How did the Blitz affect civilian life in London?

I can describe the Impact of the Blitz on London. Learning objective – to be able to identify the impact of the Blitz on life in London. I can describe the Impact of the Blitz on London. Grade 3 I can explain the Impact of the Blitz on London. Grade 6 I can explain and assess the Impact of the Blitz on London. Grade 9

How did government policy change on shelters in the Blitz? Government policy on shelters at the start of the Second World War was one of dispersal. This meant that people had a small surface shelter per household. The government felt that this type of shelter would encourage people to be more willing to leave them once daylight appeared as well as this would help lower casualties. This policy was opposed to deep underground shelters, such as using tube stations, which governments feared that people would not leave. However, people ignored this policy and used deep shelters, such as tube stations. The government backed down from its original policy.

How did conditions in shelters change in the Blitz? Initially, conditions in tube stations were appalling. They were overcrowded [because many people did not feel safe in the surface shelters and wanted a deep shelter instead] and sanitary conditions were dreadful. Also, deep shelters often lacked fresh air and lighting. One unused station at Aldwych gave a great example of how shelters should be run as it was converted into a facility that could be used for sheltering – such as toilets, bedding and medical facilities were all provided. A government investigations one led by Lord Horder and the other by the Ministry of Health examined conditions in shelters and found them to be inadequate. From the information the reports provided, improvements were made to shelters using Aldwych as a template.

How did private shelters developing during the Blitz? Many people were unhappy with the overcrowded, communal shelters at the start of the Blitz and private shelters began to develop. John Lewis used its basement in Oxford Street to shelter customers to which they sold tea and biscuits while the Savoy Hotel allowed dinner guests to use its basement to shelter. Also the Spitalfields Fruit and Wool Exchange also used its basement – although this had awful conditions until Mickey Davis took it over. The Spitalfield shelter became known as ‘Micky’s Shelter’. Mickey Davis was an optician whose shop had been bombed out and had no work. Davis took it upon himself to raise funds and lead a committee to run a shelter which had bedding, food, medical facilities and was clean. It also had a ticketing system which controlled overcrowding and queuing.

What was the impact of shelters disasters during the Blitz? Underground shelters provided no protection from a direct hit. Schools were used in the first stages of the Blitz in shelter the homeless. A school in South Hallsville was sheltering 600 people on 11th September 1940 who were waiting to be evacuated [after a delay to pick them up] when it was hit by a parachute mine and only 77 bodies were recovered. East Enders were furious and decided to evacuate anyway without government help while others blames the Civil Defence systems. The government censored the news fearing its impact on morale. Expecting revenge attacks after raids on Germany on March 1943, 1,500 people used Bethnal Green Tube Station as a shelter. This was dangerous as the entrances could not cope with the amount of footfall over a short space of time. When anti-aircraft guns were fired nearby, this caused panic when people were going down into the underground. This panic led to a woman carrying a baby falling at the bottom of a staircase as a rope hand rail came loose. The people at the top of the staircase continued to come down the stairs causing a crush leading to 173 people being killed. This was all kept secret until after the war. Bounds Green, Balham, Sloane Square and Bank stations all suffered direct hits during the Blitz.

How did the government try to protect morale during the Blitz? The government was increasingly worried about morale during the Blitz. The Blitz Spirit is somewhat a myth as there were class friction as initial stages of the Blitz focused upon the working class dominant East End while the underground was concentrated in the more affluent West End. This division eased as the bombing spread throughout London. The Ministry of Information set up the Home Intelligence Department to collect information about how morale was holding up. They relied on such sources as police station reports and postal censorship. A major group which collected information on the Home Front was Mass Observation, who collected letters, papers and diaries sent in from people about ordinary life. These documents give a detailed first-hand picture of peoples’ experiences of the Blitz and its impact written at the time of the event.

How did the government try to protect morale during the Blitz? With the aim of keeping morale high, the government commissioned a propaganda campaign to promote a Blitz Sprit and ‘the British Can Take It’ attitude. This was mainly in the form of posters and short films. Also, using the powers of DORA, the government increased censorship of reports and suppressed stories of bombing attacks and shelter disasters. This did lead to stories and gossip being spread around about disasters.

How did the Blitz disrupt daily life and work? The Blitz impacted upon supplies and food had to be rationing more tightly. Unexploded bombs kept people away from work until they were made safe. Civil Defence volunteers had to deal with death and destruction on a horrific scale. The population of inner London fell as those who could move out did. Limited transport and black-outs made travelling difficult. Bombing disrupted electric, gas and water supplies. More than 54,000 people were killed between 1940 and 1941 with 250,000 people being made homeless in September and October of 1940 alone.

How did the Blitz impact upon leisure pursuits? Cinema audiences increased by 50% and the government used this to show newsreels and rousing films to promote morale and use a propaganda. Many theatres closed as people could not travel to see plays but as the Blitz went on the government subsidised plays and lunch concerts, which were popular. Pubs increased in popularity particularly with women and younger people. Large dance halls increased in popularity particularly those placed near soldiers barracks. Football competitions were suspended for the duration of the war but matches still took place but with limited crowds.

Knowledge questions What were the key features of government policy on shelters? Describe the conditions of shelters in the early stages of the Blitz. Why did private shelters develop and what was there impact? What did the government do to try and protect morale during the Blitz? What was the impact of the disasters during the Blitz? In what ways did the Blitz disrupt daily life?

Task - Complete the connection map on the impact of the Blitz.

Plenary Write one sentence definitions for each picture on how it links to the lesson. Homework Complete – 3 links that link 2 pictures together. 3 links that link 3 pictures together. 2 links that link 4 pictures together.

Plenary – My Brain Subheading – My Brain Draw an outline of your brain. Fill your drawn brain with all the things you have learnt in this lesson. This can be in the form of key words, drawings, bullet points, lists – anything you like so long as it summarises your learning and that others can understand it.