The British Home Front

In very general terms most of the British home front efforts can be

summarised into:

• Evacuations of children• Mobilising workers• Promoting self sufficiency• Rationing• Material Drives• Air raid warnings/responses• Security/Espionage

Children evacuate the cities

The British had a very real and justified fear that German aircraft would be able to penetrate their defenses and bomb the major cities.

In response millions of children were sent to live in the countryside with relatives, or in many cases strangers…

Given the obvious risks why do you feel that parents would agree?

Children Evacuate London

Children evacuate the cities

Mobilising the workforceJust like in WW1 Britain acknowledges the need to have every fit person working in one way or another.

Recruiting Women

Increasing munitions production

Promoting self sufficiency

With shortages in many areas and rationing increasing, the British government would promote self sufficiency in a variety of forms.

Self Sufficiency

Self Sufficiency

Rationing

As in WW1 the Germans would look to starving Britain as a means of defeating it. The British would again respond with well organised rationing of food.

Household gardens were also common as was a focus on healthy eating.

In 1940 the weekly ration per person was:

• Sugar 340 grams• Bacon and Butter 115

grams• Cheese 30 grams• Meat 500 grams• Eggs were limited to 1

per fortnight

In Britain some goods such as bread, alcohol and tobacco were not rationed in order to keep up morale. As the war went on and shortages continued. Rumours would circulate that a

certain shop was expecting a supply of butter or meat and immediately women would form a queue outside that shop.

Many shops opened for only two or three days a week because of food shortages. As Britain was almost bankrupted

by the war, rationing did not end in 1945.

Material Drives

This poster is advertising for Rubber, paper and metals

The Blitz and Blackout

British cities were subjected to two major attack campaigns.

The first is part of the Battle of Britain 1940-41 when German bombers attacked the cities directly.

The “Second Blitz” would come at the end of the war when Hitler would launch V1 and V2 rockets at onto Britain.

British civilians would learn to routinely head towards their family's Anderson shelter or public bomb shelters when the air raid sirens were activated

To try and deceive German bombers all major cities would initiate total blackout during the danger times at night.

The Morrison is a personal in house bomb shelter/Dinner table!

Security - EspionageAt the outbreak of war, the government became increasingly worried about people working or spying for the enemy within Britain. As a result, the Ministry of Information began a campaign called 'Careless Talk Costs Lives.' Many of the posters were designed to be funny in order to help people to understand their message. The 'Careless Talk' campaign was very successful, mainly because it was easily understood by the British public