Carrying Fire: In case you'd forgotten how good the Andrews Siste...

Carrying Fire: In case you'd forgotten how good the Andrews Siste...: In case you'd forgotten how good the Andrews Sisters were. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qafnJ6mRbgk&feature=share

#WW2 Entertainers - George Formby

George Formby was a very popular entertainer in Britain, and he loved entertaining the troops. He was Britain's highest paid entertainer, by 1939 he was earning £100,000 per year. During the Second World War he, like Vera Lynn Gracie Fields and others, joined E.N.S.A. This stood for Entertainments National Servicemen Association (not as Spike Milligan stated in his memoirs Every Night Something Awful). He was famous for his banjo and ukelele playing and the infamous 'When I'm cleaning windows'. It was estimated that he had played to over three million troops by 1946.
You can find out more here: http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/gf_story/report.html

#WW2 Air Raid Shelters In Britain Used In The Second World War

Anderson Shelter diagram found at:http://www.bigginhill-history.co.uk/images/andersonpicture.JPG. 

When you talk about air raid shelters, most people envisage the infamous Anderson shelter which was popular. Named after Sir John Anderson who was Home Secretary during the Battle of Britain, 1.5 million were distributed leading up to the war, and by 1945 3.6 million had been made http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/history-of-the-battle-of-britain/air-raid-shelter-protection.aspx. It was constructed of corrugated iron,partially underground and the roof and walls were covered in soil. They were often damp but did provide some cover against bombs, although they could not withstand a direct hit. The public either bought them from the government or they were free depending on how much people earned - if you earned more than £5 per week you could buy one for £7. The Anderson shelter could accommodate up to 6 people.

Family entering Anderson shelter.

Another type which  was hugely successful was the Morrison shelter, named after the Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison. This was a basic design which was really just an iron cage which could fit under the kitchen table, ideal if you did not have a garden. These became available in 1941. http://www.1900s.org.uk/1940s-bomb-shelters-morrison.htm. It would not have been able to hold 6 people like the Anderson shelter but at least you could get in it quickly when the air raid siren went. 

The London Tube provided a great deal of shelter during the blitz, as did other public shelters in towns and cities. 

The entrance to a public shelter was marked with a large S Sign, they were constructed of brick and were not bomb proof, but they were blast proof.

Air raid shelters saved many lives during the Second World War. Without them the casualties from air raids would have been horrific.

#WW2 The Experience Of Foreign Troops & Civilians In Great Britain During The Second World War

P-51's at Bottisham Airfield, Cambs, found at:http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/81299000/jpg/_81299349_bottisham_cambs_then_freeman_collection_duxford.jpg

Living next to any military base in the Second World War had many advantages, especially if you were young. My father often used to tell me he'd scrounge big tins of black treacle from a nearby base to take home for his Mother, this will have been greatly appreciated due to sugar being rationed.
The Americans were generous to the locals, Harry Willoughby in Wing & A Prayer writes that at his base they threw a big party for 150 children. They also held regular dances at many bases which proved popular...

 If you were female and looking for a potential husband then you would be spoilt for choice, Americans were popular due to their higher rate of pay and being available, unlike many British soldiers who were in North Africa. Over 60,000 women would marry U.S servicemen and emigrate during the Second World War
http://www.nww2m.com/2012/01/january-26-1942-american-soldiers-arrive-in-great-britain/

British G.I. Brides & Babies, found at:http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63887000/jpg/_63887709_getty_gibrides_3281302_464.jpg

It was not all a romantic haven in Britain, even after war in Europe had ended. Canadian soldiers rioted in Aldershot, on one occasion causing £15,000 worth of damage http://www3.hants.gov.uk/aldershot-museum/local-history-aldershot/canadian-army-aldershot.htm.
African Americans and other servicemen received a mixed response from both civilians and military. West Indian serving in Britain's armed forces also experienced a mixed response, Billy Strachan a native West India, volunteered for the RAF and served as a gunner and pilot in bombers. When the war finished a Padre asked him when he was going home. They often felt appreciated during the war, but the mood changed when hostilities finished, as though their sacrifice had been forgotten and they were not wanted anymore.http://www.blackpresence.co.uk/black-british-soldiers-the-forgotten-fighters/

This is a brilliant propaganda film called West Indies Calling, made in 1944, about West Indian men and women helping the war effort in industry and the armed forces.




