The Blackout of World War 2: Facts and Information
Here are some facts about the World War 2 blackout:
- During World War 2 , the blackout was a nationwide effort to turn off all lights in towns and cities. It was devised as a defence against German bombers, so they could not be guided by the lights.
- The blackout was ordered two days before war broke out. London and other large British towns and cities had a blackout, as well as cities in Germany, France and other European countries.
- Each home was given enough blackout material, which was usually a dark cotton fabric. Putting up and taking down the material quickly became a boring and unwanted daily task for most households.
- Windows were covered in the dark material. Car headlamps were also blacked out, causing many accidents, and people were not allowed to smoke cigarettes or cigars outdoors.
- Many small shops had to have an extra door fitted, to stop light from showing when people came in and out of the shop. Some large factories with glass roofs had to paint their entire roof black.
- Because of the risk of car accidents in the dark, the speed limit was reduced to 20 mph. To help drivers and pedestrians, white lines were painted on roads, which are still there today.
- The blackout offered some protection against the Blitz , the bombing of Britain that began in 1940..
- The blackout was enforced by Air Raid Precaution (ARP) wardens, who made sure that no light could be seen from buildings. There were heavy fines for anyone who did not follow the rules.
- In coastal areas, ships were also blacked out to prevent them from being seen against the shore. It made them less of an obvious target for German submarines.
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The blackout in the second world war, primary sources, (1) british government circular lighting restrictions (july, 1939).
All windows, skylights, glazed doors or other openings which would show a light, will have to be screened in wartime with dark blinds or brown paper on the glass so that no light is visible from outside. You should now obtain any materials you may need for this purpose. Instructions will be issued about the dimming of lights on vehicles. No street lighting is allowed.
(2) Henry (Chips) Channon , diary entry (14th September, 1939)
We are on the very verge of war, as Poland was this morning invaded by Germany, who will now carve up the country with the help of the Russians. At home there were more 'goodbyes', and Honor (Channon) has gone to Kelvedon. There is a blackout, complete and utter darkness, and all day the servants had been frantically hanging black curtains.
(3) Kenneth Sinclair Loutit , Very Little Luggage (2009)
London was a very heartening place during the Blitz. A week later, for a split second, I thought I was being blown up, because I did leave the ground. I had beens driving along King's Cross Road in the black-out during a raid. Bombs were dropping, but you were no safer stationary than moving. I had no lights on because they bothered people; there was no moon; it was cloudy. The Luftwaffe had no special need to aim. London was a large enough target tto be hard to miss. There was a lot of noise, some of it from rail mounted AA. Then, suddenly, my car became airborne, it seemed to rise and came down with a fantastic crash. A little later, as I came to my senses, I heard a voice saying "Are you all right?" I found myself still in the driver’s seat with my hands on the steering wheel. I could not see a thing; the window was open. Looking through it I saw earth, looking up I could just identify a man looking down from three of four feet higher. I've no idea what I said, but he and his mate came down to my level. "Sure you'r OK Guv?" "You gave us a scare, never seen a car do the long jump before." said the other. They were Gas, Light and Coke Company men. The night before there had been some bad Gas ruptures; they had opened up a very big pit to get at the mains for re-routing. Bowling along without headlamps, alone in the middle of an empty totally dark road, I had not seen any difference in the quality of the black in front of my car, so I had driven smartly over the edge into the pit. The car's roof was just below street level, but there was no ramp up; there was plenty of room but no way out. Like many other Blitz problems this was instantly solved. Pure muscle power did it; the car was lifted up by some twenty willing hands and received by twenty others. Placed on its wheels beyond the pit, I started the engine. It worked; I arrived at Finsbury where we found that the steering had been badly damaged and that I had a few bruises.
(4) Harold Nicolson , diary entry (1st September, 1939)
Motor up ... to London. There are few signs of any undue activity beyond a few khaki figures at Staplehurst and some schoolboys filling sandbags at Maidstone. When we get near London we see a row of balloons hanging like black spots in the air. Go down to the House of Commons at 5.30. They have already darkened the building and lowered the lights... I dine at the Beefsteak (Club).... When I leave the Club, I am startled to find a perfectly black city. Nothing could be more dramatic or give one more of a shock than to leave the familiar Beefsteak and to find outside not the glitter of all the sky-signs, but a pall of black velvet.
(5) Joyce Storey , Joyce's War (1992)
The cinema was a bible black bob. No bright neon emblazoned the names of the stars and the feature film revolving round and round in a star-studded endless silver square. These had been extinguished at the onset of the war. There wasn't even the all important grey liveried attendant with the gold braid epaulets on his shoulder shouting on the steps the number of seats available in the balcony. A very full, pleated blackout curtain now draped the great doors at the entrance to the foyer. Once inside their voluptuous folds, you came face to face with a high plywood partition forming a corridor along which the patrons shuffled. A sharp turn to the right at the end of this makeshift entrance led to the dimly lit paybox. So low was the light in that gloom, that it was advisable to have the right amount of money for the ticket; sometimes the keenest eye found it difficult to discern whether the right change had been given.
(6) Lord Chief Justice Caldecote criticised the Lighting Restrictions Order in a judgement made on 19th November, 1942.
