World War Two broke out on the 3rd September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.
Introduction
World War Two broke out on the 3rd September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Every single person in Britain was affected by this outbreak - regardless of class or gender. Lives were changed dramatically; families were ripped apart by the enforcement of conscription and evacuation; businesses collapsed by the introduction of rationing and the destruction left behind by the Blitz. Superficially, the war was not a positive experience, but setting aside all the bloodshed, it subconsciously brought together the people of Britain in a burgeoning of patriotism, culminating in the Home Front becoming one firmly rooted in nationalism.
Men's Roles
Conscription was introduced in May 1939 and all eligible men were forced to join the armed forces. Conscientious objection, an offence punishable by imprisonment in World War One, was recognised in WW2 as a legitimate moral stand. Objectors had two choices; to go into the military but serve in non-combat duties, or to do alternative services such as ambulance driving.
The Home Guard was a collection of men, either too old, too young or too unfit to join the Army or the Navy. Men who played important roles in society, e.g. medics, could also join as they were excluded from conscription. Within two hours of the Home Guard beginning, 250,000 males joined and at its peak. 1 1/2 million were members! They were trained as soldiers in case of an invasion. 'I joined the Home Guard in 1944' claims Shadrak Taylor, a war veteran, 'and we would work non-stop from 6.30am to 5.00pm'. This source does not give us that much information about the Home Guard, and even though one man may have worked these long hours, he may have been in the minority. We do not know how old Taylor is, or why he joined the Home Guard instead of the Army. As this was almost sixty years ago, we cannot rely fully on what is said because the memory of the person may have deteriorated during this time, as it was written in 2001. We can therefore use this source to support others of its kind, but alone it is not very useful or reliable.
Propaganda
Throughout the war, Government popularity was seen to fluctuate greatly with defeats and victories. To combat the problem of deflated morale, Neville Chamberlain, the current Prime Minister, established a Ministry of Information to deal with propaganda. Its aim was to propagate, or spread, positive ideas concerning the government and to encourage people to support their nation.
The above source was issued by the Ministry of Information when it began in 1939. It is a poster designed to evoke optimism and make people work hard to contribute to the war effort. The adjective 'your' has been underlined to emphasize the qualities that the British population possess; it is encouraging them by instantaneously boosting their morale. A prime example of the government's intentions, this source epitomises the sanguine attitude that the Ministry wanted to instil in the minds of the people.
Propaganda was not just used to promote cheerfulness; it also provided more serious advice for the people. Source A2 of the booklet informs us that J.B. Priestley, a BBC radio broadcaster of the time, declared on national radio, 'It so happens that this war, whether those at present in authority like it or not, has to be fought as a citizens' war'. As a supporter of left-wing politics, it is to be expected that he would favour a more socialist view, and so this situation may not actually have been the case but just Priestley's interpretation of it. He was also an author as well as a radio presenter, indicating a penchant for sensationalising events and playing up situations.
Priestly was not the only one to take this view; Winston Churchill appointed as Prime Minister in 1940, also highlighted the Total War situation. He commented during the first term of his position that 'the whole of the warring nations are engaged... the entire population, men, women and children.' He obviously knew that his voice would be heard and his message taken notice of, so he used this to his advantage. Around the country, propaganda portrayed Churchill as the epitome of daring and determination - he became a national figure of heroism.
The 'careless talk costs lives' ...
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Priestly was not the only one to take this view; Winston Churchill appointed as Prime Minister in 1940, also highlighted the Total War situation. He commented during the first term of his position that 'the whole of the warring nations are engaged... the entire population, men, women and children.' He obviously knew that his voice would be heard and his message taken notice of, so he used this to his advantage. Around the country, propaganda portrayed Churchill as the epitome of daring and determination - he became a national figure of heroism.
The 'careless talk costs lives' campaign proved to be very successful; as well as becoming a popular catchphrase for WW2, it also raised awareness of this extremely important subject.
Shocking images, such as the 'WANTED FOR MURDER' poster above, were used to damn anyone who was not cautious enough to speak about the war in public, whereas the poster on the right depicts an altogether more evocative message, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. Both are examples of propaganda distributed by the government during the 'careless talk' campaign.
Evacuation
Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany by radio broadcast on 3rd September 1939.Two days before, evacuation had begun in preparation for the German bomber attacks that Britain was expecting, although in a Ministerial broadcast the previous evening the Minster of Health, Mr Walter Elliot, explained that the evacuation was only a precaution.
Whilst children under five were escorted by their mothers to rural parts of the country, those exceeding this age were torn away from their families to be taken with their school and teachers to places regarded as safe, for example Wales. Bombings were not expected in places like this as they did not have vital factories or munitions stores, much less a huge population like cities such as London and Coventry. Others were to be evacuated too; expectant mothers and the mentally & physically handicapped were just a few of the masses of people, three million in total, that were to be moved around the country in drastic security measures.
