In what ways were the lives of children on the home front affected by the Second World War?
The Second World War started on the 1st September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland but Britain declared war on Germany on the 3rd. There were two sides to the war Britain and her allies, and Germany and Japan. During the war children were affected drastically. Many children had different experiences and so people of the age give different portrayals of the war. In this coursework I will be investigating the question "What impact did the Second World War have on the lives of children?". The question means to show how children were affected during World War Two. I shall only be discussing the effects on children "The forgotten victims of World War Two were the children" is an interpretation by Juliet Gardiner and I shall look at it's reliability throughout the coursework. During this coursework I will be focusing on the following aspects that affected children in the war: rationing, the blitz and evacuation. I will look at many sources which will help me review how children were affected during this time. I will look at primary and secondary sources. I will look at film representations of how the war affected children such as "Hope and Glory" . I will mostly look at adults or children's written accounts of the war and photos taken at the time but I will also review interpretations from Juliet Gardiner and other Historians.
In the following section I will look at the topic of life during the war and how it affected children.
Some positive effects of the life during the war for children were the 'Cog Scheme', the showing of new films and for some children the enjoyment of being bombed. The Cog Scheme was designed so that children could get involved during the War and they felt responsible for salvaging objects from peoples homes. The children would collect things such as scrap aluminium, pans, pots and rubber. This was good for the children's development but also for the war effort. Children now felt responsible that they were doing something for the war but at the same time having fun so while this went on they had a 'Cog Song'. Children went round in groups and had a good time. During the War there were other things to distract children such as, films allowing children to escape from the harshness of War. Films like 'Dumbo' were made to show children what's happening in the War and escape into a world of fantasy. Before films started there were overviews about the War but often children thought it was annoying that they couldn't watch the films because outside, bombings may be happening all the time and so they would have to leave the cinema. Some children would find it fun to look up at the bombs being dropped and sometimes they would dance under them. This is shown well in 'Hope and Glory'. But what if your house did get bombed?
Some negative affects of the war were the fear of bombing
and the Interruption of Schooling. The fear of bombing affected many children. If you were a young child and you went to school or to the air raid shelter then you might come back to a home in pieces or just wonder whether there would be a home to live in again. This sometimes meant the closure of schools that were used as air raid shelters or were bombed. This meant that many children's schooling was interrupted which eventually meant that generation of young primary school children's education was of a much lower standard. For example some of this generation of children learnt to read and write after the war ended which means that even now their writing is very hard to read. It was mainly the primary school children that suffered and they didn't learn the basic literacy and numeracy which means that only 10% were taught educationally. In 'danger areas' like London or Coventry, primary school children were affected even more as many schools were closed and children might only get an education if they were evacuated, but not in all cases. This also affected other ages of children. There were less schools so there were different ranges of children being taught together. This could slow down the development of older children. One example is that they could be held back from a job that could help the family.
The source C1 shows two girls at a beach in Dover looking longingly through barbed wire. Their expressions are of wonder and disappointment with pointless buckets and spades. I can see that it was produced near a beach in Dover during the summer of 1940 but does not show who it is taken by. It could have been taken for propaganda reasons by a professional photographer so people saw children were safe from Nazi invasion. However, if it was taken by some parents or friends then it could be showing that they are proud of their children or that they are very daring to be so near the sea. During May 1940- December 1941 Britain was on its own ,as France had fallen. As a result, many of the beaches were closed. If the Nazis invaded by sea then Britain would be ready but ,as it happens, they attacked by air. We can trust this source because it's taken at the time, it gives a wider idea about children's impacts during wartime and also that many children may have experienced this disappointment as I have seen another source similar to this. On the other hand, we can't trust it because it could have been censored and we don't know who produced this picture so all we can do is guess. The source shows how children were affected during the war and at this time many children were suffering because of the Fall of France, meaning that there was a tighter grasp on Britain's children. It proves that Britain's beaches were closed and Dover is one of Britain's main ports, however it is not useful because you see how it has affected a minority of children as many children didn't have the time or money to go to the seaside with the rest of their family and also some children found others ways to have fun as they may sneak onto the beach or play on bomb sites. In some ways this source is good because it was made at the time and it is true to what was happening at the time however we don't know how the children got so near the sea and we don't know who took the photograph.
However during some periods such as the Phoney War and Blitz things were slightly different. The following section will be focusing on the above topic and how children were affected by these times.
During the Phoney War (September 1st 1939- end of 1939) children learnt many vital skills to help them during the war and this helped them prepare for true war. Positive effects and negative effects of this time were that children learnt how to put their gas mask on and the beginning of blackouts. Children learnt how to put on gas masks, which would protect ...
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However during some periods such as the Phoney War and Blitz things were slightly different. The following section will be focusing on the above topic and how children were affected by these times.
