Source 8 explains the point of view of Eleanor Stoddart. She is a middle classed girl, which we can tell by the quote “came from very respectable homes.” She mentions how she had to get used to living in tiny cottages, “three to a single bed.” She obviously wasn’t used to this, as she’s rich. She also says that she wasn’t allowed to wash her hair for four months, since she had to bring water up a hill from a village pump. This suggests that she was used to running water and obviously took it for granted. This is obviously worse than what she’s used to at home. The source is a primary source as it was written by someone who was there at the time which makes it reliable because thing’s wouldn’t have been altered. Eleanor Stoddart, the evacuee, may have been trying to make her host look bad. She was a child at the time so may have reacted in an exaggerated way as to what she might have reacted like if she was an adult. Because she was a child at the time, and writes it at a later date, she’s also relying on memory. Another evacuee named Jean McCulloch hated the fact that all evacuees were thought as poor people. However, not all of them were, like her. She says, “It was just as traumatic for a clean and well educated child to find herself in a grubby slum as the other way round.” This suggests she also had to cope with change, which was strange for her. This source is reliable as it is a primary source. Although, this source doesn’t actually say that she did live in a grubby lifestyle when she was evacuated or not. As an evacuee herself, being a child at the time she would have relied on memory to create this source. She may have exaggerated as she is comparing to her high standards. Both sources are written in a book named, “No time to wave goodbye” by B. Wicks in 1988. This means that his writing will be balanced, as he would have had a chance to do research about evacuation. Although 1988 is a long time after the war, he would have had to rely on memory of evacuees. He could have altered quotes just for his books. Also, he’s had the chance to interview hundreds of evacuees. This meant he would have chosen what he wanted in his book. He most likely would have chosen the evacuees that sounded worse to add depth into his book.
Source 15 and 16 talk about the same experience in different ways. This experience is the Blitz. Many lives altered and changed throughout this time. Source 15 is a letter from Humphrey Jennings to his wife. He suggests that morale was very high. It also seems as though they had confidence in beating Hitler. He mentions people singing together, another expression of happiness and morale. Many girls in the WVS served hot drinks to fire fighters during raids. This suggests that they hadn’t been hit much and everyone was willing to help in the war.
Source 16 is a report by local officials on conditions in the east end of London in September 1940. He says the opposite of source 15, and says that morale was low and that everything was hysteria. “There is no humour or laughter.” This implies that there is a negative mood and morale is low. It also seems as though they’d been hit hard as there’s no milk etc. Source 15 was a letter written to a wife, in October 1940. The aim of the letter may have been for reassurance to his wife to assure her everything’s well. This means he may have exaggerated or lied to her to keep his wife happy. The source is reliable because it’s a primary source and was written to his wife, so it wasn’t publicised. It’s reliable as it was written in October 1940, which was then the Blitz happened. Source 16 was a report from local officials. This meant people who work for the government wrote it. This means that it was information for the government and the civilians wouldn’t have seen it so it wouldn’t be exaggerated for morale purposes. This meant they could evacuate and rebuild a certain area. The source is about conditions in the East end of London. This is a place that is most likely to be hit hard. I think this source is more truthful. Source 16 is written in September 1940, which is different to source 16, as that’s written in October 1940. Thing’s may have gotten better between these two dates.
Source 14 explains how it’s hard to know what it was like during the Blitz due to the propaganda and censorship. The Germans wanted to “Bomb the British people into giving up.” This meant destroying everything they had; lives, houses and most importantly morale. The British government realised that, and made sure morale was to be kept high. This may be because they feared that the public might say “No” to any more war. Newspapers weren’t allowed to show bodies and smashed houses. Instead, they concentrated on heroism, which was propaganda and led on to have a good humour, which meant a high morale. This source is from a school textbook named “Peace and war.” This means that it’s been simplified. However, it’s reliable because it’s been cross-referenced. It’s written in 1993, which means there’s no censorship and the historian has access to primary documents.