This poster is propaganda designed
by the Ministry of Health. It is reliable because it is a primary source, from 1939 when evacuation began. There would be no reason for somebody to forge the document so we can assume that it is trustworthy. It is very useful to historians as it tells us how evacuation was encouraged by the government, insinuating that they knew how heavy the bombing would be and wanted to cut the bloodshed by as much as they could, although it is obviously biased and produced in their interest.
The evacuation process was a gigantic operation requiring a huge amount of organisation. People were urged not to travel by train between the hours of 9.00am and 6.00pm so as to avoid congesting the national transport system. Large companies such as the Stock Exchange were closed so that people did not have to travel to work.
'The Prime Minister has asked me to make it quite clear that this (evacuation) does not mean that war is inevitable...this is an insurance', came the calm and collected voice of Elliot over the loudspeakers of millions of wireless radios on the 31st August, according to an article published in the Daily Mail that same day. It is useful to us because it shows that the government, although in very stressful circumstances, took the time to reassure the people of Britain and instil hope in them yet. However, it does not mean that war was not inevitable: the Prime minister obviously did not want to make his citizens more anxious and apprehensive than they already were and could have been lulling them into a false sense of security. The paper that it has been extracted from was a respectable one, but it is only somebody's version of what was said, and probably is not word perfect. Even so, the journalist writing the article would still have got the gist of what was said, making the source fairly reliable. The source is a primary one and therefore more trustworthy than a secondary source as it was produced on the same day as the announcement.
Child evacuees waving goodbye from their train, 1940
'Carrie's War' was a book centred on the difficulties and deprivations of evacuees, written by the author Nina Bawden in 1993. It provides us with lots of insights into the lives of children who have been evacuated, such as 'insert quote here'. It is useful to people with a curiosity concerning wartime evacuation as the book captures the children's feelings perfectly and the story is plausible, but to a historian it has no reliability because it is a secondary source and, although it is based on fact, is a fictional tale. The fact that it was written so long after WW2 implies that even if the author researched her work, we do not know to what extent, nor whether she used primary or secondary sources. The author could be biased due to one particular story regarding evacuation, and the fact that the book is so evocative and moving suggests some degree of sensationalism.
Air Raids
ARP (Air Raid Precautions) preparations began in 1938, before the outbreak of war, so that British civilians would be ready for any eventuality. Liddell Hart, advisor to the British Government during the war, had made public his predictions concerning German bombers during early 1939: 'nearly a quarter of a million casualties from air raids might be anticipated in the first week of a new war'.
Air Raid Wardens were mostly part-time volunteers; money was not needed as an incentive to join as the war-effort was motivation itself. It was mainly organisational work, nothing too strenuous but important all the same. An air raid warden would have a number of duties, including checking that the blackout rules were being correctly applied. 'Put that light out!' became a popular slogan amongst ARP wardens and failure to comply with their stringent regulations could lead to harsh punishment, including hefty fines or appearances in court. It wasn't just houses & businesses that were forced to hide all lights; headlights and streetlights were also prohibited, as well as the red glow of a cigarette. White clothing was advised for pedestrians.
According to John Cannon, author of British History, 'Road accidents increased by approximately 67% and the number of people killed in Britain as a direct result of the blackout more than doubled.' Although he makes a valid point which is backed up by many sources, the use of statistics is misleading; figures can be manipulated to prove any opinion and should not always be taken at face value. It may be the case that there were only a tiny number of road accidents prior to 1939, so double this small amount would still not amount to a huge loss of lives. Also, Cannon is a contemporary historian and is obviously relying on other sources to support his argument, and we do not know if these were primary or secondary nor how useful or reliable they are.
Civilians were pressured to be constantly vigilant of the situation and everybody was issued with a gas mask; it was advisable to carry this around at all times. An ARP warden's report in 1939 told of one man being 'horribly sick after half a minute (of wearing the gas mask)...has been feeling nauseated ever since'. This being a primary source, we can assume it is truthful and reliable because the repugnant smell of rubber would have been strong, although the warden could have been exaggerating for the sake of effect.
Shelters
At the peak of the Blitz in September 1940, 79 London Underground stations were being used as shelters, and 177,000 Londoners were sleeping in the tube system. Authorities forbid the use of these stations as air raid shelters, but they were eventually pressured to give in by mobs of civilians who ignored the prohibition.
