The impact of war on Britain Flashcards
What were Zeppelins?
They were airships filled with hydrogen which could fly at 15,000 feet, well above British fighter planes which could only fly at a maximum of 13,000 feet. From 1915-16, there were 51 Zeppelin raids, the main target of which was London.
What about Zeppelins made the British public very angry?
The apparent lack of defence against them. The first Zeppelin wasn’t shot down until 3rd September 1917. The successful pilot was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Why did the Zeppelin attacks stop in 1917?
Because of increased British defences, including the use of spotlights, which meant that the Zeppelins could be easily spotted.
Why did the bombing raids of 1916-17 have such a dramatic effect on British civilians?
They had not experienced anything like it before, and the loss of life was high due to there being no shelters.
What did the public outcry against the Gotha raids do?
It forced the government to bring into operation better searchlights, balloons and anti-aircraft guns. As a result, 7 out of 19 Gotha bombers were shot down in the raid of 19 May 1918. The Germans couldn’t afford such losses and called off further raids.
Why were the German bombing raids far more serious in the Second World War than in the first?
Because advances in technology meant that more powerful bombers and more destructive bombs could be used.
What were usually the targets of the heavy bombing in the autumn of 1940 to May 1941?
Military or industrial centres.
What was the primary target of the German bombing attacks?
London, which was bombed every night from 7th September to 2nd November 1940, especially the docks and factories of the East End. Some 12,500 people died in December 1940.
Where were people in November 1940 so scared that they fled from the city each night, sleeping with relatives or in open fields in nearby countryside, and why?
Coventry, because it was badly hit with a series of raids from Germans, with incendiary bombs used to increase the damage caused.
What was the V1?
A flying bomb powered by a rocket engine. It was nicknamed the ‘doodlebug’ because of the noise it made. It flew towards the target area and then came down wherever it ran out of fuel. People on the ground could hear the engine cut out and then a shriek as the bomb hurtled to the ground.
What was the V2?
It was a more serious threat than the V1 because it was so fast, flying at supersonic speed, and it couldn’t be shot down or seen. It was the first guided missile.
What were the effects of bombing on industry?
Bombing of industrial targets was generally not effective because precision was needed. Some factories were isolated, unlike housing estates, and they could be easily missed at night. Most factories were able to resume production within two to three days of being hit.
As only 27% of people used private (Anderson/Morrison) shelters, what did the rest use?
Public shelters or ‘self-chosen’ shelters like the London underground.
Surveys suggest that only 40% of Londoners regularly took shelter. What does this account for?
High casualty rates; by June 1941, 43,000 civilians had been killed and 1.5 million homes lost due to German bombing raids.
On 10th September, a bomb hit Buckingham Palace while the king and queen were at Windsor. What were the public’s reactions?
They were impressed with the attitude of the Royal Family, who insisted on staying at Buckingham Palace throughout the war.
What was ‘Blitz Spirit’?
The bombing, not just a failure, had the opposite effect it was going for. It made the British people even more determined to stand up to Hitler. People seemed cheerful in the face of great hardships and determined to get on with everyday life. The underground was full of people singing as they sheltered from bombs.
Not all people felt ‘Blitz Spirit’. How was this hidden from the public eye?
Censorship and propaganda was very effective in playing down the negative (and quite understandable) reactions of individuals or groups who were badly affected by the bombings.
What did the Air Raid Precautions act of 1937 give local authorities the responsibility to do?
Build air raid shelters, provide gas masks, and recruit and train volunteer wardens.
By the end of the second world war, 1.4 million citizens had volunteered to become ARP wardens, to help defend the Home Front from the horrors of German bombing. What did ARP Wardens do?
Built air raid shelters, distributed 38 million gas masks to the public, enforced blackout regulations, kept order in air raid shelters and at bomb sites, and reported fires and unexploded bombs.
How much were full-time ARP wardens paid?
£3 per week for men, £2 for women. Most, however, were unpaid, part-time volunteers.
At first, what was each ARP warden issued (from 1940 onwards they had uniforms)?
A tin helmet, a gas mask, a whistle and (for gas attacks) a rattle.
