LIFE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN: AN ANALYIS OF THE LIFE OF ENGLISH

CITIZENS DURING WORLD WAR TWO FROM 1940-1941

DeMarcus Powell
Hist 4344.501
December 3, 2014

Life During the Battle of Britain

The life of British citizens was difficult during world war two because of
both physical and mental barriers. No one factor was responsible for the
survival of Great Britain, its commonwealths, and her citizens during this
battle, but several factors helped influence life on the ground and the
outcome of the Battle of Britain. This paper will analyze those key factors
that helped Great Britain and its people survive direct attack during world
war two.
To have a complete analysis of the life of British citizens of World War
Two, one must first understand the circumstances under which the battle was
fought. After the success of Blitzkrieg, the fall of France, and the evacuation
at Dunkirk, the British were essentially alone in fighting the infamous
German Wehrmacht. This factor alone was probably the most important; at
this point of World War Two the German army was at its peak strength and
preparing for an invasion of the British mainland. There was little hope that
the British could survive a direct confrontation with the Germans at this point
in the war, yet it was believed that if they could maintain air superiority they
could hold off the German invasion and inflict great damage upon Hitlers
army.
The great air battle, which has been in progress over this Island for the
last few weeks, has recently attained a high intensity. It is too soon to
attempt to assign limits either to its scale or to its duration. We must
certainly expect that greater efforts will be made by the enemy than
any he has so far put forth. Hostile airfields are still being developed in
France and the Low Countries, and the movement of squadrons and
material for attacking us is still proceeding. It is quite plain that Herr

Hitler could not admit defeat in his air attack on Great Britain without
sustaining most serious injury. The Fuehrer's reputation for veracity
of statement might be seriously impugned. We may be sure, therefore,
that he will continue as long as he has the strength to do so. 1
These are the words of Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Great
Britain, during an address to the general public on August 19th 1940 during
the battle of Britain. The battle would rage on until September 15th 1940, a
decisive day. On 15 September Hitler ordered 200 fighters to escort 600
bombers in an all out assault on London, meant to break the morale of the
English people.2 Hitlers al out assault failed. The RAF (Britain Royal Air
force) used almost all available hurricanes and spitfires to shoot down 60
German aircraft with only 26 British planes lost. Relentless attacks by the
British were able to break up Luftwaffe formations and keep the bombers
form hitting their targets.

The Germans hoped that the British would come to terms saving the
need to invade the island nation Hitler now had misgivings about
invading Britain. Without control of the air, the Germans could not risk
an invasion across the English Channel. 3
The sheer numbers and scale of the battle of Britain seem fascinating
from a military perspective, yet it is important to remember that real people
were involved in these battles. Between the spring of 1940 and until the
spring of 1941, when Hitler transferred his squadrons to the east, 35,000
tons of explosives were dropped during the battle of Britain. These bombs

killed 45,000 British citizens. During this time period life was very difficult for
British citizens.4 Food and clothing were rationed. Families whole income was
less than 250 a year were given air raid shelters, known as Andersons, to
help protect them from the nightly bombings.5 these small shelters could
only be used by families whose homes had gardens. Air raids often occurred
at night so many families slept in their shelters. These quarters were very
cramped, the shelters measured only six feet tall and were often buried
under four feet of soil. In addition to being small the shelters also regularly
flooded. Those who did not have a garden often used cellars or traveled to
Londons underground stations for nightly protection.6
To keep children from living in such conditions a program was
instituted where by the government encouraged parents to send their
children away from the city to live in the countryside. Volunteers organized
this program, and host families helped cared for and house the children
during their stays. Often schoolteachers accompanied the children to help
them feel comfortable.7
The reality for those who stayed in the city was very grim. Over
100,000 homes were destroyed and over 80,000 citizens were either killed or
injured.8 To help with the identification mangled bodies the government
encouraged the wearing of a small metal I.D. bracelet engraved with
personal information. The I.D. also had a small charm of said Christopher, the

patron saint of safe travel, to help citizens keep the faith while enduring the
war.9
For those who survived the intense bombings they lived with strict food
rationing to control the supply of food for the war effort. Dried and canned
food became more common as fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats became
scarce. To combat this the government encouraged a Dig for Victory

