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On 3/9/1939, Britain and the Commonwealth declared war on Germany.
It was a Sunday and whole families gathered around the radio to hear the news, which was announced at 11:15am. The war, which lasted until 1945, saw blackouts, bomb shelters, rationing, mass evacuation and the loss of many lives. More
The declaration of war by Britain followed the German invasion of Poland on 1st September, 1939. France also declared war on Germany at 5.00pm on the same day. Britain, the Commonwealth and France now faced the might of the forces of Nazi Germany and the start of a conflict that would cost the lives of between 50 and 70 million people world-wide, and turn the lives of many more people upside down.
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Many children's lives were changed completely.
Some were evacuated from the cities to small towns or villages, often many miles away from their homes. Others stayed with their families through the Blitz (bombing), or, if they lived in the countryside, had evacuees from other families staying in their houses. More
Some children went to live with relatives but most were sent to live with complete strangers. They were taken by train or bus to their destinations, accompanied by a small number of guardians or teachers. The children had labels attached to them and did not know where they were going. Some felt scared, others excited. On arrival, they were met by a billeting officer in charge of finding them homes. Local families selected the children they wanted to stay with them. The smartest and best dressed were usually picked first. For many it was a life-enhancing experience, with new ideas and skills to learn; for a few, it was a very unhappy time with families that neither wanted them or cared about them.
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The evacuation saved thousands of lives.
By the end of the war, about 3.5 million people had been evacuated, mainly children. No one was forced to go, but parents were told that their children would be safer from German bombs if they moved to the country. More
Evacuations began in September 1939. Unfortunately, many of those evacuated drifted back to the cities after a few months, as no major bombing attacks had taken place. Around 60% had returned to their homes by January 1940. A second evacuation effort was undertaken in June 1940 and a third in September 1940, after massive German attacks had killed thousands of civilians. Then, in June 1944, more people were evacuated, including women with young children and the elderly, after the V1 and V2 rockets began their attacks.
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German U-boats sank many merchant ships, causing shortages.
Before the war, Britain imported large amounts of food to feed her people, who lived mostly in towns and cities. From the very start of the war, British shipping was attacked by German U-boats and aircraft. Many ships were lost until, gradually, the British warships learnt how to beat the U-boats. More
The British government ordered all cargo ships to sail in convoys from designated ports. They were guarded by destroyers and other small warships from the Royal Navy. However, the warships found it very difficult to protect the convoys properly and hundreds of British and American cargo ships were sunk. The U-boats were a deadly threat to Britain's survival. A breakthrough came with the development of longer range aircraft that could spot the U-boats from the air. By mid-1943, Allied aircraft had such a long range that they could cover the convoy routes across the entire ocean.
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Petrol, clothes and many food items were rationed.
People had to 'make do'. Queuing became a normal part of life. A million British women lined up every day for their groceries. Where possible, people still saved any little treats they could for occasions such as Christmas, which had a special meaning with loved ones away. Sometimes, they also used the 'black market'.
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Throughout the war there was a thriving 'black market' in food and other items (nylon stockings, for example). This was an illegal trade in items which had 'somehow' become available for sale. The people who were involved in this trade were known as 'spivs', and the authorities saw them as undermining the war effort. However, many otherwise honest people bought some things this way, as it was often the only way of getting hold of those little luxuries which made life a bit more bearable.
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In October 1939, a new campaign 'Dig for Victory' was announced
With so little food available, the Government wanted Britain to become more 'self-sufficient'. It became one of the great wartime slogans. Flowerbeds and parks were dug up to plant potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. More
The campaign was very successful and, although food was often simple and not varied, nobody in Britain starved, unlike many unfortunate people in other areas of Europe. The basis of the daily diet was the vegetable. Indeed, people became very inventive in thinking up new food combinations and recipes.
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Women were out of the home doing 'war work'.