This order... ran to some thirty-three articles and innumerable sub-paragraphs which everybody concerned with lighting in its various forms is required to understand ... I find it impossible to believe that the regulations could not have been in a simpler and more intelligible form.
(7) The East Grinstead Observer (30th September, 1944)
Susan Home of 33 West Street, East Grinstead, was charged with a breach of blackout regulations. The light was showing through the scullery window. The window had not been blacked out. The light, added Inspector Fry, had been burning for 14 hours or so and consequently the defendant was also summoned for wasting fuel. Susan Home was fined 10s. for each offence.
(8) The East Grinstead Observer (23rd October, 1944)
Delay in replacing windows broken through enemy action led to the appearance of Laura Miller of 10 High Street, East Grinstead at the local Petty Sessions on Monday for causing an unscreened light to be displayed at her premises at 8.30 on 26th September and for wasting fuel. P.C. Jeal stated that he saw a bright light shining from a window at number 10, High Street. As he did not receive any reply, he forced an entry through the bathroom window and extinguished an electric lamp. Laura Miller explained "I went out in a hurry about 7 p.m. and must have forgotten to turn out the light." She added that some of the windows which were broken recently by enemy action had been blacked-out with felt, and if it had not been for that, the light would not have been see. Mr. E. Blount said taking all the circumstances into consideration, only small penalties would be imposed. The defendant was fined 10s. on each summons.
(9) Angus Calder , The People's War: Britain 1939-45 (1969)
The first impact of war was felt, not like a hammer blow at the head, to be warded off, but as a mass of itches, to be scratched and pondered. Most of the discomforts and frustrations of the period were very minor foretastes of the years of regulations and austerity which followed. The blackout, however, was an exception. Its impact was comprehensive and immediate. One of the most impassive official historians of the British effort observes, without exaggeration, that it 'transformed conditions of life more thoroughly than any other single feature of the war'. In the first place, most people had to spend five minutes or more every evening blacking out their homes. If they left a chink visible from the streets, an impertinent air raid warden or policeman would be knocking at their door, or ringing the bell with its new touch of luminous paint. There was an understandable tendency to neglect skylights and back windows. Having struggled with drawing pins and thick paper, or with heavy black curtains, citizens might contemplate going out after supper - and then reject the idea and settle down for a long read and an early night. For to make one's way from back street or suburb to the city centre was a prospect fraught with depression and even danger. In September 1939 the total of people killed in road accidents increased by nearly one hundred per cent. This excludes others who walked into canals, fell down steps, plunged through glass roofs and toppled from railway platforms. A Gallup Poll published in January 1940 showed that by that stage about one person in five could claim to have sustained some injury as a result of the blackout - not serious, in most cases, but it was painful enough to walk into trees in the dark, fall over a kerb, crash into a pile of sandbags, or merely cannonade off a fat pedestrian.
Student Activities
(1 ) british government circular lighting restrictions (july, 1939), (2) angus calder , the people's war: britain 1939-45 (1969) page 63, (3) donald thomas , an underworld at war (2003) page 35, (4) t. h. o'brien , history of the second world war: civil defence (1955) page 319, (5) jean lucey pratt , diary entry (21st april, 1943), (6) wilfed trotter , british medical journal (october, 1939), (7) harold nicolson , diary entry (1st september, 1939), (8) the daily telegraph (19th october, 1939), (9) angus calder , the people's war: britain 1939-45 (1969) page 63, (10) joyce storey , joyce's war (1992) page 31, (11) winston churchill , memorandum (20th november, 1939), (12) winston churchill , gathering storm (1948) page 383.
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Second World War Primary resource
Discover how wwii changed society in britain at the time.
This primary resource explores some of the significant events of the Second World War and what life was like on the home front. Discover how WWII changed society in Britain at the time, and the different roles that people had to take on. Why were children evacuated? How did women’s roles change during the Second World War? What was a ‘blackout’?
Pupils will learn about the war effort at home and how air strikes affected life in Britain at the time in our National Geographic Kids’ History primary resource sheet.
The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for a simple overview of World War II. It can be used as a printed handout for each pupil to read themselves, or for display on the interactive whiteboard, as part of a whole class reading exercise.
Activity: Ask the children to choose one of the areas of World War II discussed in the comic (e.g. the evacuation of children, air raid shelters, blackouts, women at work, The Battle of Britain, etc.) and create their own comic strip specifically about this topic. They could use the resource as a starting point for their own research. Pupils could compare life in Britain during the Second World War, with life at home during the First World War, using our First World War comic to help them. What might the main differences have been?
N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence . We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa , Australia and New Zealand . If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: [email protected]
This History primary resource assists with teaching the following History objectives from the National Curriculum :
- Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative
- Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
National Curriculum Key Stage 1 History objective:
- Pupils should be taught: significant historical events, people and places in their own locality
National Curriculum Key Stage 2 History objective:
- Pupils should be taught a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
This History primary resource assists with teaching the following Social Studies First level objective from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence :
- I can compare aspects of people’s daily lives in the past with my own by using historical evidence or the experience of recreating an historical setting.
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Third level Social Studies objective :
- I can describe the factors contributing to a major social, political or economic change in the past and can assess the impact on people’s lives.
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Fourth level Social Studies objective :
- I can describe the main features of conflicting world belief systems in the past and can present informed views on the consequences of such conflict for societies then and since.
