Londons Response

Question 1

How did London cope with war?

Answer 1

• continued presence of royal family
• the cabinet war rooms
• safeguarding art and buildings
• ‘dig for victory’

Question 2

Continued presence of royal family

Answer 2

• Stayed in London during the Blitz: stayed visible, visiting bombed communities, boosting morale.
• King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were pictured among the rubble at Buckingham Palace following a hit there.
• Presented Britain as united, with even the most privileged suffering ‘equally’

Question 3

Cabinet war rooms

Answer 3

• Government stayed in London so as not to be seen as ‘abandoning’ Londoners.
• The Cabinet War Rooms sheltered Churchill and his wartime government from the Blitz.
• From these rooms, the government led the war. The Map Room was the centre of activity.

Question 4

Safeguarding art and builidngs

Answer 4

• Protecting landmarks and national collections was important for morale.
• Some museums and galleries set up special underground storage: the National Gallery sent paintings to a Welsh quarry; the British Museum stored treasures in an unused Tube station.
• Sandbags were used and stained glass windows removed to protect key buildings, but some were destroyed
• The survival of St Paul’s Cathedral became a symbol of London resistance, with special fire-watchers and stores of water set up in the building.

Question 5

The use of public spaces ‘dig for victory’:

Answer 5

• ‘Dig for Victory’: a government campaign set up by the British Ministry of Agriculture. Civilians across the country were encouraged to grow their own food because of shortages and rationing.
• Public spaces, like Victoria Park in Hackney, were turned into allotments. The green areas in front of the Tower of London were turned into vegetable patches.
• Posters and leaflets were produced as part of a countrywide propaganda campaign intended to ensure that people had enough to eat, and that civilian morale was kept high.