For African Americans segregation was still practiced in Britain, which often shocked locals and was even discussed in Parliament. The video below has first hand accounts of U.S troops and civilians.



Polish troops and other foreigners were received warmly when they arrived in Britian, no matter how scruffy their appearance. 8,400 made it to Britain to fly in the R.A.F. http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/the-polish-air-force-in-world-war-2.aspx . 3, 300 Czech soldiers made it to Britain to fight alongside other allies in 1940 after France was defeated. http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/articles/czechexiles.aspx, as were 140,000 French soldiers.

#WW2 The Arrival of Foreign Troops In Britain During The Second World War

Britain was fortunate in World War 2 in that it received much needed help from abroad in materiel and in military manpower from abroad. the British Empire committed many troops on all fighting fronts to help defeat the Axis.

London Free Press September 1939, found at:

http://italiancanadianww2.ca/images/uploads/catalogueimages/4748/canadaatwar1939.jpg

On the 23rd December 1939 7,500 Canadian troops arrived in Britain. This was the beginning, 629,000 Canadian fought in the war http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a6651218.shtml, A total of 8,586,000 from all the Dominions would fight in World War 2 including 413,000 from Australia and 1,440,500 from India. The troops from other countries served where the British army was fighting, The Canadian Navy provided the lion's share of escorts for Atlantic convoys, and the Indian army provided many reinforcements to fight against the Japanese in the Far East.

Canadian troops embarking 1939.

#WW2 Working In Essential Industry in Britain During The Second World War - Reserved Occupations

Bevin Boys at a Durham Pit In World War 2, found at:http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/682674-2/bevinboysdurham2

In the Second World War many people, especially men, were prevented from joining the armed forces because they were more valuable to the war effort staying in their civilian roles. Coal miners, dockers,  farmers and farm workers, railway workers, armaments workers, railway workers, police and doctors. In many cases being in a reserved occupation did not mean you were safe. Many factories were bombed, docks especially were subject to many attacks by the Luftwaffe including Hull, Sunderland, Newcastle, Swansea, Portsmouth, London, Southampton etc. 

In 1938 a Schedule Of Reserved Occupation Act was passed by Parliament, to ensure labour shortages did not affect industry, as they had done in the First World War. 

Due to a shortage of coal miners, a conscription scheme was established and the miners became known as 'Bevin Boys'. Nearly 22,000 Bevin Boys worked at the coal face during the war. 

Have a look at BBC People's War: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a6652019.shtml

#WW2 Farming in Britain During the Second World War

Women's Land Army, Essex, found at http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/cc/03/8d/cc038d74cbd07d82b7e53bc4bceffcb7.jpg

The farming industry in Britain during the Second World War underwent a complete upheaval. It was necessary for the government to control what farmers grew or what livestock they kept to ensure maximum productivity from the land. I have included part of my Special Study for my dissertation from my B.A in history from 2008 for this.

Under the Defence of The Realm Act which was passed just before the outbreak of hostilities[1], the Ministry of Agriculture had the power to

Preserve and maintain agricultural land solely for the production of food, to control by order, the cultivation, management and use of land in order to secure maximum production of food from the farms; to terminate any tenancy of agricultural land where it is considered that the land is being neglected or badly cultivated; to introduce special measures for the determination of birds, rabbits, deer, vermin and pests.[2]

---

[1] A. Wilt, Food for War, Agriculture and Rearmament in Britain before the Second World War,  p.186.

[2] J.Martin, The Development of Modern Agriculture, British Farming Since 1931,p.38.

The Ministry now had much more power to meet the demands of a hungry populace that would soon have to rely on food that was largely home produced, as was forecast, quite accurately that importation of food would decline. Many of the farmers who had to produce this food had to change their methods of farming. They had to produce in greater quantities food that was rich in carbohydrates such as potatoes, or foodstuffs that were too bulky or fragile that would not take up valuable shipping space, so as not  to rely too heavily on importation. [1]

With reference to the title of this Special Study, like the Great War the Second World War was a time of affluence for many farmers, particularly in the arable districts of England.  For example, prices of wheat in 1939 per cwt for England and Wales were 5 shillings, by 1945 this had risen to 14s 5d. Barley in the same period rose from 8s 10d to 24s 5d, and oats rose from 6s 11d to 16s 5d[2].  farmers were heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Food, who bought goods from farmers at higher rates, whilst selling them to the public at lower rates, the shortfall being made up by the Treasury. Crops such as wheat however, were acquired by the government cheaper than in times of peace[3].This system was , on  26^th November 1940 confirmed to stay in place whilst hostilities were taking place and for one year after they ended[4].

