From: Tom Holloway (tom.holloway@u3a.org.uk)
Date: Tue Apr 27 1999 - 11:37:49 PDT
. Annabel Maurice asked..... 1) The invasion of britain- why was it expected? what preparations did britain make? It wasn't expected in the early years. First the Luftwaffe would need to take control of the skies over the channel (which was what the 'Battle of Britain' was all about); but it was certainly expected at some time. All signposts were removed, all homes and shops were ordered to prepare blackouts and street lighting was forbidden. Sandbag walls built for all public buildings and everyone issued with a gas mask. Barrage balloon sites appeared in all public parks. Men were called up and those in reserved occupations were formed into the Home Guard. 2) Evacuation- What was it like for both children, and the families taking them in? Was it successful? Did mothers ever get to see their children? I can't answer that. For some children it was a wonderful adventure, for some it was awful, for some it was tolerable, for some (evacuated to Canada and torpedoed by U-boats) it was death by drowning. 3) The Home Guard- Did it successfully deterr Hitler? What problems did it face? Did most civilians believe in it? What sort of training did the men undergo? There was a lot of scepticism at first. Drilling with broomsticks and wearing oddments of uniform didn't do much for credibility or morale, but it got a lot better. And for those who joined (like my father - who was an engineer and therefore 'reserved') it was good to be doing something in uniform to escape some of the taunts and bitterness from women whose husbands had been sent abroad. 4) Bombing-what was it like during the blitz? were you, as achild well informed of the dangers? What was it like? Best to go to our archives http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/memories.html and do a search on the word 'blitz'. Well-informed as a child? Well - not really - but was it necessary? We were ALL very well-informed of the dangers. Newspapers, radio, the sight of shelters being built, EVERYONE (including toddlers) issued with gas-masks half the nation suddenly in uniform; we didn't exactly need to be TOLD. > what was it like in the bomb shelters? They all smelt damp. Later many of them started to smell worse. They were locked of course (to deter courting couples) but Air Raid Wardens had keys. Building them was ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC! Some of my happiest hours were spent scrambling around the piles of bricks and sand, being chased by irate adults. 5) Gassing -what was like wearing the gas masks and were they efficient? How often did you actually have to use your gas masks? I can remember being fitted for mine at the Town Hall. I was a bit upset that I was considered too old at seven for one of those smaller ones that looked like Mickey Mouse. They smelt of rubber and breathing was noisy. We had to put them on at school for exercise once a week. Efficiency? We never found out. After a year people stopped carrying them everywhere. 6) rationing-how did you feel about this system? was life better before or after rationing? Not sure what you mean. Remember that the PURPOSE of rationing was to ensure that everyone got a reasonable diet irrespective of income. That definitely worked, and as many as possible turned to growing vegetables to supplement the rations. Being a child I thought the sweet ration (12 ounces per month) was incredibly mean, but I'm sure we were all a lot healthier then than we are now. >I also have to do a section on 'Women at war' but I'm not sure if you'l be able to help me there! No - but we have many on the panel who can. Why not put together some specific questions and either put them to the list, or write to individuals (email addresses on our web pages below). =================== Tom Holloway tom.holloway@u3a.org.uk Tel: (+44) (0) 1926-771772 Fax: (+44) (0) 1926-771707 http://visitweb.com/memories <=== MORE INFORMATION HERE