My Mother brought me up on stories of the blitz in Salford, Manchester. The blackout, the shelters, gaps between houses, she didn’t sugarcoat any of it. They sat on the cellar steps one December night and her Mum cut the Christmas cake - they didn’t think they would survive to eat it at Christmas! Mum was conscripted into the ATS and told me she was so much better fed than her family at home. I think there was a resilient blitz spirit, but dogged determination more than anything else. (I am in my 70s).
"Blitz Spirit" gives me images of Churchill visiting a part of the East end after a raid and saying "We can take it" to a bunch of housewives digging through the rubble of what used to be their homes looking for their belongings. At seeing and hearing Churchill's patronising comment they all started to throw bricks at him and told him "where he could take it" and "We're the ones taking it" he then got back quickly in his car and drove off.
There's a phrase that comes to mind every time I research WWII and PTSD in my quest to understand my grandparents's PTSD: We survived but not in one piece.
@@l.annahlstromdickson7497 My father sometimes had nightmares, he had recurring malaria until l was about ten. But he was always jolly and kind. My parents put that part of their life in a box, and turned the key. It helped them get on with life and enjoy it. I've always tried to follow their example.
Wow, Bravo for bringing to light something that is NEVER discussed. Romanticizing WWII is truly a dishonor to those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well as those who had to "move on" after the war with so many invisible scars, going back to "normal" as if what they just went through wasn't the most horrific thing to ever happen to them. This needs to be talked about more. Let's dispel this romantic idea that suffering and sacrificing during war time is somehow the "ideal." It is not. 👏
Your video woke a memory of something from my childhood in the 1970's. I had a friend whose mother was from Germany. We used to play in the crawlspace at her house. It was outfitted quite comfortably, had lights, food, carpet, a radio and we would play games in what we thought of as a play fort. It wasn't until years later we realized it was her mom's way of being prepared. Her mom had been a little girl and lived through the Allied bombings in Germany. There's no doubt that living through a war will have long-term effects on people.
My grandad was awarded a medal which was due to be given at our cathedral, as I was his main care and support I began to discuss plans for travel etc but was stopped abruptly with grandad saying he wasn't going and that if they called again "tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine, it was all a bloody lie." that was all he said and it was never mentioned again.
You can't blame any government in wartime for attempting to raise the morale of the nation by using propaganda and for attempting to demoralise the spirit of the enemy, both armed forces and civilians. Great video.
I was a child in the blitz and evacuated later to Grimsby. I can tell you that the people of the England at that time were totally different from those of the present day. Time and distance have the same effect, so you are correct, it is impossible to compare modern UK with Britain at the time. " The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there" LP Hartley
Both my parents survived the blitz, my dad lost his entire extended family in one night. PTSD wasn’t a thing back then, however, the episodes of rage, anger & violence my sister & I were subjected to over the years, makes sense now.
It's so incredibly sad that our parents and grandparents lived in a time when mental health was not only a taboo subject, but also, the real help they so desperately needed simply wasn't available.
Yes and when a person is bombarded with daily propaganda ( and a lot of it was necessary to keep the country from giving up and surrendering) then that same person feels that they should just “buck up” and carry on. Because after all, “our lads have it so much harder on the war front,”
My parents were in their teens and early 20s during WW2. I think the biggest difference between their generation and later ones, is just the level of daily discomfort that they took for granted. Something that lasted well into the 1970s, for many.
Thanks Hannah - you are an educator - it’s good to look at things from a different perspective. My father fought in WW2 but like many who served, he didn’t want to talk about his experiences as they were too harrowing. We owe that generation so very much. Your videos get better and better.
The national myth building began in 1940 and continues to this day. It was particularly strong when I was a kid in the 1960s/70s, where there was a whole industry built on WW2 movies, tv shows, books, comics and toys. We were basicaly taught that Britain had won the war, with a "little" help from the Commonwealth and United States. Our allies from Russia and China rarely (if ever) got a mention, as they were our cold war enemies and subsequently a thoroughly bad lot.
