World War 2

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How did it start?

After WW1, people really wanted not to have another major war like that. The British government and other governments blamed Germany for the war and forced them to sign the treaty of Versailles, which stated:• They had to pay 6,600 million pounds• They weren’t allowed an large armyA man called Adolf Hitler broke that treaty and when he invaded Poland, Britain declared war.

Contents

The people who lived in London had a harder life than people in the countryside. Germany often blitzed London, so the government thought of many solutions:Gas masks SheltersThe blackoutEvacuation

Blackout

Evacuation

Gas mask

Shelters

Gas mask

Gas masks were made to protect people during gas attacks. People were told to carry their gas masks around at all times, just in case there was an unexpected gas attack. Surprisingly, there was never a gas attack! So much for the drills! Children were given masks called the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask. They were smaller than adult masks but looked nothing like Mickey mouse!

Shelters

There were two types of shelter, The Anderson Shelter, and the Morrison Shelter. An Anderson shelter is a large room which can be shared by a large group of people. They are made of iron and dug halfway into the ground. They are not easily broken but very uncomfortable. Morrison shelters were simply cages with beds in them. They were a big squash just for one person!

Blackout

The blackout was when people had to eliminate all light from the street. This was so German bombers didn’t know where to aim. Consequently cars would crash into each other and people would fall over because no lights were allowed.

Evacuation

Evacuation was a process where children were sent to a safer place to be protected from the axis bombs. Mostly children were evacuated but adults were also evacuated. School teachers, Mothers with children under 5 and some disabled people were evacuated to the country. Mothers chose if they wanted there child to be evacuated, but the host families (the people who looked after evacuees) didn’t have a choice!