WW2WW2 Designed & created by Lucia Dowling

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

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 – 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.

Soldiers When war broke out in September 1939, some men volunteered to join the armed services. In 1940, men aged 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rationing In 1939 every household had to fill in a form giving details of the people who lived in their house 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 didn’t 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.

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.

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 Women’s Land Army. Initially they carried out clerical work but their roles expanded and it became common place to see female pump crews. The Women’s Land Army were trained in agriculture work, leaving the men free to go to war.

Songs It’s a long way to Tipperrary Pack up your troubles Keep the home fires burning A bicycle built for two White Cliffs of Dover We’ll meet again

Created by Lucia Dowling 24/06/2015