The Anderson shelter was distributed by the government in preparation for the bombing of British cities. They were designed for people living in high risk areas to construct in their gardens. People with an annual salary of £250 or more were charged £7; others were given one free of charge. In 1940, a minister commissioned the Morrison shelter for houses without gardens, to be placed inside a suitable room.
One of the most unforgettable events of WW2 concerning shelters was the Bethnal Green Tube disaster of March 3rd 1943. A government enquiry transcript extract states that 'at 8.17pm precisely, the alert sounded and people went running to the shelter'. In the ten minutes following the alarm, approximately 1500 people entered the tube station. Chaos broke out and 'in a matter of seconds...(there was) an interlaced mass of bodies five or six deep at the bottom of the stairs.' 173 people died that night in the deadliest civilian incident of World War Two (no bombs were actually dropped on Bethnal Green on this occasion). The source, printed in The Era of the Second World War', can be classed as reliable as it is an official document released by the government and is a primary source. Precise details such as '8.17pm' show how thorough the investigation was, and mandatory government reports obviously require meticulous inspection. The document was written in an impartial style with no clear indication of biased opinions, therefore it can be considered of great use to historians.
The Blitz
On the 24th August 1940, a flight of German bombers lost their way and dropped bombs on London. Britain was outraged and retaliated the very next day by attacks on Berlin. Hitler named the British RAF 'night gangsters' and promised retribution, and soon ordered his planes to make an all-out attack on cities and civilian centres instead of and sometimes as well as his previous targets, airfields and factories. The Blitz began on 7th September, and the scale of the attack rapidly escalated. In just 24 nights in September, when the Blitz was at its peak, the Luftwaffe dropped 5300 tonnes of high explosives in just 24 nights.
The term Blitzkrieg, or 'Lightening War', was applied to the concentrated bombing of direct targets that the Nazis employed during the years of 1940 & 1941. It was designed to destroy the morale of Londoners in preparation for an invasion.
By December 1941, when the horrific bombing had finally ceased, approximately 60,000 civilians had been killed and 3 1/2 million homes had been damaged or destroyed; in fact more British civilians had been killed in air raids than British soldiers in battle. The decimation committed by both the Spitfires & Hurricanes used by the British RAF and the German's Luftwaffe air force was so severe that some contemporaries claim that they constitute as war crimes. The devastation and disruption took years to restore to order and, almost 65 years on, people are still suffering as a direct result of the Blitz.
The picture, left, shows a child victim of the Blitz. The source claims she is an amputee and has lost her legs from the knee down but as we have no visual evidence of this there is no proof. The photograph could have been staged for publication purposes.
Coventry was one of the worst hit areas, with the infamous raid of November 14th 1940, when ten hours of relentless bombardment (a tactic later emulated on an even greater scale by the RAF in their attacks on German cities) were experienced by the inhabitants of this unfortunate city. It was almost destroyed by the bombs, 500 tonnes in total, claimed many lives.
Throughout the air raid campaigns, the East End bore the brunt of the bombing, because of the docks situated there. The poorest in London also lived there due to cheap accommodation, and under wartime restrictions they could not leave their homes and move elsewhere, so they simply adapted to the constant nocturnal bombing and developed what became known as 'war-time spirit'. Heavy bombing steadily obliterated much of this part of London. When the King and Queen visited the East End they were booed; the West End and Central London, where Buckingham Palace is located, had not received much damage. When the West End was badly bombed, Queen Elizabeth said: 'I'm glad we've been bombed - it makes me feel I can look the East End in the eye'.
Women's Roles
Then Women's Land Army formed in the First World War and continued its efforts in WW2. By 1944, it was 80,000 strong and the 'Grow Your Own' campaign largely contributed to Britain's food supplies, especially vegetables. The 'Dig for Victory' slogan became an incredibly popular catchphrase, due to conscription 100,000 farm workers were no longer producing food and women compensated for this loss with their Land Army. Other services that women could enrol in included the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) & the WRNS (Women's Royal Naval Service).
Women welders at work during the Second World War
Women also went to work in heavy industries such as chemicals, engineering, steel and munitions. They made tanks, guns, shells and aircraft, doing the jobs of men who had been forced to go to war.
Conclusion
By collating all my evidence and looking at it objectively as I have done in this project, I can conclude that every single person in Britain was affected by WW2 in some way to some extent, regardless of creed or class. The experience of war was both positive and negative, uniting British people by a common goal: to triumph over the evil of Nazi Germany. Many innocent lives were lost; their heroic deeds will be forever commemorated.
Bibliography
* The Era of the Second World War
John Murray
* Carrie's War Nina Bawden
* www.ww2poster.co.uk
* www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo
* www.historyplace.com/worldwar2
* www.onwar.com
* www.iwm.org.uk/collections/photos/WW2album.htm