During the Phoney War (September 1st 1939- end of 1939) children learnt many vital skills to help them during the war and this helped them prepare for true war. Positive effects and negative effects of this time were that children learnt how to put their gas mask on and the beginning of blackouts. Children learnt how to put on gas masks, which would protect the children in the future and also provide a way of protection if they saw a bomb. However children found this a scary experience because children couldn't see what was happening in the outside world and they smelt bad, which meant that young children might refuse to put them on. So to protect children at night trees were painted fluorescent colours, to help people see in the dark so the children weren't as worried if their mother's went out in the dark. But many kerbs and roads were painted black which made it hard to see in the dark and many people got run over by buses. So for some children they may have found their mother never returned from rushing to the post office. Many children in London weren't let out at night because it was very dangerous and mother's wouldn't risk their children's lives. However there was another way people died.
The Blitz (1940-41 and 1942-43) was a time when all techniques
developed during the phoney war came to good use. Some positive and negative effects were not knowing the seriousness of war and the building of shelters. Many children played games during this time , not knowing the seriousness of war, these games could be anything from shrapnel collection to watching dog fights. However not knowing the seriousness of war would make it harder when they lost loved ones or if they found that their school had closed. Some boys acted like their fathers and bought cigarettes and joined gangs to look cool which wasn't good for their future so they still didn't realise that the war was serious. They built shelters like Anderson shelters which protected the citizens of large in the areas they lived in and building shelters meant that children didn't get as affected as all they had to do was go into the shelter so their family was safe. However ,depending on the type of shelter, these shelters weren't always safe being weak and prone to either falling down or people trampling on each other. So even though it protected children family members may be injured or killed so children would be negatively affected.
The source B1 shows that Bernard Kops and his family regularly went to shelter on the London Underground and explains how they put up a 'tent' of scarves but after this ordeal they relaxed, ate sandwiches and had they're spirits running high (for a while) thinking that they shall see another day. The Blitz must have been happening as many people sheltered in the London underground for safety however it's a surprise Bernard survived as many died from stampedes of people trying to shelter on the London underground. It was produced by a young boy named Bernard Kops and is a generalisation of what happened during an air raid for him and his family. It was made in either 1940 - 1941 or 1942-1943 because he talks about what happens during air raids in London. This was produced either because Bernard wanted to reflect on his thoughts of the Blitz or to show how his family survived in this dreadful time. At this time many people sheltered from the air raids, often in the London Underground because it was hard to destroy as it was a strong structure unlike the Anderson shelters. This source is reliable because it was made during the time, shows a positive affect of the Blitz on children and also shows how boys were perceived as the father of the family. However it's not reliable because we don't know when it was produced, it is a general overview of what happened, we don't know whether Bernard actually wrote this piece and also it may have been censored. This source is useful because it shows how children gained an enjoyable experience and effect from the war as the source shows how grown up children have become and also that the Blitz didn't misshape the positive thoughts of living another day within a family. However this could have a negative effect on children because they have grown up too quickly and also they are experiencing traumatic things. This source is good because it was written at the time, it shows how people sheltered and how many London children were affected. However it only shows part of the situation, we don't know when the source was made and we don't know how children in other area of Britain were affected.
However, in contrast to this, evacuation affected children in many other ways as children had to be sent away and live with new parents unlike phoney war and the blitz where it focused on elements of learning about the war.
The positive affects of evacuation were that it began very early in the war and that children were evacuated in School Parties. Evacuation began in September 1939 and over 1 million were sent away when war broke out. This could allow children to believe that a true war was going to break out but also they would be confused because they have been sent away. When they were evacuated some evacuees learnt words from other countries such as Welsh and being in areas that are less likely to be attacked meant that they were less likely to be bombed and children were safer. The government needed to stop mothers from not allowing their children to be evacuated so many children (393,700) left London in school parties, so mothers couldn't change their minds about sending them away. Being in school parties meant that children were happy about evacuation. There will sometimes be the understanding of other cultures when they arrived in their new home - from city children to country folk however there was also culture clashes within this understanding.
The negative effects were the things they had to bring,
mothers keeping children at home and culture clashes. The things they had to bring amounted to many clothes coupons and money. Even the poorest children had to find all the items. Depending on wealth, they would pack it in a suitcase, pillowcase or brown paper parcels. This is negative because the richer evacuees could make fun of poorer evacuees. Even with children having to bring all these items some mothers changed their minds about it (at the station) and might have to reapply for evacuation. With children at home they are in more danger. If children were evacuated then sometimes culture clashes happened between children when they arrived in there new home or returned to their original home. The ones who went abroad had different games to ones who went to the country or stayed at home. If one child said "can I bash you" then another child might not know what they meant and this led to confusion of previous relationships. Also, many children would also miss being away from their parents and familiar surroundings and wouldn't have a good experience of evacuation.