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Look out in the blackout
Government poster warning about the dangers of the Blackout, 1939, Catalogue ref: INF 3/290.
The Blackout was introduced in September 1939. It was to stop light on the ground showing enemy aircraft which areas to bomb. Special Air Raid Wardens patrolled the streets after dark to make sure that no lights could be seen from houses. People took a long time getting used to the Blackout. Pillar-boxes were painted yellow, white stripes were painted on the roads and on lamp-posts. Blackout curtains were made to stop light escaping from windows in ordinary houses.
- What was the blackout?
- How does the poster use language and image to persuade people to be careful in the blackout?
- Why do think the government produced the poster?
- What is the connection between the poster and the notes for a debate in the House of Commons on blackout accidents, January 1940, Catalogue ref: MT 55/296?
- Can you find a source which shows some people objected to the blackout?
- Why do you think the government kept a complaint about the blackout on file?
‘Until your eyes get used to the darkness, take it easy. Look out in the blackout.’
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Battle of Britain — The Blackout (Years 5-6)
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Use this PowerPoint to help children develop their knowledge of the Second World War. It explains why blackouts were needed and how they were created. Children will learn about the key rules of the blackout and how these were enforced by Air Raid Precaution Wardens.
- Key Stage: Key Stage 2
- Subject: History
- Topic: Turning Points
- Topic Group: Themes in British History
- Year(s): Years 5-6
- Media Type: PowerPoint
- Resource Type: PowerPoint
- Last Updated: 27/09/2022
- Resource Code: H2PAT140
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Home / News & Stories
How the Home Front Became a Light During World War II Blackouts
As the world was engulfed in the turmoil of World War II, nations mobilized their resources and populations in an unprecedented effort to secure victory. However, the battleground was not confined to far-off lands. It extended to the very streets and homes of civilians. Amidst the sacrifices and cooperation demanded by the war effort, one aspect of civilian life stood out as both symbolic and crucial: the blackout.
During World War II, blackouts were not merely an inconvenience. They were also a strategic necessity. The concept was simple yet profound: extinguish all artificial lights in cities and towns to obscure potential targets from enemy forces. In the United States, blackouts were implemented along both the West and East Coasts, each motivated by distinct fears and threats.
On the West Coast, the threat of Japanese air raids loomed large. Following the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the fear of further Japanese incursions intensified. Cities along the Pacific coastline found themselves under the cloak of darkness as blackouts were rigorously enforced. The clear goal was to minimize the visibility of urban centers and vital infrastructure, making them less susceptible to aerial bombardment.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, a different menace lurked beneath the waves. German U-boats prowled the Atlantic Ocean, posing a grave threat to Allied shipping lanes and coastal communities. To counter this risk, blackouts were instituted from Maine to Florida, shrouding coastal towns and cities in darkness. By extinguishing all lights along the shoreline, communities hoped to thwart the ability of U-boats to identify and target vessels or coastal installations.
For civilians, the blackout represented more than just a precautionary measure; it embodied the spirit of solidarity that defined the home front during World War II. Rationing, price controls, and shortages of essential goods became part of daily life as citizens adapted to the demands of wartime existence.
Beyond their practical utility in protecting against enemy attacks, blackouts symbolized the resilience and determination of civilian populations in the face of adversity. They were a tangible manifestation of the sacrifices made on the home front, where every dimmed light served as a beacon of hope and defiance against the darkness of war.
As we reflect on this chapter of history, let us remember the courage of those who lived through the blackout era. Their actions remind us that even in the darkest of times, unity and resilience can illuminate the path to victory.
Sources: American Rosie the Riveter Association. (2021, May 14). Protecting the home front. https://rosietheriveter.net/protecting-the-home-front/
Springate, M.E. The American home front during World War II: Enemies on the home front. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/wwii-home-front-enemies.htm
Zebrowski, C. (2005, October). Busy with the blitz-proofing. America in WWII. http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/busy-with-the-blitz-proofing/
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Britannica Book of the Year: London in 1941
The Blitz of 1940 had resulted in a victory of sorts for London—and for all the Allies—against the Axis Powers, but at a high cost. Already, five times as many civilian Londoners had perished as a result of air raids than had died in all of World War I (1914–18), when zeppelins pioneered cross-Channel bombing sorties. What follows is an excerpt from the article “London” from the 1942 Britannica Book of the Year (events of 1941). It was written by Lawrence Hawkins Dawson, editor of the guidebook Introductions to London (H.O. Quinn, 1926), the historical atlas The March of Man (Encyclopædia Britannica, Ltd., 1935), and Routledge's Universal Encyclopedia (1934). Dawson also wrote for the 1941 yearbook, describing London in 1940.
London in 1941
In 1941 it was in the first instead of the second half of the year that London was subjected to fierce enemy air attacks. At the end of 1940 (Dec. 29) a deliberate attempt was made to burn the famous square mile known specially as “the city”—an area notable as being devoid of military objectives; large numbers of buildings were wholly or partially destroyed, including the medieval Guildhall, eight Wren churches, and many of the halls of the ancient livery companies. After this, compulsory fire watching for all business premises was decreed, and the value of this move was made apparent on Jan. 11, when the enemy made a second attempt with a similar object. Although there were many casualties, especially in two hospitals and a street subway, the incendiary bombs were quickly dealt with and fires were comparatively few. On Jan. 29 and the two following days there were again daylight and night attacks on the London area; early in February the salvage corps was increased from 60 to 600 men. After another lull, in a short but heavy raid on Feb. 17, hundreds of incendiary and many high-explosive bombs were dropped, doing little material damage but causing many casualties.
