During the Blitz everyday life for the majority of British people was affected. The Blitz was a very hard time for all civilians of Britain as they were now the targets of a new kind of warfare, Total War. The bombing destroyed homes, lives and families and every major city and town was attacked at some stage during the war, with London being the worst effected area. Londoners suffered from relentless bombing for the first month of the Blitz when on average 250 tonnes of explosives were dropped on the city each night and during 1940 13000 had been killed in London alone. The bombing achieved Hitler’s desired effect of lowering the British civilian’s morale, although many civilians had high spirits despite the bombardment. There is also evidence of large numbers of residents of London fleeing to the countryside, over a quarter of London’s total population, and up to forty percent in some areas of the East End. The East End was one of the areas of London that was affected most as it is in the inner city and near the London docklands, which were also badly hit. The morale was especially low in the East End as the residents had very little money and possessions and many of them lost it all. Many children were sent to the country by their parents to be safe from the bombing. During the Blitz every night all sources of light had to be put out so that the bombers had trouble finding targets. In some areas after bad attacks crime levels rose sharply. This happened in Portsmouth after an attack on a naval base situated there on 10th January 1941. Police found it extremely difficult to control the crime. After that attack morale in Portsmouth was very low. In some areas, such as Coventry, one of the most devastated cities in Britain the residents and workers tried to carry on living life as normally as possible. In some cases, if necessary work in factories carried on under open skies. This kind of optimism was encouraged by the government and they produced large amounts of propaganda to encourage unity and high spirits. They also encouraged civilians to grow their own food in a ‘Dig For Victory’ campaign so that Britain could become as self sufficient as possible. The government also had to introduce rationing as supplies of food and clothing were limited. This actually led to a healthier lifestyle for the majority of citizens. As a result of the war conscription was introduced for all males between the ages of eighteen and forty-one which led to a large increase in women being employed in traditionally male dominated jobs. One in six air raid wardens were women during the Blitz.
After the beginning of the Blitz, on 7th September 1940, the British Government realised the intention of the Germans, which was to bomb the British people into submission. The government needed to control what information was released by the media. The reason for this was to keep morale high during the war and prevent any uprising against the government if the war intensified.
The Ministry of Information was the government department responsible for maintaining morale and deciding what information should and should not be released to the general public. Newspapers were heavily influenced by the government as to what information they could release therefore articles describing panic or hysteria were not allowed to be published. In October 1940 Balham Underground Station was hit by a bomb that burst a water main. Sixty four people were drowned in the incident but the story was not released until after the war, because many people sheltered from air raids in underground stations. If they found out what had happened panic could have ensued. Many photographs were also withheld because they showed extensive bomb damage, a large number of casualties or deaths. Newspapers focused on triumphs and often exaggerated these to boost morale and give the public the impression that Britain was doing well in the war. For example on 15th September 1940 after a daylight raid on London, the BBC announced that, according to official figures, 180 German planes had been shot down. In fact the number was around 60. The Government did not try to prevent news of serious defeat from being published. However, the evacuation of Dunkirk was described as the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’, which not only made it sound like less of a disaster but also suggested that there was some religious significance as well. Photographs of the heroism and bravery of the emergency services were printed on front pages to lift the spirits of the British people and to assure them that they were trying very hard to rescue civilians.
The Government tried to hide the effects of the Blitz by the use of positive propaganda, which took the focus off the negative effects of the bombing. The Ministry of Education released documentaries and films showing places in Britain and the positive attitude of British people during the war. A film maker named Humphrey Jennings was employed by the Ministry of Information to produce films advising people about the regulations and films that would inspire people to want to continue fighting. Some films described what life would be like when war was won to overcome the demorilising effects of continued bombing. The BBC also broadcast entertainment programmes to maintain morale. Comedy programmes such as ‘It’s that man again’ made fun of Hitler and the Germans. Comedians and singers were also very important in trying to maintain morale and many made their reputations during the war. Some German Radio could also be picked up in Britain so the government also had to counter the propaganda which was received through German radio. Poster campaigns such as ‘Dig For Victory’ encouraged people to grow there own food and get into to the ‘spirit of the blitz’.O The propaganda campaign kept people informed about the war and also encouraged people to help the war effort.