At first, ARP wardens were figures of derision, enforcing regulations nobody deemed necessary. How did this change?
During the Blitz, they became heroes; by 1945 almost 7000 Civil defence staff had been killed on duty.
Give examples of wartime emergency services other than the ARP wardens.
The Auxiliary Ambulance Service, whose youngest member was 16yr old Ennis Smith. The Auxiliary Fire Service, mostly unpaid volunteers and also heroes of the Blitz. Reserve policemen and policewomen.
By 1940, there was serious danger of a German invasion. What did Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State for War, do?
He launched an appeal for a volunteer military force to help defend the country. In 24hrs, 250,000 men had volunteered to join Eden’s Local Defence Volunteers. Within 6 weeks, 1.5 million men had volunteered.
Describe the development of the LDV, later the ‘Home Guard’.
An unpaid, part-time force, there were at first no uniforms and few weapons. The public were asked to volunteer whatever weapons they had and within months 20,000 weapons were offered. Volunteers had to be between 17-65yrs old and unfit for regular military service, because they were medically unfit, in a reserved occupation or too old. As a result, the LDV was soon dubbed ‘Dad’s Army’. In July 1940, Churchill renamed them the Home Guard. Weapons started arriving from the USA and Canada, which were issued, military ranks organised, and a code of discipline issued. By June 1941, 1.6 million men were under arms in the Home Guard, and by 1943 they had their own anti-aircraft batteries, some credited with destroying German aircraft and V1 flying bombs.
What is propaganda?
Information which is used to promote certain ideas or attitudes. The information used may be lies, but this isn’t always the case. It may be limited, or one-sided information. Sometimes, propaganda is used by governments to get public support for their actions, and sometimes it is spread by private individuals/organisations such as newspapers, which have strong views of their own and want to spread them.
During the First and Second World Wars, how did the British government use propaganda to influence civilian attitudes to war?
Government propaganda: encouraged people to volunteer/fight/help in essential industries, in order to boost the war effort, masked the scale of casualties and the defeats they suffered to stop people becoming discouraged, and tried to keep morale high during hard times which occurred due to bombing, rationing and evacuation.
Traditional media for propaganda included newspapers and poster. However, what else was exploited for propaganda?
New media developed in the 20th century, so things such as cinema films and the radio were used.
Why were hate campaigns used in the world wars?
To persuade people that they were fighting for a just cause, the government stirred up hatred against the enemy.
How were hate campaigns used in WW1?
The government produced many posters that showed acts of brutality or atrocities supposedly carried out by the enemy. These were often exaggerations or outright lies. Government propagandists started hostile rumours about the enemy; for example, they invented the rumour that Germans sent corpses to a factory that then used the human fat to make soap, candles and boot polish.
What is censorship?
Another way the WW1&2 impacted upon civilian lives, it is ‘limiting the flow of information to the public’. It may involve preventing the release of any information about something,or limiting information/keeping some information completely secret.
During WW1&2, how did the British government control information about the war which could reach the public?
They controlled soldier’s letters, newspapers and cinemas, films in the cinema, and (WW2 only) radio broadcasts.
Sometimes, the government directly censored information. How were private letters censored?
During WW2, the British government employed about 10,000 people to censor information going through the Royal Mail. They’d use scissors to cut out censored parts.
Sometimes, the government directly censored information. How were letters sent home by soldiers censored?
All were read, and some information was taken out. For example, anything about casualties, troop positions or intended attacks was deleted.
Sometimes, the government directly censored information. How were newspapers censored?
Newspapers which printed war information which the government didn’t approve of could be shut down.
Give an example of the government indirectly censoring information.
Britain entered WW1 in August 1914, but no British journalists were allowed to be at the war front until November 1916.
Sometimes the government urged the public to ‘censor’ themselves. Give an example of this.
The public could accidentally give away information which could be helpful to the enemy, such as information about troop movements and factory production. So, during WW2, for example, there was a campaign to persuade the public to be careful about what they told others, e.g. “You never know who’s listening!”
When was the Defence of the Realm Act passed?
In August 1914.
How did the Defence of the Realm Act have an immediate effect upon civilians?