In Source A5 it shows that Irene was sent to Stratford-Upon-
Avon and was apple season. There were loads of apples that people left outside gates for people. She was utterly surprised when she found out that apples came from trees. During the evacuation many children found out things that astonished them such as where crops come from. It looks like it was written by Irene Weller in Stratford-Upon-Avon sometime in the war. It sounds like a diary account or letter. This may have been written because Irene wanted to write about what had happened to her so she could look back on it, she wrote it for her mother or it was propaganda that has been put in a newspaper so Irene had to write this. This source was written during a time when many children found out new things and this shows that some children that went to Stratford-Upon-Avon learnt about apples. This source is reliable because it shows how children found out about new things during the war and shows a child's fascination of the finding of real apples however it's not reliable because she is a child and may have over exaggerated her writing. We don't know when it was written or if it's been censored for propaganda. This is useful because it shows how children were affected, learnt new things during the war and also that during the war children living in cities thought that fruit and vegetables came from shop windows however this isn't useful because children during this time always learnt new things so this is shown in many other sources and also that many children were evacuated and wrote about their experiences at this time. In some ways this source is good because it shows that children didn't know apples came from trees, that children were negatively affected by war, that apples were not well known and the realisation of new things however we don't know when it was made and that children were growing up too quickly. The significance of this source is that the apples show that children in cities were learning about rural life and where their food comes from.
In the source from Alexander Fruin it shows that Alexander was
evacuated to Norfolk but the rest of his family to Nottinghamshire. He lived with a farm labourer, his wife and child in a 2 bed house with a privy down the garden. Small main meals of potatoes and sometimes meat. He helped on the farm and at harvest he tried to catch rabbits with local boys but was always unsuccessful. Winter was horrible and one day snow was piled to the top of the door. He returned home before war ended. This is a recollection of evacuation and was produced by Alexander Fruin in August 2008. This was produced to show an insight to the war, what happened to his family and how children were affected by evacuation and also for personal gain so he knew what had happened to him on paper. At this time(1941-45) the blitz, Pearl Harbour and D-Day happened so, many children were evacuated. This source is reliable because it shows how children were affected and his recollection of what happened during specific times of the year. As it was written by an adult it gives a better perception of what happened during evacuation but it only shows the goodness in what has happened. It was not made at the time, memories may have become faded and it may have been censored. It is useful because it shows the affects on children at this time and also that some children didn't get on with their foster parents whilst on evacuation. But this doesn't show how children felt at the time as he may have felt in a totally different way when he was a child so this also shows that children were affected in different ways when they were evacuated. This could have been perceived differently because some perceptions involved during the war could have changed as he may have forgotten or warped some of the aspects of how children were affected during the war and evacuation. This source could have been censored to show aspects of evacuation in a different light. Also it doesn't show how children were affected overall because he only talks about how he has been affected, not other children.
Alongside evacuation was rationing which continued throughout the war and affected every child's life in different ways.
The positive effects of rationing were that there were ration booklets, equality between classes and also the black market. Ration booklets were designed for use of the people they were made for, on the date specified on the coupons. Due to this people got their fair share. Sometimes a family or community saved up for ingredients for a wedding cake or material for the wedding dress. This was allowed because there were food and clothes rations. This took a lot of time and effort but after these strains a couple could get married. Children just watched this happen but the leftovers from the wedding could nourish them for a while. However, as well as ration booklets there was the illegal black market to feed your family. Although expensive it held items that could help you survive longer. It fed your children well which meant they thought your family was doing well. With rationing in place it meant that more people had equal amounts of food. Even all restaurants, except 6 plush hotels in London, had to charge 5 shillings (25p) for a meal. Which meant that anyone could get a meal for a special occasion.
The negative effects of rationing were the stealing of ration
Booklets, the black market, the lack of food and confectionery. During air raids some children broke into other peoples homes to take peoples ration booklets. This could have encouraged them to steal later in life. If you "lost" your ration booklet you could get another but some got carried away and got loads for different ration booklets. Children had food coming to their mouths but saw their mothers getting stressed about getting caught or losing a booklet. The black market had many problems as it was expensive and items purchased with spare money may be shoddy. Items were from unknown locations and desperate mothers bought it. Children saw long queues for suspicious items. There wasn't enough food and Britain only grew enough food to fed 1 in 3 and children won't have got fed as much. The country had to depend on America but when the U-boats were introduced we had to grow all the food ourselves. There wasn't much fruit, sugar or eggs. What food there was, was sometimes black for school children. Confectionery was scarce and often shared amongst each other. There was less confectionery in the areas further from main chocolatiers and it wasn't fair on those children. There wasn't a good choice of sweets and children got gobstoppers or pear drops to share. It was one of the last items on ration and after the war children had to save up money and coupons to get confectionery all to themselves.