Merseyside, Glasgow, Bristol and other parts of the country then experienced heavy raids, and it was not till March 19 that the Luftwaffe returned to London to deliver a large scale attack in which hundreds of houses, shops, and flats, many churches, six hospitals and other public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. Another respite, broken only by a few “alerts,” followed, till in a widespread series of night raids on April 7 a few bombs fell in the London area, and another hospital was damaged. On April 16 an attack even fiercer and more indiscriminate than those of the previous autumn started at 9 P.M. and continued till 5 in the morning; 500 aircraft were believed to have flown over in continuous waves, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. Six enemy bombers were brought down—one in Kensington high street. The German claim that 100,000 incendiaries as well as vast quantities of high explosives were dropped was probably not exaggerated. Again material losses were heavy, while among the many people killed were Lord and Lady Stamp and their eldest son, and the earl of Kimberley, formerly known on both sides of the Atlantic as Lord Wodehouse, the international polo player. St. Paul's cathedral suffered severely; the City Temple, St. Andrew's Holborn, and Chelsea old church were among the churches destroyed. Maples' store and Christie's famous auction rooms were among the business premises burnt out. Three nights later (April 19-20) London was again subjected to a seven-hour raid; but, though loss of life was considerable, especially among the firemen and A.R.P. [Air Raid Precautions] workers, mastery of the fire bomb was becoming more assured.
Londoners then enjoyed three weeks of uneasy peace till on May 10–11—a night of full moon—the Luftwaffe made a surprise effort. In a raid during which London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. The house of commons, Westminster abbey and the roof of Westminster hall were severely damaged, the Temple was almost devastated and the British museum also suffered damage. But victory remained with the defense workers and fire-fighters of London, and 33 of the destroyers' planes were destroyed.
Daylight raids over London had already ceased before the end of April, and from May 10 there was a long lull. Except that on July 27–28 a small number of bombers—four of which were brought down—did slight damage in residential areas and caused some civilian casualties, no bomb was dropped or siren heard in London up to mid-October. Full advantage was taken of the respite, especially by the fire-fighting, civil defense and demolition authorities; restaurants, places of amusement and night clubs began to function again, and the promenade concerts at the Albert hall had a record season.
By the end of the second year of war the changes in London were very marked. Large, irregular, and for weeks untidy, open spaces had taken the place of crowded dwellings and prosperous business and shopping thoroughfares; huge watertanks and shelters—surface and underground—were everywhere; 80 of the tube stations, with their tiers of bunks, canteens, first-aid posts and aproned welfare workers had become glorified doss-houses. In the streets well-known statues had been “evacuated”; “British restaurants,” communal kitchens, and mobile canteens were to be seen; many railings disappeared, and uniforms of every kind, including those of the Allied and overseas forces, were more and more noticeable. An important, but not at first sight obvious, change was the passing, under the fire services (emergency provisions) act, 1941, of the London fire brigade from the control of the London county council to that of the home office. Another matter for remark was the speed with which local authorities, bombed hospitals and the public at large accommodated themselves to the new conditions. By the end of June, 43 hospitals had been severely damaged in the metropolitan area, and 30 less seriously. The ratio of destruction of property and of casualties in London, said Henry Willink, the special commissioner for the civil defense region, in June, was eight times as great as in the rest of the country. But in spite of complex problems, the rehousing, reclothing and general “reconditioning” of those rendered homeless was dealt with by London's 95 local authorities more speedily and more successfully after the tragic experiences of April and May than after any of the earlier raids.
It is impossible to name more than a few of the damaged areas and treasures lost in addition to those already mentioned. The many churches and places of worship destroyed or very badly damaged included: St. Mary-le-Bow (of “Bow Bells” fame), St. Bride's, Fleet street (“the journalists' cathedral”), All Hallows, Barking (the Toc H church), Christ church, Newgate street (Wren; famed for its Spital sermon and its connection with the Bluecoat school), St. Mildred's, Bread street (with its Australian memorial), St. Albans, Wood street (Wren), and St. James's Garlickhithe (Wren)—all in the city; also St. Clement Danes (of the “oranges and lemons” rhyme), in the Strand; the Temple church (largely 12th century), St. Alban's, Holborn, St. John the Evangelist, Waterloo road, St. Mary's, Newington, St. Columba's, Pont street, St. Geroge's cathedral (R.C.), Southwark, Spurgeon's tabernacle, the Salvation army headquarters, and the central synagogue in Great Portland street. Non-ecclesiastical memorials demolished included: the Tudor building of the Charterhouse and the house in Charterhouse square that was Catherine Parr's home before she became a queen of Henry VIII; many of the medieval portions of Westminster school, also the deanery, and the 17th century Greycoat hospital, a Westminster charity foundation; the Temple, Lincoln's Inn, and Gray's Inn; Dr. Johnson's house off Fleet street, and Neville's court nearby, which had remained almost unchanged since its rebuilding after the great fire of 1666.
