London And WW2 Flashcards
4 reasons why London was a target?
As the capital, centre of government and destroying it would slow war effort
Major industrial centre so destruction of factories would damage war effort
Population of 8.6 million in 1939 meant civilians deaths easiest here
Thames lit up on moonlit nights so could be used as a navigation system for bombers
Why were Londoners originally issued gas masks?
War seemed likely in mid 1930s and Munich Crisis (1938) got so close to war that they were needed
When did war have to be seriously prepared for?
From October 1938
How had technology made bombing more deadly?
Powerful engines allowed bombers to go further and faster, delivering bombs more effectively. Power of bombs also increased
By 1938, how much predicted bombs were to be dropped on London?
3500 tonnes of bombs (10x WW1)
Who shared the task of planning for war in London?
London City Council (LCC) and the 28 boroughs
What did air raid precautions act require?
Local governments (LCC and boroughs) to set up an air raid precaution system (ARP) and were given some cash to do so
What were the LCC responsible for?
Fire, ambulance and heavy rescue service
What was each borough responsible for?
First aid and setting up ARP wardens for 1 in 500 people.
In January 1939 there was pressure to recruit the Civil Defence. What was the Civil Defence?
ARP wardens, auxiliary teams, WRVS
Did all boroughs prepare at the same speed?
No
How was evacuation initially planned?
To take all children and many mothers out of London to reduce casualties and help those left behind to focus on war work
Why did evacuation have to be immediate?
Bombing was expected imminently and transport links would be bombed
How were children over 5 evacuated?
In large groups called schools
What did the National Service Brochure ask?
For families to register to take in children for 52.2p a week for first child and 42.5p for extras.
Why was the process of evacuation complicated?
Required changing timetables and the WRVS to supply thousands of volunteers to organise evacuation days.
When was first evacuation day?
1st September 1939 as war looked likely in August
Who was responsible for issuing gas masks?
Boroughs
How were gas masks precautions ready by Wednesday 28th September?
167,000 gas masks ready and 19 fitting stations opened
How strict was policy of gas masks?
Had to carry one at all times during war and £5 to replace a lost one
What secret system did the government set up?
A way to report morale in war, including how many people carried gas masks
How many civilians carried gas masks from 4th Sept 1939?
70%, shows they were scared
Why did only 1% carry gas maks by 31st March 1940?
Phony war
What was the governments policy for air raid shelters?
Dispersal - small surface shelters, one per household where possible
Why did the government use a policy of dispersal?
Claimed it produced less casualties and would cause people to need to leave their shelters as it was important to keep working and keep wartime production high
What air raid shelters were households offered if they had a garden?
Anderson shelters built from steel and earth
What air raid shelters were households offered for people in flats?
Space in communal shelters
When were Morrison shelters introduced and what were they?
March 1941 - steel cage intended to replace a table downstairs as shelter
What did Charles Newbury write in November 1945?
Total cost of all shelters combined was £446,428
What was the Blitz and how many people did it kill?
Convential heavy bombing, killed 28,556 people
What was the Blitz initially intended to do?
Soften up London before German invasion
How did Hitler change the bombing campaign after he postponed his invasion on 19th Sept 1940?
Continued it but with new targets: cause a high death rate and deatroy national treasures to reduce civilian morale.
What were the main bombing targets in London to damage the way effort?
Industry and communications
Why was Britian partly to blame for the Blitz?
It was somewhat in retaliation to British night bombing on Germany
What was the first day of the Blitz called?
Black Saturday (7th September 1940)
How many were killed on first night of Blitz?
400
What did the first days of the Blitz focus on?
East End of London as most railways and docks were here
When did bombing spread to all of London?
When Hitler cancelled his planned invasion
What are the different types of sources historians used to study the Blitz attacks?
Memories of those alive (testimonies), diaries, official records like the war cabinet minutes, newspapers, radio news transcripts.
Where is the damage done by bombings plotted?
On the LCC Bomb Damage maps
What myth did the media mention about morale in the Blitz?
The ‘Blitz spirit’ - working united
How was it clear that the ‘Blitz spirit’ wasn’t really true, especially at the start of the Blitz?
Particularly working class East Enders blamed the government, some people were also protected more than others so it was viewed as unfair
How many East Londoners became homeless on the first night of the Blitz?
16,000
What were used as temporary rest centres for homeless people and where did many go specifically?
Schools were used, especially over 1000 went to South Halsville school
Describe the South Halsville disaster?
Buses failed to turn up om 9th Sept 1940 to evacuate but came the next day during an air raid. It was too dangerous to evacuate so the buses were sent away. Part of the school was hit by a bomb that night
What was the impact of the South Halsville disaster?
Many East Enders left London for countryside before official evacuation.
Some blamed Civil Defence systems for it
Government decided to ban mention of it in press as it was bad for morale
Why were many people not happy with the policy of dispersal?
Not enough space for East Enders in these shelters and not safe enough.
What began to be used as mass shelters?
London Underground and basements, against policy of dispersal
How did ‘Mickey’s shelter’ come about?
Mickey Davis was an optician who formed a committee to run the shelter in Spitalfields after his shop was destroyed
What did Mickey’s committee organise?
Organised cleaning and beds, persuaded GP to provide free healthcare, persuaded MandS to build a canteen for the shelter, using the profit from this canteen to provide milk for the children.
What were incendiary bombs?
Used in first wave of Blitz and started fires to be used as signals for targets for later bombs. These fires got out of control and caused fire service to work through the later bombing, causing most deaths.
What were high explosive bombs?
Dropped at later waves and some bombs had delayed-action fuses to explode late
What were mines?
Dropped with a parachute to be silent and exploded when touching metal.
Why were people advised to keep a water bucket with them?
As incendiary fires had to be put out quick
What was risk of going out and putting out incendiary fires?
Meant having to exit shelter
How did residential areas combat incendiaries?
Formed fire-watching teams. Business premises were vulnerable
What was the worst raid and how many people died?
The ‘second fire of London’ - 163 died
How much of the damage done to London during the war did the Civil Defence estimated fires did?
90%
What shifts did the fire service work during the Blitz?
48 hours on and 24 hours off