5.6 The Home Front
The Second World War did not just involve soldiers, sailors and airmen. The people left at home had their part to play too and were greatly affected by the conflict. These film clips show some of the impacts war had on the people back in Britain.
ON THE HOMEFRONT
2 MINS 48 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1940
Newsreel from the start of the Second World War, as defences go up in London, refugees from Germany and Austria are sent to internment camps and evacuees are sent away to the countryside.
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AIR RAID VICTIM
1 MIN 36 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1940
In late 1940 German bombers began to bomb Britain’s major cities. This was known as the ‘Blitz’. This footage shows an interview with a victim of bombing in London. In London alone, over a million homes were destroyed or damaged.
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WOMEN'S LAND ARMY1 MIN 47 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1943
In 1915, a Women’s Land Army was created so women (known as Land Girls) could work in farming, replacing men called up to fight. In 1939, the organisation was revived under the same name and by 1944 it had over 80,000 members. Caution: The tone used in this clip reflects the time period in which the film was made.