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campaign so that people would grow and keep their own gardens. This effort
would help avoid a shortage of fresh food and maintain food levels for the
war effort.
In addition to the shortage of food, clothing was also in short supply. To
help cope with this the British government issued clothing coupon books and
initiated restrictions on what could and could not be worn. For example boys
under twelve years of age were not allowed to wear long trousers.11 Adults
were allowed to use 66 stamps per year, children were allowed to use more
to compensate for them growing throughout the year. Different clothing
items were assigned different values based on this coupon system. A suit
might have cost 18 coupons while a pair shoes would cost only five coupons.
People were also encouraged to make do and mend12 to help their clothes
last longer.
Throughout the entire war nothing was able to break the morale of the
British citizens. World war two was seen as a time of high morale and
community in London and Great Britain. Evaluating the events of the battle

of Britain make those things evident. The daunting task this small island
nation was faces with in the spring of 1940 seemed overwhelming for many
larger countrys, yet somehow they held off one of the greatest military
powers of the modern age. What is not as evident throughout history is that
the British believed that they would survive world war two as a country. In
the following excerpt from Prime Minister Winston he emphasizes the belief
that Great Britain would never give in:

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes
imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without
imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative
see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than
will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra
courage to carry this far-reaching imagination. But for everyone,
surely, what we have gone through in this period never give in, never
give in, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never
yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the
enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed
that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours,
our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country,
were gone and finished and liquidated. Very different is the mood
today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her
slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching
and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to
those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we
now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that
we have only to persevere to conquer.13
The courage, community, and morale shown throughout the battle of
Britain and World War Two are seemingly unmatched throughout written
history. The calm kept in the face of danger is something only expected from

soldiers or warriors, but during this short time an entire nation displayed
these traits. As an American it is difficult to image being afraid to go to sleep
at night for fear of bombs being dropped, yet this was the reality for many
millions of people. Many debates can be had over the events of this battle
but one truth is evident, life for the citizens of London was difficult. (Churchill
1940)The courage the British showed in the face of danger helped change
the landscape of World War Two and eventually changed the world.

ILLUSTRATIONS

14

Museum of London. "What Was Life like in London during

World War II?" What Was Life like in London during World War II?
January 1, 2010. Accessed December 4, 2014.

15

Museum of London. "What Was Life like in London during World War II?"
What Was Life like in London during World War II? January 1, 2010. Accessed
December 4, 2014. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pockethistories/what-was-life-london-during-world-war-ii/.

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ENDNOTES
1. Winston Churchill, The Few,
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/113-thefew[ accessed 30 November 2014]
2. Ronald Story, Concise Historical Atlas of World War Two: The Geography of Conflict
(New York: Oxford University press,2006), 24-25.
3. History Learning Site, "Battle of Britain,"
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battleofbritain.htm [accessed 03 December 2014]
4. Marvin Perry, World War II in Europe: A Concise History (Boston, MA: Cengage
Learning, 2013), 46-47.
5. Museum of London, "What Was Life like in London during World War II?,
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-was-lifelondon-during-world-war-ii/ [accessed 03 December 2014]
6. Ibid
7. Ibid
8. Ibid
9. Ibid
10. Ibid
11. Ibid
12. Ibid
13. Winston Churchill, Never Give in,
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/103never-give-in [accessed 01 December 2014]
14. Museum of London, "What Was Life like in London during World War II?,
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-was-lifelondon-during-world-war-ii/ [accessed 03 December 2014
15. Museum of London, "What Was Life like in London during World War II?,
16

Museum of London. "What Was Life like in London during World War II?" What
Was Life like in London during World War II? January 1, 2010. Accessed December 4,
2014. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-waslife-london-during-world-war-ii/.
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-was-lifelondon-during-world-war-ii/ [accessed 03 December 2014
16. Museum of London, "What Was Life like in London during World War II?,
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-was-lifelondon-during-world-war-ii/ [accessed 03 December 2014

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Churchill, Winston. "Never Give In." Never Give In. October 29, 1941. Accessed December 2,
2014. http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/103-nevergive-in.
-----,. "The Few." The Few. August 20, 1940. Accessed December 1, 2014.
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/113-the-few.
History Learning Site. "Battle of Britain." Battle of Britain. January 1, 2014. Accessed December
4, 2014. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battleofbritain.htm.
Museum of London. "What Was Life like in London during World War II?" What Was Life like
in London during World War II? January 1, 2010. Accessed December 4, 2014.
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-was-life-londonduring-world-war-ii/.
Perry, Marvin. "Fighter Command and Britain's Air Defense." In World War II in Europe: A
Concise History, 46-47. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2013.
Story, Ronald. "The Battle of Britain." In Concise Historical Atlas of World War Two: The
Geography of Conflict, 24-25. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.