Even more than in the First World War, women worked to help the war effort - in factories, on the land, in hospitals and in the services. Until then, most women had been mothers and housewives, and that's what they were to be again after the war. More
The Women's Land Army (WLA), whose members were known as the 'Land Girls', was formed at the outbreak of World War II to work on the land. By 1943, there were some 80,000 young women working in every aspect of agriculture to feed the nation. Other women joined the WAAF (The Woman's Auxilliary Airforce), WRENS (Women's Royal Naval Service) or the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service). The ladies of the Women's Voluntary Services, WI, and St. John's Ambulance worked tirelessly throughout the war to help relieve the hardship suffered as a result of the bombing and shortages all over Britain. Nurses were in demand at home and abroad. Even those with children worked in the munitions factories or were assigned fire-watching or other war duties.
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In 1940, many people feared that Germany would soon invade Britain.
All through the war, people kept up to date by listening to the radio. During 1940, they followed the German invasion of the Low Countries (Holland and Belgium), the evacuation of British and Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk and the Fall of France. At this point, morale was perhaps at its lowest. More
The evacuation of 338,000 allied troops from Dunkirk, between May and June 1940, provided a boost to British morale, but a renewed German assault saw the surrender of France on 22nd June. Many people feared that the Germans would soon invade Britain. Winston Churchill made one of the most memorable speeches of the war. Referring to the threat of invasion, he said: "We shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." |
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A 'Home Guard’ was formed to defend the British coastline.
The Home Guard was made up of volunteers. Their job was to delay any enemy forces that landed, until the regular army could form a front line to fight the enemy invasion and turn it back. More
In May 1940, the Government broadcast a message asking for volunteers for the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers), later to become the Home Guard. The Home Guard was a part-time force set up to protect Britain. Most men who could fight were already in the forces; those who were left were either too old, or in reserved occupations (those jobs vital to the war effort). Within the first month, 750,000 men had volunteered and, by the end of the war, one million had volunteered.
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National security was important, everyone carried an identity card.
This included children. The identity (ID) card included a unique National registration number that was assigned to the holder, as well as their name and address. More
The local registration office stamped the card to make it valid. There was a space on the back of cards for young people under 16, for the parent or guardian to sign. The parent or guardian was responsible for looking after the child's identity card, and producing it when required. Children's cards were valid until they were 16, when they had to collect a new card at the local National Registration Office. |
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The Battle of Britain saw the war being fought in the skies.
During the summer and autumn of 1940, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) tried to defeat the Royal Air Force in the air. Nazi Germany's aims were to destroy Britain's air defence or to force Britain out of the war by bombing civilians and making Britain surrender. The fact that they failed was an important turning point in the war. More
The allies responded by bombing German towns. To this day, there is still debate about the use of bombs on civilians. In the first months of the WW2, Bomber Command was anxious to avoid the risk of killing civilians, and constrained itself to leaflet dropping and attacks on naval targets. But, after Dunkirk, the long-range heavy bombers remained the only means by which Britain could fight the Nazis in continental Europe. |
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In the years 1940 and 1941, the Blitz saw British cities heavily bombed.
The main bombing raids on London and other big cities took place between the summer of 1940 through to the summer of 1941. This period was known as the Blitz. There were far less bombing attacks after that. However, in 1944 and 1945, new kinds of attacks came about, when the Germans launched V1 and V2 rockets. More
Apart from London, which suffered most, many other cities were bombed. Coventry, Sheffield, Swansea, Liverpool, Hull, Manchester, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Nottingham and Southampton all had a high number of civilian casualties, during the Blitz. In comparison, the V1 and V2 rockets in 1944-45 inflicted few casualties. However, the fact that there was no warning of their arrival (unlike the drone of a hundred bombers which could be heard miles away) made people jumpy and nervous.
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Air raid shelters saved thousands of lives.
During the air raids, people hurried to bomb shelters they had built in gardens, or hid under strong tables in their basements or, if they lived nearby, went down into underground stations. More
In wartime, it was every civilian's duty to do their best to protect the country from enemy attacks. Every area had its air raid warden, whose job it was to make sure that people observed the blackout, as well as shepherding people to shelters, organising the firewatchers and reporting on the progress of air raids when they were happening. An air raid warden took on a lot of responsibility. Even though people were often squashed in and uncomfortable in shelters, they were safer than in their homes.