Thanks for doing this. I've read Home Front diaries from that era which present a very different picture to the whole Britain Can Take It vibe. People were understandably angry. And the whole your efforts will give us victory one was withdrawn because it was so unpopular. It was seen as YOU do all the work and make the sacrifices, and WE the elite will have all the victory. And the whole idea that everyone was a better human being then is absurd. There were serial-killers at large in the blackout, rapists and con-men.
The impression I was given from my grandfather, in a reserved occupation was you worked long hours and then had other jobs to do, his was a guard of the mine he worked at because people broke in and stole the coal that was needed for trains in this case. Not much we're all in this together spirit when you can't heat your house in winter because of coal rationing. Many of the miners would give away coal they had "acquired" to widow's and old folks too so the worse off didn't go without. I can't remember my grandfather calling the war the best time of his life.
Excellent video and I agree we can over romanticise any period. I’m a big fan of the clothes etc from this time period and I’m in the process of slowly renovating my home. I appreciate your work. It’s Veterans Day in the US. 🇺🇸 have a blessed day.
Another thing that shouldn't be forgotten is the rise of crime and the black market during this period. Bombed houses represented easy pickings for the light fingered.
As an American who enjoys learning about your history, I totally get what you're saying. Those that haven't been exposed to the real stories and diaries of people who lived through the war only get a romanticized view of such a tragic time in history. I will say this though, the British public never gave up and deserve the utmost respect.
My Mother was 'bombed' out of her family home during an air raid on the Victoria docks in the east end of London. She had to be dug out of the Anderson shelter, her neighbors all dying from a direct hit. She always reminded me of her seeing a Policeman looting silver cutlery from the rubble. Let's not forget that it was the British government that ordered and carried out the bombing of civilian targets in Germany first, before they responded in kind.
No. Not so. "Germany dropped bombs on London first, with British retaliation on Berlin the next day. On the night of August 24, 1940, Luftwaffe bombers dropped their bombs on the center of London destroying several homes and killing civilians. Amid the public outrage that followed, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, ordered Berlin to be bombed the next evening. The fact that the German bombing of London may have been accidental was not known at the time. Germany had earlier in the year been bombing civilians in other countries, so it was expected from them." "One thing is certain, however: the Germans were deliberately targeting civilians in Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands[1] before Britain got involved. Something they practiced in 1937 in Guernica[2]during the Spanish civil war. They began the bombing of civilians, just not in Britain."
As you know Sweden didn't take part in the war, but we also have a lie about something called 'The Preparedness Spirit'. Sweden was NOT prepared to take part in the war (the military was in bad shape in 1939) and people didn't like rationing, blockades etc, but the propaganda at the time and many years later claimed that this was the case.
Hi, I was born in London just after the war ended and I can remember the many bomb sites all around where we lived. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been listening to bombs exploding all around and wondering when you would be getting hit.
It wasn’t a lie at all, it might have been overplayed, not might was overplayed. Did criminals/ evil people take advantage of blackouts etc yes they totally did. Were people worried, upset, anxious, angry and devastated often due to the blitz and loved ones being away fighting or been killed, absolutely they were. Remember most people lived in poverty and slums which most people can’t imagine now. I remember my grandparents house off a street that had factories around it, no bathrooms or heating and a loo in the backyard, only in the late 1970s were they moved into an old age pensioners bungalow and the old ‘slums’ demolished. Most people just about managed to feed and clothe children, you didn’t eat a lot of fruit or veg, eggs or meat like today, most people ate if lucky small amounts of cheaper cut of meats but mostly had offal. For most it was plain and small amounts of food even before wartime. Lots of children wore sand shoes because parents couldn’t afford actual shoes were my father lived. In my town the blitz was just behind London for the damage it caused and a report only released a few years ago was kept during wartime on the effect war had on people, quite a few were so frightened of being killed in the bombings that they committed suicide. I’m late fifties and apart from a couple of funny stories my grandparents and people of their generation never ever talked about the war, of all they went through the horror they put a lid on it to keep the nightmares at bay. Normal everyday people got on and helped each other as they always did, community spirit was common unlike today. People were people at the end of the day with all the emotions we have today. Unfortunately there a lot of high profile historians even at universities that have no shame in lying about our history and change facts for their agendas, one of their favourites is blasting our country at war.