In source D2 you can see 4 boys with old aluminium scrap. They don't look happy but are helping to do their duty to the country. The bulldogs show that Britain is, tough and hard. The boys are probably part of the cog scheme. They are contributing to the spitfire aircrafts. This was made sometime in the war and could be propaganda. This was made because it shows children making a valuable contribution to the war effort and could be propaganda to show this. This is reliable because you can see how children are affected in a positive way ,you can trust this source because many children were part of the cog scheme, so this could have been done for propaganda by the government and how children worked in the war effort but you can't see when it was made or what exactly they were doing because it was made so the children look like they have a purpose. This source may have been censored as the Cog Scheme was a widely known organisation for children and that means that many of the photos made were for propaganda reasons, to show children were helping in the war effort. This source also shows how children had to be brought into the war effort and that they have to salvage aluminium (which could be dangerous) instead of the responsibility of the adults being shown. This is useful because it shows why children were helping with the war effort and also that by letting the children salvage things the children themselves would feel responsible but it does not show why children were sitting around with piles of scrap when they should be salvaging more things for the war effort. To an extent, if it has been censored then we cannot be sure that this picture shows fully how children were affected as in the picture the children look neither happy nor sad so the true feelings aren't shown of how children thought the war was going and how it affected them. Also, this picture does not show children as useful in the war as they are sitting down and not being part of the war effort at all. This source is good because it shows children were part of the Cog Scheme and war effort and also shows Britain in a good light however this is propaganda so it could have been censored and also we can't see if the children are happy or not.
In source D6 it shows what foods you should eat. They should eat something in every group, every day. There are 4 groups: body building foods; energy foods; and 2 types of protective foods. It was produced sometime in the war by the Ministry of Food. It was made because the Ministry of Food wanted to tell parents what to feed their children or it could be propaganda so it looks like they are helping children in the war effort. This was made in a situation where people are very poor and rations are in place. This is reliable because it was made at the time by the government and shows how children are positively affected if they get their meals right. However this source is highly likely to have been censored as if the government showed foods that people couldn't get then the people would rebel against the government. Also if it was censored then the people would think the situation of war was better than it was. Also because we don't know when the source was made we cannot trust that it has been changed in any way by censorship or any other method. Sources that were made at the time are more likely to have been designed for propaganda reasons and those primary sources do not show what is actually happening at the time. This is useful because it shows why children were affected by rations, how their diet needed to be improved and the government were taking action in the war but it doesn't show why they needed to have this diet ,why they needed a chart because children were mostly affected in the cities less by which in the rural areas, we don't know when it was made. It may have been censored and it is propaganda. This source is good because it shows the government taking action and that children were affected by war and rationing however this is propaganda so it could have been censored or changed and also we don't know when it was made.
Now to bring all my points together about rationing, evacuation, phoney war and the blitz and life during the war I shall evaluate the ways by which many children were affected.
To conclude, to an extent I agree with Juliet Gardiner's interpretation because many people didn't realise that children were actually involved in the war and being affected in many ways. Good or bad they all had experiences of the war. Children were the victims of war whatever happened to them. In the Phoney War children learnt the key to the procedures needed during the war. Putting on gas masks was essential and affected children positively however the gas masks affected children negatively because they smelt bad and were scary. After this was the Blitz and children didn't realise the seriousness of war (this is portrayed brilliantly in 'Hope and Glory') but many loved ones were lost during these times which brought them back down to earth. Evacuation allowed children to be sent away from the harshness of war, this could be abroad or to the countryside, and the children found out new things such as where apples come from. This was positively affecting the children in many ways however some children stayed in the cities and didn't find out where items truly came from like the evacuees but they experienced being away from their parents and the pain within that, the children in the cities saw dog fights, death and destruction. All evacuated children had different experiences depending on who or where they went to. In rationing many of the poorer classes of children had better diets and fairness but if you were a richer child then you wouldn't have the high standard of living they were entitled to, they had to stick to rationing booklets. During the war children helped with the war effort ( like the 'Cog Scheme'). Poorer children were now able to go to the cinema regularly like the richer children had always been able to do. If you were a primary school child then you might not have had an education and this made it harder to get a job. I think that sources C1 and D6 were most useful because you know where they came from and when they are made. However I think source A5 was least useful because it is written by a child, which could be over exaggerated, and only shows one way that she was affected. So, overall children were affected in many ways and Juliet Gardiner's interpretation is valid in showing how children were affected in a variety of ways.
Amy Porter
