World war one and the events leading up to the outbreak of ww2 and the development of technology further indicated to the government that evacuation would be necessary. By taking action to prevent disasters that occurred in ww1, the British population felt that the government was doing all it could for its people. This would therefore keep the government in power.
In 1917-18 the Germans had staged 103 raids (51 by airships). These were mostly upon London and the southeast because of the limited range of the bombers. 300 tons of bombs were dropped. The British government predicted that Germany would repeat these raids in the 2nd world war. They therefore decided to evacuate as many children as possible from London and the costal areas, which were possible landing areas for the German troops. The British also had to take into account advanced technology. The air ships and bombers would have been more advanced by the 2nd world war than in the first, and so would be able to access other parts of the country and other major towns. This was one of the reasons that all major towns and cities were evacuated.
Gas was used greatly in the1WW. The British, as well as many other countries, used it. The British expected the Germans to drop gas bombs using aeroplanes or boats as the Italians had done so against the Abyssinians in 1935. During the Abyssinian crisis, it was not only gas that the Italians used but also tanks and aeroplanes. The Government was confident that in ww2, the same technology would be used, however they would be greatly improved. The use of mustard gas and the bombing of villages shocked Britain. In most previous wars, civilians were unaffected. This meant that when ww2 began, British civilians were frightened and felt vulnerable. The government needed to prevent panic throughout the country and to keep up morale, which was essential if we were to win the war. To do this they needed to make people feel safe, or at least keep children from harm.
To prevent fatal losses in 2WW, gas masks were issued to every person in Britain. However, small children could not use these masks with ease, and so gas was still a large risk. This enforced the government’s decision to evacuate children from Britain’s towns.
The German bombings of Guernica and subsequent air raids shattering the city of London showed Germany was capable of inflicting immense losses. The government further reasoned that Germany were likely to repeat these raids during world war two and once again devastate the countryside and its population to a greater extent owing to the advancement of technology. By 1939 it was predicted The air ships and bombers would have been so far advanced that they were now capable of bombing other parts of the country and other major towns not previously reached. With the threat of an invasion to this extent the government were aware of the immense loss of civilian life that could occur. Once again they wanted to safeguard the future generation of their country, for the rebuild f Britain after the war and saw that evacuating children to areas not likely to be targeted by the bombings would be a success.
On the 1st September 1939, Poland was invaded by Germany where Hitler attacked using blitzkrieg (lightening war) methods. This meant fast surprise attacks using tanks and fighter planes. Dive-bombers were used and destroyed most of the polish air force on the ground. This was a quick and easy victory for Hitler. As this method of attack was so success, Britain assumed that Hitler would not hesitate to use this type of attack against them. All of the children in towns or villages near air bases were in immediate danger from the being of the war. If the Government had decided against evacuation of children from these places, thousands of children would have been killed, lowering morale and reducing the chance of staying in power.
Following on from this change is technology; there are many other causes of evacuation.
The Second World War was a total war, which meant that no country could win without the support of their civilians. Without this, nothing can be made in the factories and the economy comes to a complete standstill, forcing the country to surrender. The war was predicted to be long and tedious, and morale was essential. By evacuating children, the country felt confident that the government was taking action to ensure people’s safety during the war. This meant tat morale was heightened. Also, with the children safely in the countryside, women were now free to work in the factories.
The aim of bombing was to cause panic and disruption. Evacuating children reduced the panic caused. It meant that women did not have to distress about their children and could concentrate on other things. As millions of men joined the army in the 2nd world war, women were needed to work in the factories to produce arms and supplies. They could work the necessary hours only if they had no children to look after. The evacuation of children enabled women who sent their children to do this. The government were keen throughout the war to evacuate as many children as possible and free women to work.
It was inevitable that millions of soldiers and civilians would be injured throughout the war and need medical attention. It would have been unavoidable that all hospitals would have been full. The evacuation of children enabled women to work full time in the hospitals and minimise casualties when the towns were bombed. The nurses could therefore spend more time healing soldiers.
The British government decided upon the evacuation of children for many reasons including experiences from ww1, protecting the future generation, enabling women to work during the war and to maintain in power. However I feel that the most important contribution to the decision of evacuation was the change in technology. Without the new inventions of gas, tanks and airplanes, the majority of Britain’s towns would have been safe from attack. With no towns in danger, there would be no need to evacuate children and civilians would have been unaffected by the war. However, there was a large development in technology and so evacuation was essential to winning the war. The evacuation proved a great success and the government’s decision to evacuate was certainly the right choice. Millions of lives were spared and the war may not have been won if the decision had not been made.
Bibliography
- Arthur Marwick Britain in the century of total war
- Official record of the houses of parliament Hansard
- Tom Harrisson ‘living through the blitz’
- Michael Rawcliffe ‘Britain at war 1939-45
- Peter fisher, Nicholas Williams past into present
- AJP Taylor English history 1914-1945
- Austrian journalist, Noel Monks writing about Guernica in Spain.