Maintaining public safety was one of the main aims for the Government upon entering into war. The Government went to extreme lengths to protect the people from the German bombings. They set up barrage balloons and sandbags and organised the “blackout” stopping lights after dark. Public service films were made advising the British people that no one was safe and everyone must be prepared. Films such as “the warning” acquainted the people with the noise of the sirens and instructed you where to seek shelter. “Look out in the Blackout” instructed people in the ways of the ARP wardens and how to act during a Blackout in order to prevent accidents. They were also advised when to take their blackout curtains down. They would poke fun at those people who didn’t heed the warnings calling them names like “the twerps”.
Evacuation was a necessary part of public safety, ensuring the survival of defenceless children. Evacuation began officially after the phoney war. Propaganda campaigns were produced to convince mothers to let their children go. Children were packed off with not much more than the clothes on their backs, which they were often sewn into. It was a chaotic system because it had to be executed as quickly and on as large a scale as possible. The children who were sent away often enjoyed a better standard of living and a chance to see the countryside. The actual process of dispatching the children was implemented well, with 1 million evacuated in two days. Though evacuation saved many live there was an equal element of danger to the system. There were so many children to ferry to and fro; some were inevitably lost along the way. The children that did get there barely ever saw their parents and when the war was over they didn’t want to come home. Some children had horrible experiences at the hands of abusive parents, a fault of the government for failing to properly research the prospective carers. The children themselves were picked out based on appearance and strength (if they were going to live on a farm). One of the side effects of evacuation was a clash between urban and rural culture. The children being sent away were often poverty stricken and not used to such things as a toilet or a home cooked meal. This highlighted the divides in society but fortunately the countryside did these children a lot of good and actually helped to even out their education. Although this meant the children were often reluctant to leave. There were many flaws with evacuation, but it saved the lives of thousands of children, mothers and teachers. It demonstrated the change in the role of the government in that they were far more concerned for the welfare of the people more than ever before, even though their plans meant breaking up families.
The government had been making plans since 1936 to combat food shortages in the event of war. Rationing was introduced to ensure that despite dwindling food supplies everyone was fed enough to survive with a far and equal amount. Rationing was implemented gradually. Starting with each household filling in a form detailing every family member. They were then issued with an identity card and a ration book containing coupons to be handed in or signed by a shopkeeper with every purchase. Lord Woolton became minister of food and governed rationing as well as overseeing a propaganda campaign to ensure that people did not waste food and grew as much of their own as possible. Though they were asking a lot of the British people they were wise to do so, rationing and food management was integral to the success of the war effort. The government knew prices would rise so by introducing the coupon system they ensured that even the poorest mouths were fed: everyone had the bare necessities. This effected people in many ways. Many turned their lawns into vegetable gardens and kept livestock in their gardens to supplement their rations. When rationing was first instigated there were 800,000 allotments, this figure almost doubled by 1943. Despite the hardships Britain was generally healthier, having an enforced balanced diet. Young children grew up healthy and fewer mothers died in pregnancy because they were given milk and orange juice. Generally people responded well, they knew it was a necessary restriction to ensure everyone’s survival. The ministry of food was described as the “biggest fairest shop in the world”. People were encouraged to eat healthy food to fortify them against the threat of war: “food is a weapon of war”. The effect of potatoes to the war effort is debatable, but they were the poster vegetable for the rationing movement, potato propaganda boasted slogans such as “I’m an energy food”. The message was that eating potatoes would give you the energy to run your war errands. However there was a less favourable side to rationing. With rationing came the black market. Despite all the good that rationing did there was still a group of war profiteers working on the side known as the black-market. The black market supplied the richer classes with surplus rationed goods, causing a class divide. The government tried to stop the trade and passed several severe laws in order to bring it to a stop. This was somewhat hypocritical as recent research shows that they allowed other expensive foods to slip through the net. In the right hotels pre war food such as caviar was served to those who could afford it, a luxury reserved for the richer classes. The government did nothing to intervene, despite exerting so much control of the diet of the poorer classes. A contradiction typical of the coalition government.