Among official and other public buildings: the Law courts, the central criminal court (“the Old Bailey”), the Bankruptcy court, the London sessions house and the Clerkenwell county court; the Guildhall, the county hall and Westminster city hall, the National Central library and the School of Tropical Medicine in Bloomsbury, and the Florence Nightingale International Federation centre in Manchester square; the Royal Empire society, the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and the headquarters of the Independent Labour party, most of them with their large specialized libraries; Broadcasting House, the Queen's hall, with its valuable collection of hundreds of musical instruments, St. George's hall, with the B.B.C. organ; the music museum in Bloomsbury and some galleries of the natural history museum and the science museum in South Kensington.
Britannica Book of the Year: London in 1940
During World War II, London suffered damage on a scale not witnessed there since the Great Fire of 1666. But, as it struggled to maintain the Allied war effort and to repel aerial bombardment, London became a symbol of courage and determination for English-speaking peoples around the globe. The following article “London” was originally printed in the 1941 Britannica Book of the Year (events of 1940). It was written by Lawrence Hawkins Dawson, editor of the guidebook Introductions to London (H.O. Quinn, 1926), the historical atlas The March of Man (Encyclopædia Britannica, Ltd., 1935), and Routledge's Universal Encyclopedia (1934). Dawson also wrote for the 1942 yearbook, describing London in 1941.
London in 1940
Life in London during 1940 fell into two clearly differentiated portions, with mid-August as the dividing point. In the first, “behind-the-lines” conditions prevailed, and in spite of the black-out, the ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the effects of evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. [Air Raid Precautions] officials in full training and of soldiers, and latterly the home guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. The winter had been severe, but the summer was very fine, and in their leisure hours Londoners thronged the parks or dug strenuously in their allotments and gardens. Several theatres and many cinemas were open, and there were even a few sporting events. In the second period, when the largest and commercially the most important city in the world, with a record of nearly 20 centuries of life unhindered by the foreign invader, was assailed from the air by an enemy armed with all that science and ingenuity could devise, London accepted her “front-line” position with all that that entailed. The A.R.P. services sprang into efficient action, and the civilians, while maintaining the work, business and efficiency of their city, proved that though her walls, her palaces, her churches and her homes might be reduced to rubble, her spirit could never be broken. During the whole period, though disorganization of communications was frequent and sometimes serious, no essential service was more than temporarily impaired. No cut was made in necessary expenditure on the social services; and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible—latterly with the help of the royal engineers and the pioneer corps. In that way thousands of business people determined to maintain their regular occupations were enabled to do so with delays of only hours. It was even possible to make a few additions to the Green Belt, but the improvements foreshadowed in the Bressey report of 1938 were perforce postponed. Among other works, the completion of Waterloo bridge with its proposed “roundabout” in the Strand, the development of the south bank of the Thames, the memorials to King George V and to Jellicoe and Beatty, and the University of London buildings were also held up. ...
London had taken early steps to defend herself against attack. In April 1939, two regional commissioners, Sir Ernest Gowers, chairman of the coal commission, and Admiral Sir Edward Evans, had been appointed. In May 1940 they were joined by Captain D. Euan Wallace, M.P., as senior commissioner, and at the end of September two special commissioners were added: H. Willink, K.C., M.P., to supervise the care of the homeless, and Sir Warren Fisher, a former head of the civil service and lately commissioner in Manchester of the northwest area, to co-ordinate and facilitate reconstruction. In October Sir Edward Evans was put in charge of air raid shelters and Dr. Mallon, warden of Toynbee hall, was appointed by the minister of food as adviser on the catering problems connected therewith. A fund for the relief of distress caused by enemy action in London was opened by the lord mayor on Sept. 10. Contributions poured in from every part of the world in such profusion that on Oct. 28 its scope was extended to cover the whole of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. By the middle of December it had reached nearly £1,700,000.
Apart from one or two “alarms” in the early days of the war no sirens wailed in London till June 25, but from Aug. 23, when the “blitz” began, until Dec. 2 there was no 24-hour period without at least one “alert”—as the alarms came to be called—and generally far more, nine having been registered on three separate occasions. In the hundred days, Aug. 23 to Nov. 30, there were 368 alerts, and the nights of Nov. 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period on which London's peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. After the first week of September, though night bombing on a large scale continued, the large mass attacks by day, which had proved so costly to the enemy, were replaced by smaller parties coming over in successive waves; on occasions forces consisting of as many as 300 to 400 machines would cross the coast by daylight and split into small groups, and a few planes would succeed in penetrating London's outer defences. Air-raid damage was widespread, and the raider was no respecter of persons or places. Hospitals, clubs, churches, museums, residential and shopping streets, hotels, public houses, theatres, schools, ancient monuments, maternity homes, newspaper offices, embassies and the zoo were bombed. While some of the poorer and more crowded suburban areas suffered severely, the mansions of Mayfair, the luxury flats of Kensington and Buckingham palace itself—which was bombed four separate times—fared little better; but such was the determination of the citizens and the high degree of efficiency attained by the A.R.P. and medical services that casualties, though sometimes heavy, at no time approached the estimates that had been made before war broke out and only a fraction of the hospital and ambulance provision that had been made was ever requisitioned.