Government policy was critical in ensuring an increase in productivity. Like the First World War, War Agricultural Executive Committees There were eventually sixty-one committees established in England and Wales[5],which came to be known as ‘War Ags’. The members of the War Ags included local farmers, members of the Women’s Institute and had the power to take farms away from farmers who were considered to be farming inefficiently. They also had to ensure the government policy of ploughing up more land was implemented. The War Ags had the power to tell people which fields were cultivated and had a pool of labour and machinery to work the land themselves. They  also encouraged more modernisation, which resulted in more efficiency and greater production.

Livestock

The inportation of feedstuffs  was less due to the problems in shipping. This  did not prevent the encouragement of higher yields in dairy cows. More small scale farmers began to produce milk, premium payments were given to the first 1514 litres of milk produced per month[6]. Other small scale production of  livestock was encouraged with the introduction of Pig and Poultry Clubs[7] Domestic poultry keepers did not have restrictions placed upon them like large scale producers regarding rationing controls. The Small Pig Keepers Council, an organisation founded by the Ministry of Agriculture encouraged anyone with space to keep a pig and feed it on household waste. There is little evidence to suggest that these smallholders and people in towns were ever an economic threat to full-time farmers, but whilst the war was taking place, helped to supplement a diet that was rationed.

Hill farmers were dealt with separately for the first time. In 1940 subsidies were paid at the equivalent of 12.5p per head per hill ewe, by 1942 this had risen to 40p[8]. A committee was formed in 1941-1942 for England and Wales to review the long term future of hill faming, a minimum of four hundred ewes was required for full-time status.

Farm Workers

The government had the foresight to ensure that farmworkers were not as scarce as they had been in the First World War. This was achieved by farming being declared a reserved occupation, if any male farm worker wanted to join the forces or have an alternative occupation, i.e. construction, a replacement had to be found before he was allowed to leave his job on the farm.  This came under the Restrictions of Engagements order in June 1940[9]. Martin claims that anyone who wanted to leave agriculture for the forces or another occupation would have done so[10], as the war was nine months old when this order became effective. Howkins states that an estimated fifty thousand farm workers were lost to the armed forces prior to the Restrictions of Engagements Order. The total number of farm workers in 1939 (seasonal, part and full-time) were six hundred and seven thousand in England and Wales, for 1940 the number had risen to six hundred and eight thousand[11].By 1945 the number had increased to seven hundred and seventy thousand[12]. This was due to the recruitment campaign by the government to organisations such as the Women’s Land Army. This had varied success, in England some encountered sexism, and many were appalled at the conditions they were expected to work and live in. Sackville West, cited in The Peoples War states that women nearly equalled the abilities of their male counterpart in tasks such as milking, turning hay and lifting peas, but other more demanding tasks it required three women to take the place of two men[13].

The unemployed  from the towns and cities were also put to work on farms, as were conscientious objectors[14]. Prisoners of War also took part, by 1945 there were 57,763 working on farms in England and Wales[15], the obvious advantage being that they did not need paying, the incentive to them being a healthier and more stimulating environment than being stuck behind the barbed wire for the duration of the war.

Wages, always an issue with farmworkers, were increased as the value of farm work was recognised by the government as being essential to the war effort, a good wage being an incentive to stay on farms.. Estimated wages in 1940/1941 for the basic wage of an adult male were 48sh 5d per week in England and Wales, by 1944/1945 this had increased to over 67 shillings[16]. Due to the security felt by farmworkers because of the shortage of skilled manpower, union membership of the National Union of Farmworkers rose to 100,000, three times what it had been prior to the war[17].

