were uncomfortable, damp and dark. Sometimes, the air raid sirens would
start in the middle of the night, and people would be half asleep as they ran to
the air raid shelters. As well as personal shelters, the government built public
air raid shelters. Many people disliked using these because they were dirty,
smelly and badly built. A source which illustrates the effects of air raids is
source A4. This source is an eyewitness account, and it secondary, even
though it is based on primary information. It tells us what happened during
one air raid, from the point of view of a little girl. It is a good source because
it is very descriptive, informative and it shows what effects air raids had on
people, plus the fact that the little girl was there means that we have an
eyewitness account. However, because it is a recalled source, some key facts
may have become exaggerated, and there is possible bias in saying that the
little girl's shelter, which was built by her father, was the best. We know this
from the following quotation. "Tutankhamen's tomb had nothing on it
because he was a builder and he ysed to swear that no bomb would destroy
that."
Another factor which effected people during World War II was the Home
Guard. The Home Guard begun on the 14th May 1940, and large numbers of
men between the ages of 16 and 65 were trained to fight against invading
German soldiers. Overall, 1.5 million men joined the Home Guard, and one
sixth of those joined on the first day. The men were very keen and
determined to win the war. A source that illustrates the Home Guard is
source A2. It is a secondary source, based on primary information. It's an
interview with someone who was in the Home Guard. The source is useful
for finding out effects because it is informative and tells us how the men were
effected. However, the old man's age questions the reliability of the source,
because he may have forgotten the key parts during his days in the Home
Guard, and this source is only one view, we don't know how widespread the
events were.
Safety played an important part during World War II. The Government
decided to give out gas masks, and overall 38 million were given out.
Everyone was made to wear one, even babies. People were not allowed into
public venues without a gas mask on. The effects gas masks had on people
can be illustrated by source A5, which is a primary poster, informing people
and telling them to always to wear their gas masks. It is useful because the
message is clear, it shows what people had to face, and is a good example of
propaganda. However, is doesn't say whether the poster was effective or not,
and doesn't say whether many people were influenced by it. Source A6 also
illustrates the importance of safety. It is a photograph of nurses holding new
born babies, all of which are wearing gas masks. This is a good source,
because it is showing what happened at the time, but it doesn't have any
written information about safety, and it needs factual backup to make it
reliable.
Evacuation also played a major factor in effective people throughout World
War II. Evacuation started on Friday 1st September, and thousands and
thousands of children were moved from large cities to the countryside. Some
children had never been away from home before, so it was scary for them.
Parents and their children were separated, not knowing whether or not they
would see each other again. However, not all children were left alone on their
journeys. School children went with their friends and teachers, and children
under 5 went with their mothers. A source that illustrates evacuation is source
B1. It is a government leaflet, explaining evacuation. It tells us the main
people who went, and where the evacuees went. It is a useful source because
it is informative about what processes occurred during an evacuation
process, and is reliable because it was made by the government. However, it
is not useful for finding out the effects evacuation had to people because it
doesn't tell you how people felt and whether or not the leaflet was effective or
not.
Bombing was another factor which effected people during World War II.
The government knew that cities were going to be bombed, and also knew
that gas could also be used. Gas was a weapon which could be dropped
from aeroplanes. There were several types of gas, all poisonous. When
people breathed the gas in, they would die, coughing and spluttering. Bombs
were dropped all over Britain, including Wales. In total, 985 people in Wales
died, and 1221 were seriously injured. Swansea and Cardiff were the worse
effected places because they had a large population and were by the coast. A
source which illustrates the effect bombing had on people is source B5,
which is an eyewitness account from a 5 and a half year old girl. She tells the
interviewer what happened when her house was hit by a bomb. The source is
useful because this person was there when it happened, is informative and it
tells us how the family was effected. However, the source is also weak
because it is recalled, which means that the person could exaggerate or miss
some key points that happened, and because this is 1 view, we don't know
how widespread the bombings were.
Another factor that effected people during World War II was the role of
women. Women were made to do war work, because most of the men had
been called up to go into the forces. Women's forces were set up in 1940,
and ranged from the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the Auxiliary
Territorial Service. However, women didn't usually fight. Instead they
became cooks, typists and some drove cars to aid men. A source which
illustrates the role of women is source C1, which is an advertisement asking
women to join the National Service. The source is useful because it tells us a
wide range of jobs that women could do, and it also shows us the
government's tactics and intentions, which included sending women to do
mens jobs, and to increase the war effort. However, the source doesn't tell us
the effects women had on people, it doesn't tell us whether or not the source
was effective or not, and is doesn't say if it was a major contribution to the
war effort.