The following curtailed list identifies some of the better known places in inner London that have been damaged by enemy action. Some are a total loss; others are already under repair with little outward sign of the damage sustained:
Besides Buckingham palace, the chapel of which was wrecked, and Guildhall (the six-centuries old centre of London civic ceremonies and of great architectural beauty), which was destroyed by fire, Kensington palace (the London home of the earl of Athlone, governor general of Canada, and the birthplace of Queen Mary and Queen Victoria), the banqueting hall of Eltham palace (dating from King John's time and long a royal residence), Lambeth palace (the archbishop of Canterbury), and Holland house (famous for its 17th century domestic architecture, its political associations, and its art treasures), suffered, the latter severely. Of the churches, besides St. Paul's cathedral, where at one time were five unexploded bombs in the immediate vicinity and the roof of which was pierced by another that exploded and shattered the high altar to fragments, those damaged were Westminster abbey, St. Margaret's Westminster, Southwark cathedral; fifteen Wren churches (including St. Brides, Fleet St.; St.Lawrence Jewry; St. Magnus the Martyr; St. Mary-at-hill; St. Dunstan in the East; St. Clement (Eastcheap) and St. James's, Piccadilly). St. Giles, Cripplegate, and St. Mary Wolnooth, also in the city, were damaged, while the Dutch church in Austin Friars, dating from the 14th century and covering a larger area than any church in the city of London, St. Paul's alone excepted, was totally destroyed. Islington parish church, the rebuilt Our Lady of Victories (Kensington), the French church by Leicester square, St. Anne's, Soho (famous for its music), All Souls', Langham place, and Christ Church in Westminster Bridge road (whose tower—fortunately saved—commemorates President Lincoln's abolition of slavery), were among a large number of others. Over 20 hospitals were hit, among them the London (many times), St. Thomas's, St. Bartholomew's, and the children's hospital in Great Ormond st., as well as Chelsea hospital, the home for the aged and invalid soldiers, built by Wren. The famous places damaged include the palace of Westminster and Westminster hall, the County hall, the Public Record office, the Law Courts, the Temple and the Inner Temple library; Somerset house, Burlington house, the tower of London, Greenwich observatory, Hogarth's house; the Carlton, Reform, American, Savage, Arts and Orleans clubs; the Royal College of Surgeons, University college and its library, Stationers' hall, the Y.M.C.A. headquarters, Toynbee hall and St. Dunstan's; the American, Spanish, Japanese and Peruvian embassies and the buildings of the Times newspaper, the Associated Press of America, and the National City bank of New York; the centre court at Wimbledon, Wembley stadium, the Ring (Blackfriars); Drury Lane, the Queen's and the Saville theatres; Rotten row, Lambeth walk, the Burlington arcade and Madame Tussaud's. Stores whose names and goods are known all over the world were damaged in Oxford street, Regent street, Piccadilly, Cheapside and elsewhere, and the new police station in Saville row was nearly demolished. According to official figures air-raid casualties in London to the end of October amounted to about 27,200, of which some 11,200 were fatal.
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Introduction
The Blitz was an intense bombing campaign that Germany launched against Britain in 1940, during World War II . For eight months German airplanes dropped bombs on London , England, and other strategic cities where factories and other important industries were based. The attacks were authorized by Germany’s chancellor, Adolf Hitler , and undertaken by the Luftwaffe, the German air force. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word “blitzkrieg,” meaning “lightning war.”
Battle of Britain
The Blitz began near the end of the Battle of Britain . Since July 1940 the Germans had been conducting relentless air attacks against British ports, airfields, and radar stations. Hitler’s goal was to cripple Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) in preparation for an invasion of England. The RAF mounted a successful defense against the attacks, but it was outnumbered and losing planes and pilots at an unsustainable rate. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler changed his strategy. In late August the Germans dropped some bombs, apparently by accident, on civilian areas in London. The British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin, Germany. This so infuriated Hitler that he ordered the Luftwaffe to shift its attacks from RAF sites to London and other cities. This was the origin of the Blitz.
The Blitz began at about 4:00 in the afternoon on September 7, 1940, when German planes first appeared over London. For two hours, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted the city. They dropped high-explosive bombs as well as incendiary devices, which were designed to start fires. Later, guided by the raging fires caused by the first attack, a second group of planes began another assault that lasted until 4:30 the following morning. In just these few hours, 430 people were killed and 1,600 were badly injured. The first day of the Blitz is remembered as Black Saturday.
The initial attack was followed by more daylight raids over the next several days, but the German strategy soon changed. By mid-September the RAF had demonstrated that the Luftwaffe could not control the skies over Britain. British fighters were shooting down German bombers faster than German industry could produce them. To avoid the deadly RAF fighters, the Luftwaffe shifted almost entirely to night raids.
Beginning on Black Saturday, London was attacked on 57 straight nights. During that period alone, more than one million bombs were dropped on the city. The raids heavily targeted the Docklands area of the East End. This hub of industry and trade was a legitimate military target of the Germans. However, the Docklands was also a densely populated and impoverished area where thousands of working-class Londoners lived in rundown housing. The raids hurt Britain’s war production, but they also killed many civilians and left many others homeless. Although the attacks also hit the more prosperous western part of the city, the Blitz took an especially big toll on the East End.