Machinery

More tractors and modern implements were as essential to the increased productivity of the land as the farmworkers mentioned above. The horse began to fall out of favour as there was more land cultivation to be undertaken, but the decline was not rapid, there being over six hundred thousand in the whole of Great Britian in 1938[18].In 1946 this had fallen to just over five hundred thousand. The tractor, faster than the horse and becoming more reliable was still outnumbered by the horse, there being around one hundred thousand in England and Wales in 1940[19]. This was  a considerable increase considering there were only around fifty six thousand in Great Britain in 1939[20]. Many farmers were saved the cost of buying a tractor because of the help offered by the War Agricultural Executive Committees mentioned previously. Farmers had priority in the allocation of machinery, this would not have happened if it had not been for the war, the provision of machinery was a great help in modernising farming in England.

.

To conclude, the Second World War was a turning point in English agriculture. Through government intervention of the way farmers cultivated their land and subsidised pricing, agriculture became more productive. The agricultural industry was also fortunate to receive a priority in machinery allocation, a godsend for farmers wishing to modernise. This was essential due to the threat of merchant shipping during the Battle of the Atlantic, shipping space also being in short supply. Farmworkers benefited enormously, their efforts being recognised as valuable to the well being of the country. Government policy worked with notable success, the Women’s Land Army making a significant contribution, as did Prisoners-of War. Without the preparations for increased production, the country would have been, without doubt, short of food. Also like the First World War, farmers were able to make a comfortable living in most cases, and although rationing was in place for most of the war, farmers were able to access food much easier than people living in urban England.

---

[1] J. Martin, p.38.

[2] M.A.F.F, A Century of Agricultural Statistics, Great Britain 1866-1966, p.82.

[3] J.Martin, p.38.

[4] 367 H.C Debe,  26^th November 1940, Col.92, cited in J.Martin, p.39.

[5] Wilt, p.69.

[6] J. Martin, p.40..

[7] K.A.H Murray, Agriculture, London, (1955), cited in ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] J.Martin, p.p 41, 42.

[10] Ibid, p.42.

[11] M.A.F.F, A Century of Agricultural Statistics, p.62.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Sackville West, The Women’s Land Army, p.97 , cited in A.Calder, The People’s War, p.430.

[14]  A.Howkins, p.120.

[15] M.A.F.F, A Century of Agricultural Statistics, p.62.

[16] Ibid, p.65.

[17] J. Martin, p.42.

[18] M.A.F.F, A Century of Agricultural Statistics, p.61.

[19] Ibid, p.70.

[20] Wilt, p.192.

I hope the sources above prove useful, the BBC made an excellent TV series recreating life in wartime Britain on a farm, you can find a link to their webpage Wartime Farm BBC Wartime Farm
and the TV series is on Youtube 

More On B-17 Flying Fortresses - Lt Don Christenson Carrying Fire: A Video Tribute

This is one of the best blog posts I have seen because there is so much original material in the slide show. Fellow Blogger Don Christenson has put together some brilliant material about his father Lt Don Christenson who was a B-17 pilot in the Second World War. His latest blog post is a slide show about his Father's early life, trips to Denmark and Sweden, his engagement to his Mother, joining the Police Dept and the U.S.A.A.F. Please click on the link and see for yourselves.

Carrying Fire: A Video Tribute: As I mentioned in yesterday

#WW2 The Role Of The Air Raid Warden, Or Air Raid Patrol In The Second World War

Most people who enjoy watching the repeats of Dad's Army on #BBC2 on Saturdays, will probably have an image in their minds that the ARP or Air raid Warden in World War 2, was something of a pest, somebody like the character Hodges who let the power go to his head, ordering people about. In some cases this might have been true (Hodges was based on a real Air Raid Warden) but the Air Raid Warden was an authority figure the government could not do without, they had to make sure the blackout regulations were adhered to.

In the hours of darkness the A.R.W had to make sure homes were blacked out - not showing any light from their homes whatsoever. This was to make the Luftwaffe's bombing less accurate. After bombing raids Air Raid Wardens helped dig out survivors. Air Raid Wardens also issued fines if regulations weren't followed, this did not make them popular but was a necessary deterrent. In exceptional cases people could be imprisoned.
The video below shows what the Blitz was like in British cities during the war.

#WW2 #B17 Carrying Fire: Being There

This is a brilliant blog about a B-17 Crew in #WW2

Carrying Fire: Being There: It was a sober arrival at Nuthampstead for Don and the other replacement crews on Februry 1, 1945. Everything was different. First ...