The Home Front in World War Two

by Susie Hodge

  “Big consignments of clothes for victims of the Blitz are now arriving in Britain from the USA. At a distribution centre in Docklands, men and women who have suffered at the hands of Hitler’s killers try on articles of clothing that will help to replace the things they have lost. American parents whose children sleep safely, have contributed largely to relieve things over here with money and clothing…helpers at the settlement can usually find something for everybody. Hundreds of war-impoverished people are grateful to kind-hearted Americans for their help.”

  Many victims of the Blitz suffered from depression, having often lost everything they owned from German bombs. The thought that American well-wishers had thought of them and sent them some practical and useful gifts was often immensely helpful in lifting that depression. Joan Easton remembered:

  “To know that compassionate and sympathetic people had cared enough to send us clothes and other things we might need – and to actually be given some new clothes helped cheer up so many families. At the centre, I remember the atmosphere was very bright and fun. The gifts of clothes and other necessary items gave us and very many other families the courage to face our troubles once more.”

  7

  DOING THEIR BIT

  “Your Courage,Your Cheerfulness,Your Resolution, Will

  Bring Us Victory.” ~ Ministry of Information poster, 1939

  At the outbreak of war in 1939, the government formed the Ministry of Information as a department to be responsible for publicity and propaganda, to boost the morale of the public and to make sure that the “right” information was distributed. Located in Senate House at the University of London, at its height, 3,000 people worked in the department, producing posters, films, radio broadcasts, pamphlets, newspaper articles and press advertisements, but at first, it was not successful. Much of the publicity and propaganda came across as patronising and pompous as the writers recruited did not always appreciate the feelings of the people, and they were often heavy-handed and long-winded. Additionally, leaflets dropped into Germany were full of grammatical and spelling errors. But as the war went on, the Ministry learned what would appeal to the public. A huge opinion survey called Mass Observation regularly recorded people’s opinions and feelings, revealing what would win them over more effectively. One surprising and unexpected technique that was learned quite early on was to relate bad news as well as good. It was discovered that when they heard bad news, people were more inclined to accept the plausibility of everything, and being aware of the lows as well as the highs also helped them to cope with disappointments. Nevertheless, certain news items were withheld because the government thought they would crush public spirit. For example, reports of ships sunk by Japanese kamikaze pilots were not reported; certain photos were prohibited from being publicised, such as any of dead children and one of a bomb that had crashed into a London Underground station; in 1941, the Communist newspaper The Daily Worker was banned as it opposed the war; soldiers’ letters were censored with all mention of times and places deleted and the invention of radar was not mentioned, instead the notion that eating carrots helped RAF pilots see in the dark, was made known.

  Keep Calm and Carry On

  In April 1939, ahead of time, in an effort to raise morale and to motivate everyone when war broke out, the Ministry of Information commissioned three posters. In flat, bold and bright colours, they featured the shape of George VI’s crown (to reassure the public that the King was with them) and, in a clear sans serif font, bore the slogans: “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory”, “Freedom is in Peril, Defend It with All Your Might”, and “Keep Calm and Carry On”. The first two posters were displayed as prominently as possible: on public transport, in shop windows and on notice boards and hoardings across Britain. But the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster was never released. It remained virtually unknown until a bookshop owner discovered one in a box of old books he bought at auction in 2000. The Ministry of Information’s plan had been to issue the poster only in times of crisis, specifically the invasion of Britain by Germany. As this did not happen, the posters were never officially used and at the end of the war they were all collected up and pulped. Meanwhile, the poster “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory” annoyed people! Because of the wording, it was perceived that there was a “them” and an “us”. It seemed that “us” was the government and it was expecting everyone to make sacrifices and work for it, not for the good of all. The two posters were not used for long.

  Another unsuccessful campaign included a poster with the headline: “Don’t do it Mother – Leave the Children Where they Are”. The poster featured a mother sitting next to a tree, her two little boys playing in front of her, while behind them all, in sinister, ghostly outline, Hitler bent over, whispering, “Take them back!” The poster was intended to make mothers leave their evacuated children in the country rather than take them back to the towns again, but it had the opposite effect; making mothers miss their children even more and want to protect them. To put the point across, the poster was reinforced by magazines. For instance, in 1941, the editor of Woman’s Own published an article that began: “If your children have an opportunity of going off to the country, don’t grudge it to them because you will be lonely…Apart from their health – and none of you can deny that space and fresh air and country food are best for growing boys and girls – they will benefit enormously from new experiences and friendships.”

  The BBC played its part in the propaganda and publicity machine throughout the war too. In 1939 it was expanded hugely, with several new broadcasts following, most of which helped to raise morale. Before the war, BBC newsreaders simply announced “This is the news from London” but during the war, they developed the habit of starting the news by saying: “Here is the news; and this is [newsreader’s name – such as Alvar Lidell or Bruce Belfrage] reading it.” This was so that listeners would learn to recognise genuine BBC newsreaders’ voices and so would be able to tell immediately if an enemy should feign to be a newsreader. Strict standards demanded that any BBC announcers were always dressed smartly – even when they would not be seen by their audiences. This even stretched to wearing full evening dress if the type of programme demanded it.

