The Home Front in World War Two Part one Preparing for war

Aims of the lesson By the end of this lesson you will Describe how Britain prepared for war in the winter of 1939 – 1940 Understand what we mean by the term Phoney war Evaluate the extent to which Britain was prepared for war by the summer of 1940

The background On 1 st September 1939 Britain declared war on Germany for invading Poland For six months nothing happened – the Germans did not invade France and France did not invade Germany Nevertheless Britain began to prepare for air raids and possible invasion The man in charge of these preparations was Neville Chamberlain – the PM

How did Britain prepare? All men between 18 and 30 were called up for military service Those in certain important jobs such as doctors and miners were excepted The biggest fear was air raids and gas attacks in particular People began to leave the major towns for the country

Air raid shelters Huge mass shelters were built in the major towns In London they used the underground Most families had an Anderson Shelter in their gardens in case they could not get to a public shelter

Morrison Shelters Many homes had Morrison shelters These were cages which doubled as tables If a house was bombed these shelters would protect the occupants until they were dug out

Air Raid Precautions Huge barrage balloons were floated over towns to prevent attack from enemy bombers and fighters Lights were not allowed to be shown Blackout curtains had to be put up in every window Car lights had to be dimmed or blacked out

Gas Masks Everyone was issued with a gas mask – these had to be carried at all times in case of gas attack Children had their own gas masks – these were nicknamed Donald Ducks Even babies had their own gas masks

A baby gas mask

Evacuation Many people sent their children away from the major towns to the safety of the countryside Pregnant women and old people were also evacuated Some had good experiences whilst others had bad ones

Rationing and ID cards Everyone had to carry an identity card Food also had to be rationed so that everyone got their fair share This was because Britain got most of her food from other countries Everyone was issued with a ration book