Munitions factories also effected people during World War II. Munitions
factories, or arsenals, meant that lots of jobs were available, and many places
in Wales such as Treforest, Hirwaun and Bridgend had one. A source that
tells us the effects of working in an arsenal is source C2. It is an eyewitness
account from someone who actually worked in a munitions factory. It is a
good source because to analyses both the good points and the bad point of
working in an arsenal. It also tells us the effects and it is primary. However,
because it is a recalled source, which means that the person could have
forgotten or exaggerated key points that occurred, we are unsure of the
reliability of it, and also, we don't know how widespread these incidents
were.
The Land Army played an important role in effecting people throughout
World War II. The Land Army was set up to get women to work on farms
and grow crops and vegetables. By 1943, there were 90,000 women had
enrolled. The Land Army wasn't paid very well, roughly £2.40 per week. A
source that tells us about the Land Army is source C3, which is a
government poster getting women to enroll. It is a useful source because it is
primary evidence and shows us the tactics that the government used.
However, it doesn't tell us what effects The Land Army had on people, and
neither does it tell us how effective The Land Army was.
Another factor that effected people throughout World War II was salvage,
and the role of children. Salvage was rubbish that was collected because it
was useful. The most important metal was aluminium because is was strong,
and also very light. Many people were enthusiastic, and gave pots and pans
to be used to make aeroplanes. In two months, 1000 tons of aluminium was
given. Children were very good at collecting rubbish because they were keen
and energetic. They were also easily conned, because they would believe
anything. A source that illustrates this is source C5, an eyewitness account
from someone talking about collecting salvage as a child. The source is
useful because he was actually there, it tells us some of the effects on
children, and it shows us how the children contributed to the war effort.
However, it is a recalled source, which means that the person could forget or
exaggerate key points. The person was also at a young age, which could
influence what he remembers and what he doesn't. We don't know whether
the con was repeated elsewhere, and it doesn't say how widespread the
incidents were.
Mining played an important part on the effects of people throughout World
War II. Mining was one of many jobs that helped to win the war, and was
done instead of joining the army. Miners dug coal that ran the factories. Boys
as young as 18 were sent to work in the mines. It was hard work and
tiresome and the younger men didn't like it. A source that illustrates this is
source C4, a primary eyewitness account from someone who used to work
in the mines during World War II. It is a useful source for finding out the
effects of people during World War II because it tells us the feelings and
risks the person had. It also tells us that men also did jobs apart from
working in the forces. However, the source is recalled, and there is possible
bias involved. Also, the source doesn't tell us anything about what conditions
the miners had to endure.
The final factor which effected people during World War II was the Dig
For Victory campaigns. The majority of food eaten in Britain before World
War II started was imported from other countries like Africa, Spain and Italy.
However, imports and exports were stopped during World War II because
of the increased risk of bombing. Farmers were asked to plant more wheat
and ordinary people were asked to dig up their gardens to plant vegetables.
Most people were keen and vegetables filled gardens. Public parks planted
vegetables instead of flowers, and many factories used open ground to grow
vegetables. In 1942, over 1.5 million people had allotments. People also
reared animals such as pigs and goats to fatten up and kill for meat. This was
popular among people. A source that illustrates Dig For Victory is source
C8, a government poster informing people about Dig For Victory. The
source is useful because it shows the tactics and ideas the government used
to encourage people to help win the war. However, the source doesn't show
us how widespread Dig For Victory was around Britain. It doesn't show us
how people were effected by the Dig For Victory campaigns, and it doesn't
give us any information.
Conclusion
World War II made a huge impact on the lives of people in Britain. The
risk of air raids, bombing and ground attacks meant that many poeple were
scared, and stayed in their air shelters in case of an attack. The risk of air
attacks meant that imports and exports to and from Britain were slowed
down, and people's diets changed. Most weekly meals were monotonous,
and dull. Food like wheat, bananas and oranges were unable to be imported
into Britain. This was very hard on people, because rationing meant that
meals were smaller, and women had to cook with very little. Women were
allowed to do mens jobs, such as factory workers and ambulance drivers.
The jobs the women did meant that the men could go and fight. Most women
worked in munitions factories, or arsenals. There were many munitions
factories in Wales, and people from all over went to work in them. This was
good for local ecomony, and unemployment went down.
In 1945, on November 11th, the war was over. The bombing of German
cities meant that Hitler commited suicide, and the Nazi party collapsed. After
six years of fighting, Europe was finally at peace.