Contents Timelinepage 3 Soldierspage 4 Invasionpage 5 Air Raid
Shelterspage 6 Evacuationpage 7 The Blitzpage 8 The Blackoutpage 9
Gas Maskspage 10 Rationingpage 11 Fashionpage 12 Jobspage 13
Songspage 14
Slide 3
Timeline 1939 Germany invades Poland. Two days later Britain
and France declare war on Germany 1940 Rationing starts in UK
Churchill becomes Prime Minister 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbour
and America join the war. 1942 Mass murder of Jewish people at
Auschwitz begins 1945 War ends after nearly 6 years of conflict.
Approximately 50 million had been killed, approximately 15 million
were soldiers.
Slide 4
Soldiers When war broke out in September 1939, some men
volunteered to join the armed services. In 1940, men aged 19-27
years old, who were not working in reserved occupations were
ordered to fight. This was known as being called up. Reserved
Occupations: Farmers, Dock Workers, Miners, Railway Workers and
Utility workers ie water, gas and electricity.
Slide 5
Invasion WW2 happened because Germanys new leader Adolf Hitler
promised to make his country great again, because after WW1 they
had to give up land and banned from having armed forces. 1
September 1939 German forces stormed the Polish frontier and then
two days later the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain
declared war on Germany. It involved many of the worlds countries.
Cirencester (Urban) Defence Committee issued the card on the right
to town.
Slide 6
Air Raid Shelters Air raid shelters were designed to protect
against enemy air raids. Pre-existing buildings and facilities were
used such as underground stations, tunnels, cellars and basements
in larger homes. A commonly used home shelter was known as the
Anderson Shelter which would be built in a garden and equipped with
beds as a refuge from air raids. Air raid shelters were also known
as bomb shelters and were existing structures, they also used the
London Underground as an air raid shelter. People had fun by
reading books and the pretending to be the characters they had read
about. On the right is a photo of the London underground being used
as an air raid shelter. A photo of the remaining air raid shelter
in Cirencester, it was capable of holding 40 people and is located
in the grounds of the old hospital.
Slide 7
Evacuation Children were evacuated from Towns and Cities into
the countryside and seaside because they felt that the enemy would
bomb the towns and cities to destroy the factories. They were
evacuated mostly by train, but some where even shipped abroad. They
went to live with host families and their new homes called billets.
They were sent with a gas mask, food for the journey and a small
bag for washing things and clothes. They had a label pinned to
their coat with their name, address, school and where they were
going written on it.
Slide 8
The Blitz The heavy and frequent bombing attacks on London and
other cities was known as the Blitz. Night after night, from
September 1940 until May 1941 German bombers attacked British
cities, ports and industrial areas trying to destroy all the
factories, bridges and railways to disrupt supply of munitions. The
picture on the right is of a street in Birmingham after an air
raid.
Slide 9
Blackout The black out began in 1939, it was the 1 st
September, two days before the outbreak of war. During the war
everyone had to cover their windows and doors at night before
sunset. This was done during the war to prevent crews of enemy
aircraft being able to navigate to their targets for example during
the London Blitz. Blackout regulations required: Doors and windows
were covered with heavy material at night to prevent the escape of
light. Street lights were switched off or shielded to deflect
downwards Traffic lights and vehicle headlights were fitted with
slotted covers Larger windows and doors with painted out.
Slide 10
Gas Masks A gas mask is used to protect users from inhaling
pollutants and toxic gases. It is a sealed cover over the nose and
mouth, some may also cover the eyes. Everyone was issued with a gas
masks including children and babies. The babies gas mask had to be
operated by a pump on the side which the mother would manually
attend to once she had hers secured (picture on the right).
Children has Mickey Mouse masks to persuade them to put them on and
when ever they took a breath it made a puffffff sound that made
them laugh.
Slide 11
Rationing In 1939 every household had to fill in a form giving
details of the people who lived in their house. 1940 rationing was
introduced. Based on the information collected, everyone was issued
with an identity card and ration book. People were only allowed to
buy a certain amount of each food and when they bought it the shop
keeper would sign the book to say they had bought it. This was done
to prevent price rises, food hoarding and to enable poorer families
to still be able to afford food. Food rationing didnt end until
July 1954, however some people considered it very unfair because
eggs, butter and meat were fairly easy to obtain in rural areas
without coupons.
Slide 12
Fashion In March 1941 Ernest Bevin, minister for labour called
on the women of Britain to help the war effort. Women stopped
wearing fancy clothes and started wearing trousers or dungarees
instead. They often wore scarfs which were tide around the head to
protect against the risk of hair getting caught in the machines.
They worked in the factories and on the farms producing food and
military supplies.
Slide 13
Jobs Munition workers worked in large factories making weapons,
guns and, ammunition. These included bullets, hand grenades and
bombs which were needed by the armed forces. It was a very
dangerous job and the hours were long. Most women who volunteered
went into civil defence or the Womens Land Army. Initially they
carried out clerical work but their roles expanded and it became
common place to see female pump crews. The Womens Land Army were
trained in agriculture work, leaving the men free to go to
war.
Slide 14
Songs Its a long way to Tipperrary Pack up your troubles Keep
the home fires burning A bicycle built for two White Cliffs of
Dover Well meet again