At this time, Air Raid precautions were made. The government expected thousands to be killed or injured by bombing, so hospitals were cleared ready for bomb victims, millions of cardboard coffins
were made and lime pits were dug for mass burials. People were encouraged to take shelter from bombs in their homes, either under Anderson Shelters in their gardens, in a cellar or under their stairs. People also made use of public bomb shelters – although many of these were badly built. Civilians were also all given gas masks: “Young children had blue and red ones… soldiers had very grand ones… ours had a short trunk and a large window for our eyes. The moment you put it on, the window misted up, blinding you (page 12).” Despite such things, some people were still not taking the blitz seriously: “Why not a light metal umbrella, proof against shrapnel (page 12)?” In hindsight, such attitudes were not surprising - Britain had not seen anything like the Blitz before.
Blackouts were another thing that were enforced during the Blitz. Everyone was afraid that German bombers would see lights on in the houses and bomb them. For the first few weeks, the blackout was total: “All windows, doors, skylights or openings which would show a light must be screened so that no light can be seen from outside (page 13).” But, the blackouts meant there was an increased rate in road accidents – up to 4,000 people were killed on the roads during this time. Even so, people were heavily fined for breaking the blackout.
Another effect of the Blitz, was of course the destruction that the bombs caused. Fire was a major factor that affected the bombed cities. “All these fires were obvious from high in the sky… In Belfast there was not a large number of fires but just one enormous fire (page 15).” By 1943, Britain and the USA were bombing Germany heavily. Fire bombs were causing more destruction in city after city in Britain. In early December, 3,000 fire bombs rained down on London in one night.
Along with the night raids, daylight raids continued until early October. These were designed to terrify the people in British cities so that Britain would be forced to surrender and Hitler would not have to invade Britain at all. People were angered and frightened by the bombs. However, the bombing was not heavy enough to destroy the British spirit – and people refused to surrender.
One group affected during the Blitz were the children of Britain. Because children living in the cities were in great danger at this time, many were evacuated to the country. No one had to be evacuated, but parents were told it was for the best. However, the reality of evacuation was not half the adventure it was made out to be. The children left by the train load, travelling all day – “by evening, they were tired and hungry. Some had been sick (page 21).” They were then picked by foster parents and went off “to spend the night with people they had never seen before (page 21).” Many children were very homesick and frightened, and some did not have very good experiences. “[the foster mother] could never tell who’d one it so she used to bash the daylights out of the both of us (page 26).” Many evacuees came from good homes, whilst others came from city slums. For this reason, the middle class families that they were evacuated to received numerous shocks upon their arrival. “Some children had never slept in beds. One boy had never had a bath (page 26).”
Another group affected most by the Blitz was the women of Britain. Women with children younger than five were evacuated together, if they wanted to go. Some women did not want to leave their husbands, but many did, leaving London and the other cities in trains just like the schoolchildren. Some mothers fitted in to their new surroundings right away – “I finished up at a cottage in Hertfordshire…We got on beautifully with our hosts (page 19).” Not every evacuated mother fitted in so well, though. Country life was very different to the busy lives they were used to, and many women went back home, “bombs or no bombs (page 19).”
For many women during the war, life became a dull routine of food rationing, clothes rationing, making do, queuing and worrying. Some took over their husbands businesses while they were at war, but many had families at home to look after.
The Blitz was a busy time for British women, whether they stayed in the cities or not. During the time of the Blitz, there was a severe shortage of people to work in factories and on the land. Many women were recruited for jobs in these fields. One example was the Women’s Land Army who helped on farms during the war – many women loved their new found independence and made a great success of their jobs.
The Blitz bought many changes to the life of people in Britain. Children were evacuated - sometimes to a better life, sometimes to a worse one; Women found more job opportunities – which were both a curse and a blessing; and the bombs caused destruction of Britain’s cities – sometimes reducing them to nothing but blazing piles of rubble. But, I think that the most important effect on Britain during the Blitz was the precautions that had to be taken - as these affected everyone. Whereas not everyone was hit by bombs or evacuated, all the people of Britain had to take the necessary precautions during the Blitz, taking part in Blackouts, the building of air raid shelters, etc. Nevertheless, The Blitz affected all people in Britain in one way or another.
Q3. In What Ways Did The British Government Attempt to Hide the Effects of The Blitz From The People Of Britain?
During the Blitz in Britain, people’s houses were demolished, thousands were killed and injured, shops and businesses were destroyed, food, clothes and other everyday items were rationed and every light had to be blacked out before it went dark. The war was most certainly not a happy time for the people of Britain. But the government knew that if the people got too depressed they were not going to work well or fight well. They used propaganda to try and make everybody feel that the war was worth fighting, that Britain would win, and most of all, that life was worth living.
By the beginning of the Second World War, there were many different types of propaganda, which usually came from the Ministry of Information – a department set up by the government. There were many different ways in which the government tried to hide the extensive effects of the Blitz from the people of London, and they made full use of different types of propaganda.
They used white propaganda to boost the morale of the population. They used Ministry vans to announce British successes or the results of fund raising for weapons.
Posters were used because they provided an immediate visual impact. War posters were produced, usually to remind civilians of something (for example the “Careless Talk Costs Lives” campaign).
Censorship was also a factor used during the Blitz. The government knew that if people saw pictures of death and destruction, the public would soon lose faith in their government and country. Pictures that had anything to do with war had to be approved before they could be published. So, many pictures were banned by censors. For example, A photograph dated 21 January 1943 showing bodies in sacking (Source B, page 5) was banned. The government made use of pictures showing the “positive” aspects of Britain at war – for example, a photograph published on 15th September 1940, depicting people smiling amongst the rubble, hands raised in a “thumbs up” position was published with the following caption: “During raids on London last night, some North London houses were bombed. Their houses are wrecked but the tenant of the buildings showed the British grit (Source C, page 6).” Pictures such as these kept spirits high – if they were hit, they too would have to stay strong for their country.
Because such high percentages of British people listened to the radio (not many people had televisions at this time), this was an obvious place to set up propaganda campaigns. The government gained power over the BBC, as they feared that some bad news would be broadcast and damage public morale. They broadcast a daily programme called “Kitchen Front” which helped people know how to cook properly, even with rationed foods. This was successful as it made people feel better about rationing. They also broadcast lots of comedy and music programmes, which kept spirits up. Although the BBC stressed the growing power of the RAF, they also reported British defeats. This was a good idea because it made people feel as though their government was being honest with them – increasing the citizens’ faith in their government.
Black propaganda was also used - the British produced leaflets in German so that they would look like Germans had written them. Their “down with Hitler” slogans encouraged Germans to think that there were many people who opposed Hitler and that they should rebel against him.
This constant presence of the government through its white propaganda posters, books and films was something that people were not used to – although the British public did respond to it, and all in all, the British propaganda programmes managed to keep up morale for the duration of the war.
