation of children, the anti aircraft still gave hope even though they had little chance of hitting anything and even London’s Windmill Theatre still remained open throughout the Blitz. All of these events provide evidence that many did have courage and unity throughout it all.
But things such as other less popular towns and cities were being bombed and not as much publicity was being brought from them, the blackout officers, were almost hated as much as Hitler, as many accident happened during blackouts and the government was very concerned with censorship and morale, but why if the people were so united and determined?
I have come to the conclusion that many people did not support unity or courage, but many also did. There is not a yes or no answer to this question as many different answers can be given, but my view of this whole war was that people were scared and were panicking, but as no improvements were happening throughout the war, they then had chosen to believe that there was hope as this would be the best way of facing the problems that occurred.
