3.) Source D shows a photograph taken after an air raid in Coventry, taken on the 15th November 1940. There is a large amount of rubble all around, and in the background, the remains of a building can be seen, with one wall left standing. Therefore, the destruction is evident. The photograph was not published until February 1941, four months after it was taken. The photograph was captioned, ‘sorting personal property’.
This source agrees with sources B and C. B shows a Girls school which has been hit, and shows us how the bombing would damage everyday places, such as schools. It also agrees with D, because it has been censored, as the government would not have wanted the general public to see the destruction, and damage to everyday life. Source C also agrees with source D to an extent. The caption talks of how “their houses are wrecked”, obviously indicating the destruction occurring. However, the photograph itself shows no rubble, but only smiling people with their possessions. The government here cleverly uses the idea of destruction, to increase morale by showing “British grit”, as opposed to showing a photograph of the actual destruction, which would have possibly damaged morale.
4.) The height of the Blitz was around the autumn of 1940. There was intensive aerial bombing, and civilians, and cities were destroyed. Source E describes the “Exodus” from the East End, which was “growing rapidly”. It also says that “taxi drivers report taking group after group to Euston and Paddington with belongings”. The source also says that “when the siren goes, people run madly for shelters”, and describes “mothers and young children” as “asking to be removed from the district”. This source therefore tells us that people were becoming hysterical, and were fleeing from London. This on its own does not wholly explain why the government was so concerned about morale. Source F describes the East End as having “much bitterness”, so much so that the “King and Queen were booed…when they visited destroyed areas.” From this, we can see that morale was low, and people were bitter against the war, and the government would not have wanted the people to be booing the King and Queen. These two sources, however still do not really tell us why the government was so concerned about morale.
However, Source G makes a link between morale, and the exodus of people from London. It says; “As long as there were men and women to continue production, the country’s economic life could continue and the planes, tanks and armaments roll off the assembly lines.” This shows us that keeping morale high was extremely important, when linked with the first two sources. If morale keeps people at work, then that keeps the economy, and production stable. Therefore, the government were concerned about morale because it affected the war production, and the “country’s economic life”, and therefore they needed to keep high morale to keep attendances at work.
5.) During the Blitz, life was extremely difficult for people living in Britain. There were many deaths, and a huge amount of destruction. Families, and friends were separated by evacuation, and people’s everyday lives were shattered. It has been said that people faced the Blitz with courage, and unity, but is this strictly true?
Source E says, “When the siren goes, people run madly for shelters.” It also says that mothers and young children were “hysterical and asking to be removed from the district.” The source goes on, saying that the “Exodus from the East End “was “growing “rapidly, and “Taxi drives report taking group after group to Euston and Paddington with belongings.” This does not seem to be a very courageous or united image of the British people, who seem to be panicking, and hysterically wanting to run away from their districts.
Source D shows people in Coventry. Two men seem to be arguing, and it doesn’t look like a very united community, amongst all the rubble around them. This picture was also censored, showing that the government thought that an image like this would damage morale. Source F backs up the feeling that there was not a great deal of unity. It says that people were concerned about the East End where there was “much bitterness”. Is says that “even the King and Queen were booed…when they visited the destroyed areas.” This does not appear to be a very united image of the British people.
Source G re-iterates the fact that people were ‘trekking’, meaning that there were “flights of entire communities into the countryside.” It also talks of the “widespread fear during the Blitz.”
All of these sources seem to very much agree with the statement, and say that there was a lack of unity among the British people, and that people were not very courageous, and were ‘trekking’ away from their cities, with ‘fear’, and ‘hysteria’.
However, Source G goes on. It says that despite the large number of people ‘trekking’, “many of those who trekked were the same people who continued to turn up for work.” This paints a very different image that even though people left the cities, they still came back to work. This seems a far more united picture, that men and women continued production, so that “the country’s economic life could continue and the planes, tanks, armaments” would “roll off the assembly lines”.
Source A also challenges the fact that there was a lack of courage. It says that the British people were “heroes”, who had “courage and unshakeable determination” even in “the most appalling circumstances”. This is backed up by source B, which shows the voluntary services working together, having to put bodies in sacking. This would have been an appalling thing to have to do, but the voluntary services worked together to sort out the mess caused by the bombing. Source C, shows people all smiling together. Questions can be asked about its reliability, as it appears to be a posed photograph, but these people in the photograph were prepared to smile for the cameras, which gives an image of unity, and “British grit” against the bombing.
Overall, it is apparent that during the Blitz, there was a great deal of hysteria, fear, and bitterness among people. This led to flights of entire communities. However, these people continued to work, and sort out the mess caused by the bombings. Not all, but many people showed unity through this, and courage and determination in the most appalling circumstances.