Much of Britain’s military force was comprised of volunteers. Local defence volunteers were usually men between 17 and 65 and often old hands from world war one. They set about defending the country in multiple ways against German invasion. Whether or not their role in the war was necessary it helped them to feel they were doing something constructive and was good for morale. People were eager to help. The government expected 150,000, they got 250,000 in the first 24 hours by 1940 they had 1.5 million. The home guard did the jobs real soldiers didn’t have time for, relieving the normal army of less necessary activity. They took down road signs and any local clues that might help the Germans invade, patrolled the countryside and checked peoples’ identity cards. They occasionally manned anti-war-craft guns. However the home guard suffered from a lack of resources and training. A volunteer was four times more likely to die in an accident training than in actual battle. The home guard was never-the-less very successful 60%/70% of German fighter planes never made it to London. In summary “a country so defended would not be liable to be overthrown”. The home guard was an excellent accolade to the war effort, but they couldn’t do it alone.
The government needed women volunteers in the war effort, there was no avoiding it, including the women would double the work force. Their work forces in factories had been severely cut by male conscription into the army. Women were encouraged to volunteer for the WVS as well as often caring for their children and working a part-time job. However the work of women was not properly organised till 1941, by that time Britain was suffering severe labour shortages. All women were forced to register for work. In October a report was published saying 2 million women were needed. Women did the routine office, driving and domestic duties. They also worked as mechanics, welders, pilots, carpenters and even gunners on anti-aircraft guns (though they were not allowed to fight them). They drove convoys and some ever worked as code breakers in Bletchley Park. The formed a significant portion of civil defence, fire service and land army. Women far exceeded expectations, proving they could not only do the tasks men did for a living but do them better. On average a woman in a munitions factory produced 120 pieces of equipment a day compared to 100 by their male colleagues. They occupied 57% of jobs in factories. However there was still an unbalanced sense of Male superiority. This was demonstrated in the lack of equal pay, a fault of the government. Women’s pay was only 75% of men’s pay for doing the same jobs. Unattached women were also required to move around the country or travel to remote places to work in poor conditions. The Government made a big statement in allowing women to work for the war, something which other countries remained to reluctant to try. However using women doubled their work force, some might argue that the Britain we know today might have been a very different place if it weren’t for those women. This change in their perception was one of the permanent effects of the war. Though rationing was soon abandoned and evacuation became unnecessary, the British women were now instilled with a new bravery to fight for their rights.
Entertainment was another key element in keeping morale up (one of the government’s main aims). Every family had access to a radio and consequently it became an ideal way for the government to communicate with the nation. It was a way of uniting the people without the effort and expense of television transmissions. The BBC controlled the radio and became well versed in self-censorship, eliminating the need for interference from the ministry of information. This understanding showed the shared motivation behind keeping Britain going. They also showed support for the government by acquainting them with the newsreaders names, so that in the event of invasion, the British people would be able to spot and impersonator. Those reporters would broadcast accounts of British forces in action, in order to reassure the listeners that progress was being made. Morale was kept up with comedy programmes such as “Its that man again”. There were also programmes designed to encourage the British work hard, making good use of the ‘stiff upper lip’ mentality. “Music while you work” presented a positive attitude to industry in the war effort. It was astoundingly successful. The available entertainment roused a patriotic mood amongst the people of Britain and many would argue that it was those rare moments of shared fun that helped them to survive. Particular musicians synonymous with the spirit of the nation, rallying both the troops and the workers back home, encouraging them to “keep smiling through” (Vera Lynn: We’ll meet again). Film was equally useful in influencing the people. Cinema tickets were cheap, popular and readily available to the public. In 1938 980 million cinema tickets were sold. The Ministry of information used cinema as an outlet for screening short films and documentaries about coping with problems in the war, a classic demonstration of the ministry’s control over public safety and perception of the war. The films themselves were equally patriotic and made battle look attractive. Lawrence Olivier’s portrayal of Henry V glorified warfare and censoring out the gory reality, it was issued right before D-day to encourage people to stand together. The government’s involvement in entertainment illustrated how desperate they were to control morale and keep the nation happy. They needed the workers to keep going in spite of the hardships and entertainment was the best way to do so, which was why censorship against the harsh reality of the war was often necessary.
The role of the government changed extensively throughout the war years. Suddenly they had to ask more from the British people than simply their support. Those years are widely accepted as a time when Britain pulled together in spite of our differences, but recent sources show otherwise. The rich had access to better shelters and food, whilst the poor crammed into tube stations and the Government did nothing to intervene. There were multiple flaws in the Government’s plans but despite all the more concealed parts of the war effort we still won, so ultimately the Government was doing more or less the right thing. They organised and rallied Britain with a precision never seen before, showing real dedication to the Nation.