The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham . Other targets included Sheffield , Manchester , Coventry , and Southampton. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. A German force of more than 500 bombers destroyed much of the old city center and killed more than 550 people. The devastation was so great that the Germans coined a new verb, “to coventrate,” to describe it. In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. Raids between February and May pounded Plymouth , Portsmouth , Bristol , Newcastle Upon Tyne , and Hull in England; Swansea in Wales; Belfast in Northern Ireland; and Clydeside in Scotland. London suffered its worst assault of the Blitz at the end of the campaign, during the night of May 10–11, 1941. More than 500 German planes dropped bombs across the city, killing nearly 1,500 people and destroying 11,000 homes.
One in every 10 bombs that fell during the Blitz did not explode immediately. These bombs had a delayed-action fuse, meaning that they could go off at any time after hitting the ground. It was almost impossible to tell which bombs had already exploded and which might still go off, meaning that danger remained even after a raid had ended.
Preparation and Response
The British government had anticipated air attacks on London and other cities, and it predicted catastrophic casualties. Government authorities prepared for the raids on both the national and local levels. On September 1, 1939, the day the war began with Germany’s invasion of Poland, the British national government implemented a massive evacuation plan. Over the course of three days, 1.5 million schoolchildren, women with younger children, elderly, and ill people were moved from cities and towns to rural locations that were believed to be safe. The evacuation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history.
Once the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout to deceive German bombers. Streetlights, car headlights, and illuminated signs were kept off. People put up black curtains in their windows so that no lights showed outside their houses. When a bombing raid was imminent, air-raid sirens were set off to sound a warning.
At the beginning of the Blitz, the British lacked effective antiaircraft artillery and searchlights, as well as night fighters that could find and shoot down an aircraft in darkness. As the attacks continued, the British improved their air defenses. They greatly boosted the numbers of antiaircraft guns and searchlights, and in key areas the guns were radar -controlled to improve accuracy. Another defense measure was the installation of barrage balloons—large, oval-shaped inflated balloons with tail fins—in and around major target areas. These balloons prevented low-flying planes from getting close to their targets. The higher the planes had to fly to avoid the balloons, the less accurate they were when dropping their bombs. Barrage balloons were anchored to the ground by steel cables strong enough to destroy any aircraft that flew into them.
Before the war began, authorities had planned for shelters to protect Londoners from bombs and to house those left homeless by the attacks. The national government provided funds to local governments, which built public air-raid shelters. Authorities also issued more than 2 million Anderson shelters to households. These shelters, made of corrugated steel, were designed to be dug into a garden and then covered with dirt. There was even a type of shelter—a Morrison shelter—that people could set up inside their homes. It was an iron cage in which people could take refuge if the house began to collapse.
The number of deaths caused by the Blitz was much lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the government’s dire predictions. Very early in the Blitz, it became clear that the government’s preparations were inadequate. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. Plus, there simply was not enough space for everyone who needed shelter.
In the first days of the Blitz, a tragic incident in the East End stoked public anger over the government’s shelter policy. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged people to take shelter in South Hallsville School. The people were told they would be at the school only as long as it would take to move them to a safer area. The evacuation was delayed, however, possibly because the buses were sent to the wrong location. On September 10, 1940, the school was flattened by a German bomb, and people huddled in the basement were killed or trapped in the rubble. The government announced that 77 people died, but local residents insisted the toll was much higher. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had died in the bombing. It is believed that the wartime government covered up the death toll because of concern over the effect it would have had on public morale.
The South Hallsville School disaster urged Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. Days later a group of East Enders occupied the shelter at the upscale Savoy Hotel. Many others began to take refuge in the city’s underground railway, or Tube, stations, even though this option had been forbidden by the government. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, the government reluctantly came around and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. The use of the Tube system as a shelter saved thousands of lives.
Dissatisfaction with public shelters also led to another notable development in the East End—Mickey’s Shelter. After his optician business was destroyed by a bomb, Mickey Davies led an effort to organize the Spitalfield Shelter. As many as 5,000 people packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark, with people sleeping on bags of trash. Guided by Davies, the people of the shelter created a committee and established a set of rules. Davies also set up medical stations and persuaded off-duty medical personnel to treat the sick and wounded. The success of Mickey’s Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing “deep shelters” and to create new ones.
The Blitz was devastating for the people of London and other cities. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed—more then two-thirds of the total civilian deaths for the whole war. One of every six Londoners was made homeless at some point during the Blitz. Nevertheless, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. The attacks contributed little to the main purpose of Germany’s air offensive—to dominate the skies in advance of an invasion of England. By mid-September the RAF had won the Battle of Britain, and the invasion was postponed indefinitely. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union.
Hitler’s intention during the Blitz had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. Morale indeed suffered amid the death and devastation, but there were few calls for surrender. The phrase “Business as usual,” written in chalk on boarded-up shop windows, exemplified the British determination to carry on as best they could. (For detailed accounts of the Blitz written during the war years, see London in 1940 ; London in 1941 .)
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People were encouraged to walk facing the traffic and men were advised to leave their shirt-tails hanging out so that they could be seen by cars with dimmed headlights. Other people were injured during the Blackout because they could not see in the darkness. Many people were injured tripping up, falling down steps, or bumping into things.