  Black propaganda

  Black propaganda emerged on both sides during the war. It was a method of trying to confuse and demoralise the enemy by sending false messages to its civilians. Intended to disrupt the foe’s resolve to fight, both Britain and Germany indulged in it. On the first day of the war, the British dropped leaflets over Germany and during the course of the war, millions of publications were created by the Ministry of Information and released over Nazi-occupied Europe, including leaflets, newspapers, stickers, stamps and posters – in various languages, such as French, German, Danish, Norwegian, and Czech.

  One of the most well-known examples of black propaganda in Britain was “Lord Haw-Haw”. This was the Irish-American William Joyce, who lived in Britain before the war, carried a British passport and had joined the British Union of Fascists under Oswald Mosley. When war broke out, in fear of being detained by the British authorities, he and his wife Margaret fled to Germany in August 1939. He became a naturalised German in 1940 and from September 1939 worked for German radio, broadcasting black propaganda every night to Britain aiming to frighten and dishearten the British people. His broadcasts “informed” the British that the war was hopeless and that they were being defeated, but his nasal voice and exaggerated upper-class accent became recognised and his opening line “This is ‘Jairmany’ calling” inspired a journalist on The Daily Express to call him Lord Haw-Haw. The nickname stuck. Those who remember describe his “sneering, smarmy, creepy voice” that was “posh, like a lecturer”, “insidious” and “full of vindictive pleasure about what was going to happen to the British”. There were actually at least three men who broadcast from that news channel and were nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw collectively, but Joyce was the most notori
ous. There were several other broadcasts from Berlin that could be picked up in Britain, with a wide range of programmes that highlighted the positives about Germany, but the news channel was the most listened to. Its popularity arose partly because at the beginning of the war, the BBC was extremely dreary, with no humour or popular music. It did not have mass appeal and many described it as being tedious and soporific. Some remembered tuning into German radio stations: “It was thrilling really to have contact with the enemy. We lived such simple, narrow lives.” Although listening to the nightly broadcast was discouraged by the British authorities, it was estimated that early on in the war, approximately six million people tuned in to hear Lord Haw-Haw every night; mainly to laugh at his accent and spiteful claims, although some declared that there was “a great deal of truth” in what he said. His broadcasts were overtly anti-Semitic, they ridiculed Winston Churchill and they made many feel unsettled and uncertain, so in July 1940, the British government issued a warning as part of an information campaign which appeared in the press and always began with: “What do I do if?” This one read:

  “What do I do if... I come across German or Italian broadcasts when tuning in my wireless? I say to myself: ‘Now this blighter wants me to listen to him. Am I going to do what he wants? ...I remember nobody can trust a word the Haw-Haws say, so just to make them waste their time, I switch ‘em off or tune ‘em out!”

  From the middle of 1940, when things became particularly bleak in Britain and the possibility of defeat was faced, the popularity of Lord Haw-Haw’s broadcasts diminished. After the war, Joyce was arrested by British Military Police and taken to London where he was tried and found guilty of treason. He was hanged in 1946.

  With the main part of the Ministry of Information’s role being to reassure the public and keep up morale throughout the war selected MoI workers were sent to listen to conversations in pubs, cafés and shops and on trains and buses. These were reported back to headquarters and from them, more targeted publicity was prepared. In 1940 it became an offence, punishable by a £50 fine, to pass on any rumour “likely to cause alarm and despondency”. The government impressed upon all that it was everyone’s duty to discourage unfounded gossip whether in public or in private. In contrast, a positive attitude was encouraged as an important aspect of the war effort, as Churchill, among many others, believed that this would create an indomitable resistance against the enemy. To this end, the government declared that listening to enemy radio propaganda should be ridiculed and vehemently discouraged. In speeches and in press advertisements, ministers urged everyone to be mindful of what they listened to or said. The Ministry of Information launched an anti-rumour campaign with a newspaper announcement:

  “Warning: Do not discuss anything which might be of national importance. The consequence of any such indiscretion may be the loss of many lives.”

  This was closely followed by the “Careless Talk Costs Lives” campaign, which consisted of several humorous posters, many drawn by the Punch cartoonist Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887-1965), who worked under the name Fougasse. Best known for being the art editor at Punch from 1937 to 1949, Fougasse also worked for the Ministry of Information throughout the war for free, (for which he was awarded a CBE in 1946). His amusing posters were extremely popular; the simple line drawings were witty, succinct and almost irreverent, which made everyone smile.