The only news about the war which newspapers could publish was news issued by the British Army headquarters or by government departments; any newspaper using unauthorised information could be taken to court. Police sometimes threatened to confiscate the presses of printers who published anti-war papers. Pacifist newspapers such as ‘The Call’ and the ‘Tribunal’ were forced to close several times in 1917-18.
Why did officials in the armed forces have to censor letters written by soldiers from the battlefront?
Because the government felt that they just couldn’t afford to let the British public know the full extent of bad news, or to risk information falling into enemy hands.
Why did propaganda concentrate on criticising Germany and encouraging men to join the armed forces?
Because the government was concerned that people wouldn’t support the war effort if they didn’t think it a just effort which could be won in a reasonable time.
Give an example of the British government spreading widely exaggerated stories about how evil the Germans were.
It was widely believed in Britain by the end of 1914 that the German armies in Belgium were bayoneting babies and murdering innocent civilians.
What did the fact that the campaign to turn the British against the Germans was incredibly successful mean?
Germans living in Britain were attacked, and shops with German names were looted.
The government used posters for a range of reasons. How were they used in 1917 when German U-boat attacks were seriously reducing Britain’s imports?
Posters urged the public to cut down, especially on food, to avoid wastage.
The government used posters for a range of reasons. What were ‘conscience posters’?
Posters designed to shame young men into joining up.
Until 1916, censorship and propaganda were very successful. In general, civilians hated the Germans, supported the war and believed they’d soon win, men joining the armed forces in their droves. Why did this change after 1916?
Most weren’t against the war after 1916, but they were more critical, e.g. angering over the tactics of generals on the Western Front. This was due to soldiers bringing home news of hardships on the Western Front, Casualties at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 hardening attitudes (there were 58,000 on the first day alone!), and a stalemate on the Western Front meaning that the war dragged on.
The Ministry of Information created the Crown Film Unit in 1940. What was this?
It was set up to make official propaganda films with the intention of boosting the war effort and keeping up morale. It made short, ten-minute documentaries such as ‘Fires Were Started’ and ‘Listen to Britain’.
What purpose did entertainment perform for civilians in WW2?
The radio was used to entertain factory workers, for dance programmes and fro humour. Humour was an important method of keeping up people’s morale, especially humour that poked fun at the home front and government rules and regulations.
Give an example of radio humour being used to keep up morale in WW2.
“It’s That Man Again” gained a huge following, and starred Tommy Handley, who played the Minister at the Ministry of Aggravation and Mysteries- a dig at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
How was the cinema used to keep up morale in WW2?
It was a useful escape from the harsh realities of life. Women, for example, needed to escape from thoughts of absent loved ones. Hollywood movies were shown because they generally provided glamour and romance.
What did the Entertainment National Service Association (ENSA) do?
It provided live entertainment for both the armed forces and the civilian population, including people at work and families sheltering from the Blitz in the London Underground.
When was the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) passed?
1914
Name five things people weren’t able to do because of DORA.
Talk about military affairs in public places, spread rumours about military affairs, light bonfires or fireworks, buy binoculars, buy whisky or brandy in a railway refreshment room, ring church bells, fly a kite, use invisible ink when writing abroad, melt down gold/silver, trespass on railways or bridges, buy a round of drinks in a pub, join the army if you were in certain ‘reserved’ occupations such as mining or farming, and strikes were made illegal in certain industries.
Why were people not allowed to join the army in WW1 if you were in certain ‘reserved’ occupations such as mining or farming?
Because their skills were needed at home in Britain
What were some of the measures the government introduced through DORA that weren’t just ‘things people were not allowed to do’?
Introducing ‘British Summer Time’ (putting the clocks forward one hour) to provide more daylight for work in the evening, controlling the consumption of alcohol (to try and reduce absenteeism from work due to drunkenness) by cutting down on pub opening hours and giving instructions for beer to be watered down, and appointing special constables to help maintain law and order.
At first, the government was reluctant to force men to join the armed forces in WW1. Why did conscription become necessary?
The number of volunteers began to slow down during the course of 1915 due to news of the conditions at the war front and the high numbers of casualties, which were published in local newspapers. Moreover, conscription became necessary because Britain was unable to cover the heavy losses incurred, especially on the Western Front.