Source 17, to begin with, is a German newsreel about City bombings. It focuses on the bombings in Coventry, November 1940. 500,000Kg of bombs were dropped. The pictures in the newsreel are in black and white and shows bombs being dropped. The flash of bombs standout in order for the viewer to focus on it. The background noise is of bombings, and planes. It also has eerie music. This newsreel is German propaganda. It made the bombings in Coventry seem huge and a massive accomplishment. This is a reliable source as it’s done in 1940, which means it’s a primary source. However, it’s propaganda and it’s one-sided. The second newsreel is a British newsreel. It was done in April, 1941. It makes sure the viewer can see the heroicness going on. The background noise is happy. It focuses on the British giving aid. The people looked happy. The aim of the newsreel was to keep morale up. It showed no injury or sadness. It was British propaganda. It’s a useful source because the pictures are real. However, it’s propaganda and is one-sided making it unreliable. The third newsreel was an American newsreel. It was shown before American had joined the war. It makes it useful because it’s not biased. However, it is propaganda to try and get America to join the war. All three newsreels are reliable to an extent as they are real footage taken at the time. However, all contain propaganda and censorship, which makes them useful for studying them. It was also difficult to know what life was like during the Blitz because of different experiences. Source 1 and 2 is a first hand account of life during a period of heavy raids. She says how it’s changed her routines a fair amount. “.. the fact that the shelter is fixed” implies that she’s rich and may be living in fear. She also says how her husband had “fitted a bullet-proof steel door.” This says, to me, that she wants all the protection that she can. This suggests she’s very upper class. She then moves on to say that she kept a box of emergency rations, important papers and first aid in a leather suitcase. This implies that it must have been heavy bombing and very frequent. This source is a first hand account so is reliable. It says that she lived in Birmingham. This is a big city, and not all placed would have been bombed like this. She writes it like a diary, meaning it’s personal thoughts and feelings and isn’t relying on memories. This makes it reliable. However, it’s only one person’s viewpoint and this was by an upper-class person and may have been different in comparison to a lower class person.
Source 13 is by a working class person. “We left the public shelter and made our way home.” It then moves on to say that their house had been bombed, and that they now had to move to the public shelter, and would lie there for 6 months.
This source is a memory from a family in Liverpool. And it’s a memory, it’s reliable as it’s a first hand source but it may have been altered or changed around. Liverpool is a big city and would’ve been bombed a lot. Therefore it is difficult to find out about the Blitz because lots of sources are propaganda and one-sided. To become more reliable, they would need to be cross-referenced more.
Life changed for men considerably during World War Two. If men were fit enough, they were conscripted into the army. This means they were ‘forced’ to join the army. If you weren’t fit enough, the home guard was there to join. Source 21 is memories of James Palmer in July 1939. He tells us that he had mixed feelings, possibly excitement and anxiety. This may be because of a new experience. He describes how his father and father’s girlfriend looked terrible upset. I think it’s because they don’t know if they’ll see him again and because they’re said he’s going. He then moves on to say that the papers said he’d be home before Christmas. This means he’d been reading the propaganda. His father doesn’t want him to go. His father may have fought in World War One. He was 18 when he was going through this. This means he’s only becoming an adult and may be his first time away. This source is reliable because it’s a primary source. Although, as he’s read propaganda his news could be less reliable now. He also may now be naïve. His memory is of the start of the war (July 1939) and it doesn’t tell us what happened in the end. As it’s a memory, he may have forgotten or altered things. Source 22 is from a book and is speaking about the home guard, some better known as the “Dad’s Army.” It was for the men who were possibly too old, too young or had illness. It was voluntary, and was also there for morale in the war. This source is reliable because it’s a specialist book about world war two. However, it’s unreliable because this book isn’t just about the “Dad’s Army.” This source has been researched into and has been done by historians so it has balanced viewpoints. There’s also no censorship, making it reliable.
Lives for women changed dramatically too as a result of the war. They now had the chance to volunteer for new jobs including driving trucks and buses, opening cranes, radio operators and many more satisfying jobs.
A housewife writes source 20. She explains how she never has time to polish furniture and that dishes stack up easily. This may be because she’s so busy in her new job. She then says how she thinks that now women have real jobs, she doubts that women would want to go back to being a housewife. The source doesn’t mention what type of job she has, nor where she actually works.
This source is written by a housewife in a diary, in 1942. As it’s written in a diary, it’s her own thoughts and none of it would be censored. It also means her writing wouldn’t be exaggerated. Although, it doesn’t say what background she’s from. This diary entry was written in 1942. This means it was written during the war. And that means she, herself, experienced the war. As it’s in 1942, and not at the beginning of the war in 1939, the novelty of having her new job would have worn off and this diary is now more reliable and more truthful. Although, it doesn’t say what she thinks of the job nearing the end of the war. Her opinion may have changed. And it’s also only looking at one year, which makes it less reliable. This source is useful because it’s a primary source as it’s written in her diary. This means it wouldn’t have been exaggerated nor censored. However, it isn’t useful because it only covers one year of the war and her opinion may have changed. Also, it isn’t cross-referenced. To make it totally useful, it would need to be cross-referenced. Therefore, life has changed drastically for civilians during World War Two. Including diets, evacuation, Conscription and women going to work. For many people, life changed for the better, other’s for the worse.