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In 1941 the Soviet Union and the USA entered the war.
In the summer of 1941, the Soviet Union was invaded by Germany and, in December 1941, the US entered the war, after the attack on their naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, by the Japanese. A few days after the attack, Hitler declared war on the US. More
Once the British Empire was joined by the USSR and the USA in 1941, the Allies needed time to mobilise their resources effectively. Hitler did not think the Red Army was capable of prolonged resistance. By the autumn, German forces had destroyed most of the Russian air force and surrounded Leningrad - where over one million people died of starvation and cold. Yet, by November 1942, the Germans suffered their first serious reverse of the war, with the loss of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad. |
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Many Americans were stationed at air bases across Britain.
In January 1943, the UK and USA decided to work together to bomb Germany and disable its economy. Conditions in Britain were harsh and the American GIs, who seemed to have lots of luxuries, such as nylon stockings and cigarettes, proved popular with British women. There were thousands of marriages between US servicemen and British women. More
In the early part of the war, the Americans decided to concentrate on building up massive air power, giving them time to train and mobilise their other forces. 30,000 American airmen, flying from UK bases, died during WW2. The countryside of Britain was dotted with just over 700 air bases, out of which flew both RAF and USAAF fighters and bombers, to fight off invading enemy aircraft and to bomb Germany and many of the occupied countries. The RAF mainly bombed at night, whilst their American allies had the principal responsibility for daylight bombing raids.
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The war in Europe finally came to an end in May 1945.
On 6th June 1944 (known as D-Day), British, Commonwealth and American armies invaded Normandy. They pushed the German armies back until, at last, they invaded Germany itself. Meanwhile, the Soviet Army had been pushing the Germans back from the East and, in April 1945, the two sets of Allied armies met in central Germany. More
Thousands of troops and their equipment were sent to England from the USA, ready for the invasion. The use of bombers and fighter-bombers at the frontline helped to ease the path of inexperienced armies, that nearly got bogged down in Normandy and Italy. Western air power and equipment enabled the three major allies to wear down the Germans. |
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World War 2 did not end with Victory in Europe.
Many families in Britain, and across the Commonwealth, were still waiting for news of loved ones who were fighting in Burma and the Far East, or had become prisoners of war after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942. This conflict became known as 'The Forgotten War'. More
Singapore was considered a vital part of the British Empire and an impregnable fortress but it had fallen to the Japanese, in Britain’s worst defeat in World War 2, on 15th February 1942. Many Commonwealth soldiers had been killed, and many others imprisoned in appalling conditions by the Japanese, in prisoner of war camps.
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World War 2 saw the first use of atomic weapons in warfare.
Bombing had played an important part in the war against Germany, and American military leaders used the same tactics on Japan. Air raids from May 1945 destroyed vast areas of urban Japan. Then, in August 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on the towns of Hiroshmo and Nagasaki. Shortly afterwards, Japan surrendered. More
On August 6th and 9th, 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by atomic weapons on the orders of U.S. President Harry S. Truman. By the end of 1945, 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki had been killed. This followed six months of intense fire-bombing of other Japanese cities. On August 15, Japan announced its surrender. The 'Instrument of Surrender' was signed on September 2. World War 2 had come to an end. |
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People took to the streets to celebrate the peace.
With the announcement of VE-Day (Victory in Europe) on 7/8th May 1945, and VJ-Day (Victory over Japan) on 15th August 1945, people celebrated. However, for many, life could never return to normal. Thousands had lost loved ones and even things such as food rationing continued until the 1950s. By this time, for many children, it had become a way of life. More
Although the country had survived the ordeal of wartime, Britain ended the war nearly bankrupt. Also, the people on the continent were almost starving and needed help. As a result, food rationing did not end when the war ended - indeed, it became even stricter. Bread and potatoes, for example, which had never been rationed in wartime, were now included.
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