WWII Heroes

During the war most dads would have joined the Army to help protect Britain against the Germans. Being a soldier and fighting for your country was a very noble and brave thing to do.

At the beginning of the war dads in the Army would have been sent to protect the British Empire. As the war continued, soldiers were sent into France to fight.

Soldiers had a tough time fighting for Britain; they were sometimes outnumbered and had to battle tough weather conditions. Sometimes they would go for days without any rest carrying all they could everywhere they went.

Some dads would have spent the whole war away from home. They may have been sent home if they were seriously injured or unable to fight properly. Your dad could have stayed in touch by sending you letters, and you would write back to him. Some dads' letters had words blacked out so that secret information did not get into enemy hands.

Sometimes dads were away so long, their families might not have recognised them when they returned!

If we didn't have those brave dads to fight for Britain during the war the world might have been a different place altogether!

Evacuation

The Government knew that Britain's major cities would probably be bombed during the war and he wanted to try to protect people. In preparation, plans were made to send children to homes in the country so that they would be safe from the bombs.

As soon as war was declared, children began to be evacuated, they would often be sent in their school groups along with their teachers. Children would carry a small suitcase of clothes and personal items, they would also wear a tag with their name and address on. It must have been scary getting on the train without your Mum and Dad and not knowing where you'd end up.

If you were lucky you may have been sent to a family you liked, if not evacuation may have been harsh. Some evacuees would help out working on the farms or in the household; others would be treated like one of the family.

In May 1945 evacuation was ended everywhere and children could return home. Sadly some children found they had no home to go to and had to stay.

Important Dads

Dads who had specialist jobs during wartime were able to stay home and help the war using their skills and knowledge.

If your dad was a scientist or engineer, he would have helped to design and build tanks, planes and ships for the Armies. He might even help to develop new technology to help defend the country. Dads and their families also supported the war effort through farming. It was very important to make sure people had enough food.

Anything You Can Do

Before the war most women were housewives but when most of the dads headed off to defend their country, they left behind jobs which still needed doing. To make sure these jobs still got done, women were asked to step up and take over.

Women took over many jobs; a lot of them chose to go to the factories to help produce aeroplanes, ammunition and uniforms. The hours were very long and sometimes women would have to move nearer to the factories. Others went to work on the farms, driving tractors and helping with the harvest. These women were called the Land Army.

By the end of the war there were nearly 6.5 million women in civilian war work, but when the soldiers returned home, some women found themselves out of work as soldiers went back to their normal jobs. Others stayed in their jobs because they had enjoyed earning money for themselves.

It is safe to say that without those women who helped, the war may not have been won.

Food For Thought

Everything was in short supply during WWII. Before the war Britain had brought in food and other items from all over the world. During wartime it was dangerous for merchant boats bringing in supplies as they were an obvious target for attack.

The government decided that everything should be rationed; this meant that everyone in the country would get an equal share. It also meant there wasn't much to go around!

Families were given ration books which contained coupons. There were coupons for food, coupons for clothes and even coupons for sweets! Once you had used your coupons for that week you weren't allowed anymore until the next week.

There were many poster campaigns asking families to grow their own vegetables for extra foods. People also had to repair clothes, and even recycle old material!

Blasted Blitz

In September 1940 the Germans began their bombing raid on Britain; they often aimed for air bases, ships and army bases. They turned their attention to bombing cities hoping to panic and scare Britons into surrendering; this period was called the Blitz.

If any enemy aircraft were spotted in the night sky an air raid siren would sound and everyone would have to hurry to find shelter from the oncoming bombs. There were brick shelters in the streets and some people hid down cellars, while others had 'Anderson Shelters' in their garden. Anderson Shelters were made out of corrugated metal and half buried in the garden. Earth was laid on top of them to protect them from bomb blasts.

In London many people would take shelter in the underground stations, they were dark and uncomfortable; it was also quite scary down there. It wasn't long before bunk beds, toilets and even snacks were provided, and for Christmas in 1940 they even decorated the place with streamers!

Coming Home

When the war was over many war ships returned to ports and celebrated by firing their guns - a bit like lighting bangers on bonfire night.

Unfortunately a ship on the River Wear fired real shells instead of blanks. One shell landed on a house in Sunderland nearly 2 miles away. It killed two people who had survived the German bombing raids for the last 6 years!