Well said, when people call us privileged, l have to laugh. Half of the children that went to school with my father, had no shoes and socks. Two thirds of my friends lived in slums. Were people nicer, kinder, more moral then. Yes, they were. They had nothing, but they all helped each other.
Londoners in the East End were locked out of tube stations because the authorities didn't think they would leave them to go to work. 1/2 a million pets were destroyed in the first week because they thought it would be so bad they wouldn't be able to feed them.
My mother was a, young girl in, WW2, heard the sirens go and, took shelter under the, dinner table. Positioned in the, door frame. Heard bombs going off, and counted, like we do with lightning. Hesrd they, booms getting closer. Braced herself heard a, crash upstairs, came out when the, booms faded. Everybody did. To look at the, German planes. They were tougher people then. Saw parachute on the, roof. Bomb squad turn up. Bomb had gone through the roof and got caught up in the rafters. "If that bomb had gone off. I wouldn't be here talking to you now" Neither would we. I said.
Thank you so much for highlighting the difference between what people want to believe and reality. I've read every mass observation diary I can get my hands on, and they paint a very different picture of how people felt during this period than the highly romanticized version we're fed by TV programs and historical fiction. I recommend The Secret History of the Blitz by Joshua Levine for people interested in reading more about this topic.
I would like to give you an example to support your outlook!. My Dad from Liverpool, was in The Royal Marines fighting in North Africa and Italy Sometimes instead of traveling all the way back to Liverpool "on leave" he would go back to North London with his friend to his family in White Hart Lane (yes they did support Tottenham) He told me of a time on leave with his friend in North London's bombed out areas when people were in the rubble finding bodies and recovering what the could ... Churchill turned up in an open top limousine along with a film crew and started to shout "We Can Take It" ... the people turned against him verbally and told him where to Go !!! it was filmed but NEVER SHOWN !!!.
Keep spreading the truth and let us not forget and pass on true history and what really happened to us in the past. Now more than ever, governments and people are trying to erase, remove, hide, blur, and lie about the past and what happened back then. Its up to us to keep the past and the truth alive. Well done love
Hannah thank for doing this . I to am still upset that the press wove WW2 and covid together obviously two different things. What was going on and what those people had to endure every single day is beyond my 12:58 ❤️imagination. Thank you again for doing this .
I love your site, and I feel there might be a connection between depression and modern day life. I love your old style kitchen, I sometimes feel those grey and dark grey commodities fridge, stove etc, although easily maintained are dull and too boring on the eye. The eye looks at dull charcoal, instead of a bright fridge and stove like you have. Your site is wonderful, endurance wouldn't describe what our ancestors went through, and they kept going, and so will we. Thank you.
You’re really going from strength to strength with your videos! This is a sobering account of the so-called “keep calm and carry on” ideology. By all means, to strive to be the best we can be on an individual level and as a collective is absolutely great, but covering up the truth of people’s suffering to the point where it alters future generations perspectives of how to deal with certain traumas is just so detached.
Scary Like a conversation late at night after the tv stations closed down. 50 years ago. And you're correct, millions were terrified. Cigarettes in 1940 were priced at 2020 pandemic levels. I remember being charged £2 for a paper face mask to wear on the bus. You can buy a 100 now for £5.
I was once told by a history teacher that the Keep Calm poster was only meant to be displayed in the event we were invaded by Germany and it's allies. As this never happened the posters weren't required and most of them were trashed after the war.
I come from Hull and my mum would tell me alot of stories of the war. How her family lost 3 homes through bombing. How she was evacuated, the rationing. The loss of her father, who was killed in action. Hull was significantly bombed. Peoples lives were lost, places of work bombed. As my mum used to say to me. " There was no glory, or winners in war, everyone lost". I know the war had a profound effect on her and throughout her life.
