British Character on the Home Front Forget

British Character on the Home Front

Forget the Past • Focus on US and British similarities • Same language • Believe in representative gov’t. • Freedom of speech

British Characteristics • Reserved, not unfriendly • Don’t want to be rude • Don’t want to show off • British are tough • Don’t mistaken their soft-spoken and polite manner • Don’t make coffee • Drink tea • British are leisurely, not slow

British Characteristics (cont’d. ) • Sports • Like to ride horses • Football • Cricket • Good sportsmanship • Indoor Entertainment • Theaters and movies (cinemas) • Pubs

British Characteristics • Vehicles • Automobiles • Smaller • Low-powered • Taxis • All of Britain is war zone • Lights blacked out at night • Every highway signpost is down • All work is in support of the war (cont’d. )

US Attitude • Don’t mention U. S. came over and won WWI for them • GB lost nearly a million men • Great war debts • GB attacked in WWII • Women at war • Officers give orders to men • Have proven themselves • Respect women in uniform

US Attitude • Don’t complain about • Their clothes • Warm drinks • Cold boiled potatoes • Not enough food

Language Differences • American vs. English • Railroads—Railways • Automobiles—Motorcars • Radios—Wireless Sets • Hood (of engine)—Bonnet • Gas—Petrol • Apartment—Flat • Streetcar—Tram • Flashlight—Torch

What WAS Britain Dealing With?

Battle of Britain • The “Blitz” • September, 1940— May, 1941 • Hitler’s air forces bombed Britain, with a focus on London

• People worked during the day • Hid in air raid shelters during bombings • They hid at night with lights out • 29, 890 Londoners died • Another 50, 507 were admitted to hospitals

• Many children were sent to the countryside

When the Lights Go On Again, Vera Lynn

Problems of Production • Ministry of Food set up within days of war’s start • Ensured maintenance of food supplies • Organized distribution • Board of Trade • Controlled production most consumer other than food of goods

Problems of Production (cont’d. ) • Ministry of Agriculture • Organized domestic food production to meet largest possible proportion of domestic needs

Prewar Imports • Britain dependent on imports for • 92% of her requirements of fat • 51% of her meat • 75% of her sugar • 87% of flour cereals

Price Control • Board of Trade was designed to: • Prevent inflation through stabilization of cost of products • Ensure fair distribution of supplies • Member of public may complain to local committee

Consumer Goods • Board of Trade cut supply of consumer goods • Cotton, Linen, and Rayon Order • April, 1940 • Reduced supplies to public by limiting quantities which retailers were allowed to buy

Food Shortages • Shortage of products, such as eggs and milk, led to substitutes • Food Substitutes Order • Oct. 11, 1941 • Prohibited sale of food substitute under license Ministry of Food except from any

Food Shortages (cont’d. ) • New recipes were introduced • Rationed meat was replaced with vegetables • Health of nation actually improved

Food Shortages (cont’d. ) • Pigs were popular • Cheap and clean • Almost whole animal could be eaten • Many kept in gardens

Rationing • Entitled each holder of a ration book to purchase goods up to a certain number of points per month

Rationing (cont’d. ) • Pregnant and nursing women had larger allowances • Weddings • Couple could apply for extra rations • 1940—MOF banned use of icing on wedding cakes

Rationing (cont’d. ) • January, 1940 • Bacon (4 oz. ), eggs (2), butter (4 oz. ), margarine (4 oz. ), and sugar (12 oz. ) (per week) • March, 1940 • Meat rationing begun

Rationing (cont’d. ) • July, 1940 • Tea • May, 1941 • Cheese • February, 1942 • Soap

Emergency Meals • Organized throughout country to cater after air raids • London-provisions were sufficient to provide meals for 25% of population at any one time

Fuel Rationing • Early in war, rationing of petrol for private car use • Later, only small businesses and other essential purposes were allotted a ration

Fuel Rationing (cont’d. ) • Next, only if alternative means of transportation were not available • Private cars almost disappeared the roads from

Rationing Clothes • By 1941 shortage of some clothes • Soon, every article of clothing rationed • Except hats & overalls • Each civilian had 66 coupons

Rationing Clothes • Suit=26 Coupons • Shirt=5 Coupons • Tie=1 Coupon • Socks=3 Coupons • Shoes=7 Coupons (cont’d. )

Rationing Clothes (cont’d. )

Recycling • Many types of items • Thousands of women gave aluminum pans

National Savings Movement • Planned to increase investment in War Bonds • Press and posters advertised

Press and Posters • Spread important wartime information • Have been criticized as propaganda • Played important role in increasing public awareness of important wartime issues

• What General Weygand has called the Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin. • Churchill, to the House of Commons, 18 June 1940

• Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire.

• The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war.

• If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.

• But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.

• Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say,

'This was their finest hour. '

British Character on the Home Front

Bibliography • • • • • Imperial War Museum • Books and website ahoy. tk-jk. net/Travel. Diary/Londoninthe. Blitz 1940 -1941. html www. baglanit. org. uk www. britainatwar. co. uk www. dover-web. co. uk www. fordham. edu/halsall/mod/ www. gittermangallery. com www-hoover. stanford. edu www. houkgallery. com www. loc. gov www. onwar. com www. portcities. org. uk www. raf. mod. uk/ www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/ www. st-andrews. ac. uk www. warmuseum. ca www. wwnorton. com www. worldwar 2 exraf. co. uk