1. How were civilians affected by World War 1?
Aim: To revise key details about the British Home Front during the First World War
A revision presentation from

2. Key points
Before the war, the most common
employment for a woman was as a
domestic servant. However, women
were also employed in what were
seen to be suitable occupations e.g.
teaching, nursing, office work.

3. Key points
When war broke out in August 1914,
thousands of women were sacked
from jobs in dressmaking, millinery
and jewelery making.They needed
work – and they wanted to help the
war effort.

4. Key points
Suffragettes stopped all militant
action in order to support the war
effort.

5. Key points
At first, there was much trade union
opposition and the employment of
women had not increased
significantly before the summer of
1915. In July 1915, a ‘Right to
Work’ ,march was organised by a
leading suffragette, Christabel
Pankhurst.

6. Key points
The shell shortage crisis in 1915
began to change the situation.
Women were taken on to work in
munitions factories. The government
did a deal with the trade unions,
known as the Treasury Agreements.
The unions agreed to accept female
labour in place of men ‘for the
duration of the war’.

7. Key points
The introduction of conscription in
1916 led to an increase in the
number of women employed in all
sectors of the economy.

8. Key points
Many women were paid good wages,
especially in munitions factories, but
in most cases they were paid lower
rates than men.
Improved wages did permit greater
independence for some women.

9. Key points
Women became more visible in the
world of work. They were seen to be
doing important jobs.

10. Key points
The armed forces also employed
women, but the jobs were mainly of
a clerical and domestic nature.

13. VAD’s Key points Women were in great demand for
the ‘caring’ side of employment and
became nurses in the First Aid
Nursing Yeomanry, and drivers and
clerks in Voluntary Aid Detachments.
VAD’s

14. Recruitment Women’s organisations tried to boost recruitment
White feathers were given to men as a sign of their “cowardice”
The Mother’s Union urged its members to get their sons to join up

15. Recruitment
Initial recruitment used posters, leaflets, etc. to build an army quickly
What is the message of this poster?
How would this poster encourage men to join the army?

16. Recruitment
Initial recruitment used posters, leaflets, etc. to build an army quickly
What is the message of this poster?
How would this poster encourage men to join the army?

17. Recruitment
Initial recruitment used posters, leaflets, etc. to build an army quickly
What is the message of this poster?
How would this poster encourage men to join the army?

18. Recruitment

19. Conscription
Voluntary recruitment was decreasing, but the demand for troops was increasing
Voluntary recruitment didn’t share the burden between all parts of society
Conscription introduced in 1916
All men aged had to register
They could be called up to fight at any time

20. Conscription
Conscientious objectors opposed the war for political or religious reasons
They refused to fight, and were imprisoned – or executed – for doing so
Others helped the war effort, but not through military action
Field hospitals
Stretched bearers

21. DORA The Defence of the Realm Act Introduced in 1914
Gave the government powers to control many aspects of people’s daily lives
The priority was to keep industrial production high, but other things were affected too

23. DORA Licensing hours were introduced
Pubs could only open for 2 hours at lunchtime and 3 hours in the evening
This made sure the workforce was awake and sober for factory work

24. DORA Newspapers and radio broadcasts were censored
The government could control what people heard about the war
This made sure the public continued to support the war effort by only hearing good things

25. DORA
Food was rationed
The government took over land and used it for farm production
This ensured there was enough food to feed the public and the army, despite German U-Boat attacks

26. DORA
Beer was diluted
The government allowed publicans to make beer weaker
This ensured the workforce didn’t drink so much as to make them drunk or hung-over while at work

27. DORA British Summer Time was introduced
The government move the clocks forward by an hour in the summer
This ensured factories had maximum daylight, meaning they could operate later

28. DORA Mines and railways were taken over by the government
The government had ultimate control over them
This meant production of coal, and the movement of trains, would be prioritised for the war effort

29. Rationing
In April 1917, German U-Boats were sinking one in every four British merchant ships
Britain was running out of food

30. Rationing In 1917 voluntary rationing began, led by the royal family
In 1918 compulsory rationing began
Sugar
Butter
Meat
Beer

31. Propaganda and Censorship
All news was tightly controlled (censorship)
Reports aimed to:
Maintain morale
Encourage civilians to support the war effort
Create hatred and suspicion of the enemy
Newspapers, radio broadcasts, films and even board games were used

32. Propaganda and Censorship
The film, The Battle of the Somme, was filmed in 1916
The Battle was a disaster for the British Army
Failed objectives
Enormous causalities
What can the film tell an historian about the use of propaganda in WW1?
Watch the clip (will take a couple of minutes to download)

33. Propaganda and Censorship
The film, The Battle of the Somme, is seen by historians as a propaganda triumph
People at home felt they could see how their efforts were helping the troops
Although it showed some casualties, it also showed advancing troops, helping morale

34. Propaganda and Censorship
The film, Britain’s Effort, was created in 1917
What was its purpose?
Watch the clip (will take a couple of minutes to download)

35. Propaganda and Censorship
It is hard to measure how effective propaganda was
BUT
Support for the war was reasonably constant
Only really changed with the enormous causalities at the Battle of the Somme in 1916
People read lots of newspapers, and watched the films, so they were being exposed to it

36. The Brown Family’s Four War Christmas
What is happening in each frame?
Explain why these things are happening, based on what you know about life on the Home Front

39. The impact of the war on women
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40. After the War
1 Women were expected to give way to men returning from the forces and return to pre-war ‘women’s work’.
2 The assumption that ‘a woman’s place is in the home’ returned.
3 The percentage of women at work returned to pre-war levels.
4 More women than before worked in offices.

41. After the War 5 Shorter skirts and hair became fashionable.
6 Women went out with men without a chaperone.
7 Women smoked and wore make-up in public for the first time.
8 In 1919: being female or married was no longer allowed to disqualify someone from holding a job in the professions or civil service.