LIFE DURING WARTIME

Question 1

WHAT WAS THE BLITZ ?

Answer 1

The bombing of major British cities by the Luftwaffe between September 1940 and May 1941

Question 2

WHAT WERE THE AIMS OF BOMBING ?

Answer 2

Break morale
Destroy Civilian lives
Destroy Key Industries
Force the government to surrender

Question 3

HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN BOMBINGS ?

Answer 3

45,000

Question 4

HOW MANY HOMES WERE DESTROYED ?

Answer 4

3.5M

Question 5

HOW DID THE BLITZ TARGET LONDON

Answer 5

The primary target of Nazi bombings
They bombed every night for two months
2 September - 2 November 1940
15,000 killed
250,000 made homeless

Question 6

HOW MANY WERE KILLED IN LONDON BOMBINGS ?

Answer 6

15,000 killed

Question 7

HOW MANY WERE MADE HOMELESS IN LONDON ?

Answer 7

250,000 homeless

Question 8

HOW WAS GLASGOW AFFECTED BY THE BLITZ ?

Answer 8

Clydebank shipyards hit in 1941

Question 9

HOW WAS BELFAST AFFECTED BY THE BLITZ ?

Answer 9

Bombed in APRIL and MAY 1941

Question 10

HOW WAS SWANSEA AFFECTED BY THE BLITZ ?

Answer 10

Contained vital ports and docks
In the three nights Blitz
19-21 February 1940
56,000 incendiary bombs dropped
230 killed ad 7000 homes destroyed
44 Air raids on Swansea

Question 11

WHY WAS RATIONING INTRODUCED ?

Answer 11

Introduced to make sure there was sufficient and equal food for everyone throughout the war

Question 12

HOW MUCH OF BRITAIN’S FOOD WAS IMPORTED ?

Answer 12

Britain relied heavily on foreign imports
In 1938, 55M tonnes of food was imported
Almost 75% of its total consumption

Question 13

HOW MANY MERCHANT SHIPS WERE SUNK ?

Answer 13

In March 1942
275 British merchant ships sunk by U-boats

Question 14

WHAT KINDS OF FOODS WERE RATIONED ?

Answer 14

Eggs, butter, meat and sugar
As the war progressed more items were rationed
1941 COAL
1942 ELECTRICITY

Question 15

WHAT WAS SET UP TO GET MORE RATIONED GOODS ?

Answer 15

A black market
People bought rationed goods at a premium
2 years in prison

Question 16

WHY DID SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCE A BETTER DIET ?

Answer 16

Children were fitter and less mothers died in childbirth during the war
Ensured all people received a balanced and sufficient diet
Vitamin welfare scheme set up

Question 17

NAME THREE BRANCHES OF THE WOMEN’S ARMED FORCES

Answer 17

WRNS - WOMEN’S ROYAL NAVAL SERVICE
WAAF - WOMEN’S AUXILIARY AIR FORCE
ATS - AUXILIARY TERRITORIAL SERVICES

Question 18

HOW MANY WOMEN WERE IN THE WAAF & WRNS ?

Answer 18

450,000

Question 19

HOW MANY WERE IN THE ATS ?

Answer 19

212,000

Question 20

WHAT KIND OF WORK DID WOMEN DO ?

Answer 20

Mechanics
Welders
Pilots
Gunners
Intelligence
Code breakers at Bletchley park

Question 21

HOW MANY WOMEN VOLUNTEERED IN CIVIL DEFENCE ?

Answer 21

180,000

Question 22

HOW MANY WOMEN VOLUNTEERED IN THE FIRE SERVICE ?

Answer 22

47,000

Question 23

HOW MANY WOMEN RAN MESSAGES ?

Answer 23

130,000

Question 24

WHAT WAS THE WOMEN’S LAND ARMY ?

Answer 24

Started in June 1939
Aim to increase the amount of food shown in Britain
In 1944, 80,000 women in the WLA
1/3 came from London

Question 25

EVACUATION

Answer 25

As it became increasingly more likely that Britain would be going to war preparations were made to move pregnant and women into safer ‘host areas’
Evacuation began on the 1st September 1939
1.5M were evacuated
33,500 were evacuated into the Rhondda Valley

Question 26

WHAT WERE THE EXPERIENCES OF EVACUEES ?

Answer 26

Some children were welcomed and treated like family
Other were taken advantage of for their ration cards and used as unpaid labour
Many children had a better quality of life in the countryside - Removed from poor standards of living in big cities

Question 27

SIGNIFICANCE OF EVACUATION?

Answer 27

Highlighted squalor in London, children came to the countryside with lice and in battered clothes (May have swayed the 1945 election)
Some children had a better standard of living in the countryside
Children traumatised and mistreated
Formed relationships like family
People were forced to take in evacuees
WALES - Lots of children experienced a language barrier and as a result learned Welsh

Question 28

WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

Answer 28

1941, drafted in to fill the gaps in industry left by men
Previous to this they were encouraged to continue as housewives
By 1943, 17M women were in the forces or essential work

Question 29

WOMEN IN HEAVY INDUSTRY

Answer 29

Women often worked as engineers in aircraft and munitions factories
They occupied 57% of factory jobs
They did jobs better than men but were paid considerably less
Women made avg 20 more pieces of equipment a day than men
Worked 16 hour days 7 days a week