Here are some facts about the World War 2 blackout: During World War 2, the blackout was a nationwide effort to turn off all lights in towns and cities. It was devised as a defence against German bombers, so they could not be guided by the lights. The blackout was ordered two days before war broke out. London and other large British towns and ...
World War II was total war - every person, every business, every service was involved. Britain did not fight alone, the war also involved many countries. World War II involved 61 countries with 1.7 billion people (three quarters of the world's population). Fifty million people lost their lives and hundreds of millions people were injured.
In September 1935, four years before WW2 began, British prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, published a circular entitled Air Raid Precautions (ARP) inviting local authorities to make plans to protect their people in event of a war. Such plans included building public air raid shelters. In April 1937 the government decided to create an Air Raid ...
Susan Home of 33 West Street, East Grinstead, was charged with a breach of blackout regulations. The light was showing through the scullery window. The window had not been blacked out. The light, added Inspector Fry, had been burning for 14 hours or so and consequently the defendant was also summoned for wasting fuel.
This worksheet focuses on the blackout measures implemented in Britain during World War II. Students will learn about the purpose of the blackout, its impact on daily life, and the safety precautions taken during this period. The text highlights the challenges and consequences of the blackout, including increased road accidents and restrictions on lighting. After reading the passage, students ...
The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for a simple overview of World War II. It can be used as a printed handout for each pupil to read themselves, or for display on the interactive whiteboard, as part of a whole class reading exercise. Activity: Ask the children to choose one of the areas of World War II discussed in the comic ...
Physical Education. Created in partnership with Imperial War Museums. World War Two - Teacher Guide. Download this PDF teacher guide for useful historical context and information about the events ...
The most intense period of bombing - from September 1940 onwards - is known as the 'Blitz' (from the German word 'blitzkrieg', meaning 'lightning war'). When enemy planes were spotted air raid ...
Second World War Photo Pack and Discovering the Past Through Primary Sources of Evidence Activities 7 reviews. Blitz Scene Augmented Reality (AR) 3D Model. Children during the Second World War Board Game. Pecyn Lluniau Cwestiwn Allweddol: Bywyd yn ystod y Rhyfel. Remembrance Day Blackout Poetry. Explore more than 7 "Ww2 Blackout" resources for ...
The Second World War was started by Germany in an unprovoked attack on Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany after Hitler had refused to abort his invasion of Poland. When did World War Two end? The War ended in the Summer of 1945. It is estimated that 50 million people lost their lives during World War 2.
The Blackout was introduced in September 1939. It was to stop light on the ground showing enemy aircraft which areas to bomb. Special Air Raid Wardens patrolled the streets after dark to make sure that no lights could be seen from houses. People took a long time getting used to the Blackout. Pillar-boxes were painted yellow, white stripes were ...
This Blackout worksheet is a great way of teaching children about the home front during the Second World War. Children are encouraged to investigate how blackouts were created using a variety of materials and techniques, similar to the way air raid shelters were used in the Blitz during the Second World War. This resource provides a lovely cross curricular link as pupils will learn about the ...
Use this PowerPoint to help children develop their knowledge of the Second World War. It explains why blackouts were needed and how they were created. Children will learn about the key rules of the blackout and how these were enforced by Air Raid Precaution Wardens. Key Stage: Key Stage 2. Subject: History.
The Blitz was the name given to the bombing raids that Germany launched against Britain in 1940, during World War II (1939-45). For eight months German airplanes dropped bombs on London and other cities, including Birmingham, Coventry, Sheffield, Liverpool, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, and Manchester. These were all places where ...
The Blackout. When war broke out, in 1939, I was fourteen years old. I was the elder daughter of a miner in one of those scruffy nondescript towns which sprawl northwards through the Erewash ...
When the Second World War started in September 1939 shipping was attacked by enemy submarines and warships. Cargo ships were also used for war materials rather than food transportation. This resulted in food shortages. In October 1939 the Government launched 'The Dig for Victory' campaign. People were urged to use gardens and every spare piece ...
Beyond their practical utility in protecting against enemy attacks, blackouts symbolized the resilience and determination of civilian populations in the face of adversity. They were a tangible manifestation of the sacrifices made on the home front, where every dimmed light served as a beacon of hope and defiance against the darkness of war.
New Times Paris Bureau Collection/USIA/NARA. The Blitz was an intense bombing campaign that Germany launched against Britain in 1940, during World War II.For eight months German airplanes dropped bombs on London, England, and other strategic cities where factories and other important industries were based.The attacks were authorized by Germany's chancellor, Adolf Hitler, and undertaken by ...
World War II brought a lot of suffering and hardship to thousands of people. German bombers made terrifying night raids. Families were broken up as men were sent to the front lines to fight, some never to return. Children were sent out of the cities to stay with strangers, away from the bombing. Shops were half empty of things to buy and what ...
Find out about the Battle of Britain and the Blitz with BBC Bitesize History. For students between the ages of 11 and 14.
Evacuation. Nearly two million children were evacuated from their homes at the start of World War Two. They were evacuated to the countryside to escape the bombing. Children had labels attached to them, as though they were parcels. They stood at railway station not knowing where they were going nor if they would be split from brothers and ...
The sense of unity that had been forged during the war years meant that after the war, the government wanted to support people and help repay them for all their hard work. They began to set up the ...