1. What do you think has happened? When do you think it was taken?
Look at this picture
What do you think has happened?
When do you think it was taken?

2. Look at the following pictures – where do you think they were taken?
Look closely – do you recognise any buildings or landmarks?

3. Look at the following pictures – where do you think they were taken?
Look closely – do you recognise any buildings or landmarks?

4. Coventry and World War 2
During World War 2 Coventry was bombed by the German air force. This was called The Blitz (from the German word Blitzkrieg – ‘Lightning War’)
The worst bombing took place on the night of 14th November 1940

5. Quick Facts about the Coventry Blitz
The bombing lasted for 11 hours – the first bombs were dropped at 7.10pm and bombing went on until 6.15am the next morning.
Nearly 500 German planes were involved in the attack armed with 30,000 incendiaries including bombs, landmines and incendiaries which were special bombs that started fires
More than 43,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the bombing – over half the homes in the city.
538 people were killed and thousands were injured.

6. Why was Coventry bombed?
Coventry was selected as a target for bombing because it was an important city – it had 9 large car factories
Coventry was also bombed because it had many other factories that produced bicycles and machine tools used in factories
Coventry also produced things that were used by Britain in the war including weapons and aircraft engines
The city was also bombed because of the effect it would have on the morale of the ordinary people that lived in the city at the time – it was thought that the citizens would get so fed up of the bombing they would stop working and force the government to give in to Adolf Hitler

7. Surviving the Coventry Blitz
In order to help people survive the Blitz the government got families to build air raid shelters.
A lot of families built Anderson Shelters in their gardens
They would dig a large hole in the ground and built the shelter using corrugated metal which was then covered with soil

8. What was it like during an air raid?
Air raids often took place at night – people knew they were taking place because of the sound of an air raid siren would warn them aircraft were on the way.
They would have to get up and head into their air raid shelter with their family.
Watch the story of Isobel and her grandad Alan to find out what it was like to be a child during an air raid -
Activity
Imagine you are in the middle of the Blitz – what would it be like?
Use your five senses and think of some adjectives to describe how you feel.
Write them on a Post-It note and stick them where the whole class can see your response

9. Preparing for an Air Raid
A lot of children took a small cardboard box into their air raid shelter – remember that there wasn’t much space in them! What would you take with you?
An item of clothing – think about the time of year it is…
Some snacks – however certain food was ‘rationed’ so your favourite foods might not be available!
A toy – would your favourite toy be around in 1940?

10. Rationing
During World War 2 food was rationed which meant the government controlled how much food people could have.
This was because a lot of food was imported into the UK by boat, but the Nazis were sinking ships to try to affect British morale. It was also meant to make sure everyone had equal access to food.
People were provided with a ration book of coupons and shopkeepers took a coupon before someone could buy food like meat, eggs and butter. People grew their own vegetables in order to get access to more food.
Clothes and petrol were also rationed and even hot water for baths!
Children were allowed 350g of sweets every four weeks
Some fruits like bananas and lemons weren’t rationed because they weren’t available! Some children born during the war were 12 before they had their first banana and they tried to eat the skin!

11. Quiz
Q. What was the name given to the German bombing campaign of the UK which included the bombing of Coventry in World War 2?

12. Quiz
Q. What was the name given to the German bombing campaign of the UK which included the bombing of Coventry in World War 2? A. The Blitz

13. Quiz
Q. How many hours did the Coventry Blitz in November last for?

14. Quiz
Q. How many hours did the Coventry Blitz in November 1940 last for? A. 11 hours

15. Quiz
Q. Give me a reason why Coventry was bombed by the Nazis

16. Quiz
Q. Give me a reason why Coventry was bombed by the Nazis A. It had 9 large car factories, produced aircraft engines for the war and it would affect the morale of the people

17. Quiz
Q. What was the name given to the air raid shelters people built in their back gardens?

18. Quiz
Q. What was the name given to the air raid shelters people built in their back gardens? A. Anderson shelters

19. Final Activity
Have a go at drawing the inside of an Anderson shelter. Read the accounts below to think about what to include in your drawing… “When the bomb exploded the shelter shook and all the children started to cry, it was a terrible and frightening moment.” “We were very young, I was the second eldest, and I remember that for us the whole thing of hiding in the shelter was rather exciting.” “My mum and the other women laid some sheets and carpets on the cold cement floor, and they hung on the walls pictures of film stars and people to make the shelter cosy. We all slept in bunker beds and because there wasn’t a toiled, we placed a bucket in a corner and hung some curtains around it for some privacy.” “I remember that to cover up the noise of the bombs, my dad brought a little organ from home and he used to play it while we sang old London songs. Everyone had a favourite song, mine was ‘Knees up mother Brown’, and we all sang loudly and danced and laughed to kill the noise of the bombs.”