When did the government in WW1 introduce the national registration of single men (this was later extended to married men), and why?
As early as August 1915. This gave the government a list of men who could be called upon to fight if necessary.
When was the Military Service Act made, and what did it do?
It was made in January 1916, and made all unmarried men aged 18-41 liable for service in the armed forces. In May 1916, the act was extended to include married men. From 1916 to 1918, a total of 3.5 million men were conscripted into the armed forces.
What were the four exceptions to the Military Service Act (1916)?
Men in reserved occupations such as mining, men with ill health, men with family responsibilities e.g. where someone else in the family would suffer if they were conscripted, and conscientious objectors.
What was the Emergency Powers act (WW2), and when was it introduced
It was introduced by the government in May 1940 after the British Army had been forced to retreat from Dunkirk and there was a real threat of invasion. It gave the desperate British government almost unlimited powers over people and property; from then on, civilians could be required to do anything and be sent anywhere.
In April 1939, as war became increasingly likely, the government passed the Military Training Act. What did this do?
It conscripted all men aged 20-21 for six months compulsory military training.
What was the National Service act (WW2) and when was it passed?
Passed in September 1939, when war broke out, the limited measure of the Military Training Act was extended, making all men aged 18-41 liable for conscription.
How many men from reserved occupations had been excused conscription by the end of 1940?
200,000
By the end of 1940, how many men had volunteered or asked for their call-up to be speeded up?
Over 1 million
In December 1941, how was conscription extended?
To men 18-51, and women 20-30
From December 1943, some conscripted men were not sent to fight in the war. Where were they sent instead?
Into jobs vital to the war effort, like coal mining. Men sent into these jobs were sometimes known as ‘Bevin Boys’, in reference to Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour and National Service.
After WW2, conscription was scaled down, but not abolished. What were all men 17-21 still required to do?
Complete 18 months of National Service in the Armed forces, and serve in the Army reserve for a further four years.
When did conscription finally end in Britain?
1960
One group of civilians who objected to conscription by the government during both wars were ‘conscientious objectors’. Describe ‘conscientious objectors’.
These were people who refused to fight because of moral grounds, such as pacifists, or religious beliefs, such as Quakers.
Some 16,100 men, conscientious objectors, refused to fight in WW1. What happened to them?
They had to appear before a military tribunal to prove that the deserved to be exempt from military service. Of these, around 9,500 helped the war effort by working behind the lines in non-fighting roles or by doing essential work connected with the armed forces. Those remaining were sent to prison camps where they were often treated with great cruelty.
Conscientious objectors sent to prison camps in WW1 were often treated with great cruelty. Give an example.
At a Home Office Works Centre in Dyce, the only form of accommodation was tents, and conditions were so cold and harsh that many caught pneumonia and many died. At another centre, the prisoners’ job was to handle the rotting corpses of animals. In total, ten died in prison, 63 died soon after their release, and 31 suffered a mental breakdown because of their experiences at that centre.
In WW2, around 60,000 men and women claimed exemption from military service. Again, they had to justify their stance to a tribunal. What happened to them then?
Around 3000 were given full exemption. Around 18,000 claims were dismissed as false, and the men obliged to serve or be imprisoned; around 6000 went to prison. The rest, almost 40,000, were given non-combatant jobs.
In WW2, almost 40,000 of the 60,000 who claimed exemption from military service were given non-combatant jobs. Give an example of this.
Almost 7,000 joined the Non-Combatant Corps, set up in 1940. Members were put to work in military work jobs not directly involved in fighting. Of these 465 volunteered for bomb disposal. Other conscientious objectors were required to work in jobs such as farming, mining, fire-fighting or ambulance work.
With DORA in WW1, the government could take control of key industries and allocate labour to key industries. How did they make full use of these powers?
The railway network was taken over, the government making a unified system to ensure that transport was more efficient (in 1914 there were 120 different railroad companies). Coal mines were taken over; miners were paid a national minimum wage, set by the government, and production rose to an all-time high of 262 million tonnes per year. Shipyards were taken over to ensure that enough vessels were being built to replace those sunk by German U-boats.