British Society, 1939-1951 - Voices
Peter Ciuffetti
In its attempt to monitor and respond to the impacts of total war on British society, the ministers and departments of the U.K. government collated a vast array of narratives, opinions and accounts from the public. These were recorded in the reports of local commissioners, in the surveys of opinion and morale, and in the private correspondence either addressed to – or intercepted by – the government itself. These personal narratives provide a crucial window into the lived experiences and conditions of the wartime period, but all too often remain scattered, uncatalogued, amongst the wider collections of the records of state.
Content
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Aftermath of Bombing: Open criticism of the conduct of the War is heard, although it is felt that the troops are not to blame, the responsibility being that of the …
Aftermath of Bombing: In one long street where almost every house bore the scars of the raid, there was a stretch of houses where the roofs had been pushed forward …
Evacuation: A rather awkward situation developed yesterday in the Welton District. Regional Officer, North Midland Defence Region, 1939 [...] Aftermath of Bombing: A good deal of the optimism which was …
Shelter Life: I reached the second step from the top and it was impossible to move backward or forward. The pressure was terrible. Nothing was moving and all I could …
Rationing: They considered one case, and decided to prosecute Frank Edward Cantle of Wickham Common for selling meat contrary to Article 5 of the Livestock Slaughtering Order. Droxford Food Control …
Home Guard: The response to his appeal was immediate. As soon as the speech was over, men ran in hordes to their local police stations to sign their names as …
Evacuation: The conduct of many of the women evacuated has given rise to trouble. Cases of drunkenness and brawling have been reported. Senior Evacuation Officer's Report, Wales, 1939 [...] Aftermath …
Evacuation: The large numbers of verminous and dirty headed children caused a shock to the country folk who naturally thought that the better water supplies and bathroom facilities of town …
Aftermath of Bombing: The expressions of revolt do not come from the submerged tenth but from the average person. There have been disturbances in the rougher districts and it has …
Shelter Life: Edinburgh has to deal with considerable problems of damp. Mushrooms used to be grown in the Scotland Street tunnel, a disused railway tunnel which it is proposed to …