  Another cartoon that made a regular appearance in newspapers from 1941 and cheered everyone up was Mr Chad. John Hubbard remembered: “Mr Chad was a cartoon face with a long nose, peering over a fence who always moaned. Everything he said began with ‘WOT, no…?’ Because he was such a grumpy old thing, he made everyone laugh about the shortages. It was as if he was moaning for all of us. There he would be, in the papers, looking long-faced and saying things like: ‘WOT, no oranges?’ ‘WOT, no sugar?’ ‘WOT, no bread?’ It made it feel all right to be secretly fed up about things, even though you’d never let on – or risk seeming unpatriotic. After all, if the soldiers, sailors and airmen could risk their lives every day, a few shortages could be put up with at home.”

  Catchphrases

  But it was not just cartoons that made people smile and kept them focused on “doing their bit” for the war effort. Tommy Handley, a comedian, became a regular broadcaster with the BBC, inspiring listeners to use the catchphrases from his most popular show, ITMA (which came from its original title, It’s That Man Again) . The show made fun of practically every aspect of British wartime life, including the Ministry of Works. Every character was a parody of the types of people who were encountered daily, such as the constantly inebriated Colonel Chinstrap who replied to anything he thought was an alcoholic drink with: “I don’t mind if I do”, or the cleaning lady, Mrs Mopp with her, “Can I do you now, Sir?” More of the catchphrases that came from the show included: “TTFN” (ta-ta for now); “It’s being so cheerful as keeps me going”, and “Don’t forget the diver”. Catchphrases were unheard of before the war, but Tommy Handley’s characters became defined by them and the idea that saying a few words that were really quite meaningless, but that could raise a smile anywhere in the country, helped to brighten everyone. It was further common ground, a way of connecting with others, even complete strangers, which made it comforting. The popular advertising slogans added to this and there were many others, including: “Put that light out”, “Don’t you know there’s a war on” and “Doing your bit”. Catchphrases caught on and formed part of everyday conversation, stirring the hearts of all those on the Home Front, reinforcing their courage and their determination to keep going.

  Crime

  Although most people used their own creativity and enterprise to keep going and support each other, some used it simply to help themselves. From 1939 to 1945, the crime rate in Britain increased by 57 per cent. With a reduced police force, blackouts and rationing, there was plenty of opportunity for law-breaking. Bombed homes were looted by the unscrupulous. Some rushed straight into bombed properties – whether private homes or shops – and helped themselves, while others were more opportunist and picked things up that had been scattered in the streets by bombs. The particularly calculating dressed up as ARP wardens and stole items from the homes and people they were meant to be rescuing, or took valuables from the dead or dying. With everyone else so busy trying to pull together and help each other, relatively few of these criminals were caught and punished. Enemies without were the focus, not enemies within. In November 1940 The Daily Mirror published an article: “Hang a Looter and Stop This Filthy Crime!” but little could be done with resources so stretched anyway. There were strong feelings of horror that people could act in this way, but little that anyone could do to stop it. Because rationing made everyone so desperate, some thieves calculated stealing goods that were particularly sought after, while others were more opportunistic. Some doctors took bribes to sign people off as unfit to serve in the armed forces and some disabled people accepted money to attend medicals of those who had their received call-up papers, effectively excusing healthy people from active service. During the Blitz the government paid £500 to those who had lost their homes through bombing, plus additional compensation for damaged or lost furniture and clothing. Many unscrupulous individuals claimed the compensation by pretending that they had suffered in this way. The authorities often suspected, but had no time to investigate. The blackout enabled both pickpockets and prostitutes to flourish. Prostitutes particularly profited from the thousands of soldiers departing for the Front. Maggie Stewart, who worked in the Ministry of Labour in London recalled:

  “During the war, everyone had to register for war work or the services, but it was difficult to categorise prostitutes. The services wouldn’t take them and if you sent them to a factory, none of the girls would mix with them or use the same facilities. Mothers of girls from upper-class and aristocratic families wrote complaining letters that their daughters were being forced to associate with prostitutes. So they could not be placed. It didn’t take long for the lazier
individuals to cotton on that prostitution was a way out of working. It became quite a desirable business to be in!”

  The crime rate rose because of the desperate needs of everybody and even those who believed themselves to be honest were often guilty of buying goods or spare ration coupons on the black market. The sellers of black market goods became known as “spivs” or “wide-boys”. Often selling their items out of suitcases, which could be snapped shut in seconds if a policeman came along, they made huge profits. Most were of little consequence in comparison to contemporary events, but some was quite far-reaching. In 1943, in one operation, five million clothing coupons were stolen and the government had to cancel the entire issue. Crime was not completely ignored however and by the end of the war more than 114,000 prosecutions for black market activities had taken place, sometimes for surprisingly minor offences. No one was exempt from punishment. In fact, many were used as examples. In 1944 the composer Ivor Novello was sentenced to eight weeks’ imprisonment – which was subsequently reduced to four – for using extra petrol coupons given to him by a female fan. Yet even though criminal activities increased, the streets of Britain did not descend into lawlessness and the majority of British people got through the war honestly and with a united front.

  Children

  Often separated from their parents through evacuation, the armed forces or bereavement, in general, children were remarkably resilient and exceptionally helpful. They saved, collected, made and sold, all to help the war effort and generally faced the difficulties as resolutely as their parents.