I watched a documentary about the War that went into detail about the morale of the British during the War, and how the government pushed the people to have the fabled Blitz Spirit. My grandparents never really spoke about the war. They only told me three things: 1 They lived in London early in the War, and didn’t use the underground. My nan said it was dirty and smelly, and overcrowded. However, one night when the air raid sirens went off my grandad said they should go to the underground. When they came up the next day their block of flats had taken a direct hit. They were able to leave London and went to live with my great grandmother in Sussex. 2 You never know when food may become scarce. 3 The Canadian soldiers that camped in their village gave sweets and tinned fruit to the children and the soldiers were so very young.
I’ve just found your channel and I love your content. I’m fascinated about the home front and WW2 in general (I have a special place in my heart for the RAF), as an Australian who lived in the UK for a few years I feel that the British home front is very dear to me after living where it happened. I enjoyed learning a lot in this one! I wonder if one reason the journalists etc glorified the ‘Blitz Spirit’ is in the hopes that it might make people feel better, possibly empowered about what was happening to them. Now, it’s another question if that would actually have had the desired effect… but maybe that was a reason. Thank you for producing such quality videos!
I didn't learn about WW2 at school. The War was only 20 years before I was at school. I'm really interested in Social History, so educated myself on the subject. Due to this, I've become informed through facts. What's important to remember is that it really was a very different World back then. A couple of examples of that would be where a doctor didn't always tell a patient how serious their diagnosis was, or the number of people we hear about who were adopted but had no idea until they were adults. When the bare truth was held back from the public, it was seen more as (wrongly IMHO) shielding them from the grim horrors of what was actually taking place; avoiding alarm when there wasn't really a choice. about "keeping calm and carrying on". Another thing to consider is National security. Even if the British people realised it was propaganda that "We can take it", our enemies somewhat believed it. Another well put together video, thank you!
Hi. Just found your channel because of the little bytham connection. Five minutes into this one and subbed. I live in a thirties semi with jellymould lampshades and Edwardian dining chairs ( my grannies) i drive a 1961 land rover as my daily and own old motorbikes and deco jugs. But im under no illusions and hate British exceptionalism. Its never done us any favours. Now back to the blitz and looting
This has nothing to do with your recent video but you inspire me to buy more vintage or antique furniture. I just purchased from a thrift store a waterfall wardrobe. Never seen one that when I pull out the 2nd to top drawer it turns into a desk! These craftsmen were genius! Got it for 225.00 and on line sells for 1200.00.
They did endure and defied. They qued for rations, cooperated by squashing into the tube stations, and took on new jobs and separations. All classes served, the rich gave over their properties and even the royal family had the food and clothing rations.
My Mum and her Family in Plymouth Devon Uk used to leave The city at Night ‘ and go to a little Shed her Grand dad had built out on Dartmoor , for the family to escape the night Bombing of Plymouth 😮❤ during the Battle of Britain mum would stand out side watching the planes going over and the Dog Fights poor Gran her mum used to get so worried watching her daughter 😂 mum worked in the Restaurant of the Department store pophams all the American film stars of the day would come there from the Liners to Eat she met many big stars Gary Grant ect
I always figured people were pretty much punch drunk after a few weeks and just kept going because stopping would have meant death. Just one foot in front of the other. Life over the past decade has been pretty much a case of rolling with the punches. Get up, dust myself off and get on with it. I'm 62 and have seen some shit. Nothing prepared me for the 2000s. Nothing. I just reel in reaction most days, head spinning. I'm going to have a nervous breakdown one of these days. I've earned it and by Hannah I'm going to have it.
I have to say that I don't like this clickbait title. I was speaking last week to a 95 yr old lady who was 10 at the time of the Coventry blitz that lasted 10 hours whilst she hid in a friend's pantry. There was utter devastation. Of course she wasn't happy about it! But in her words 'when I look back, they were some of the happiest times in my life'. She said people DID help each other and adults tried to keep chipper for the sake of the children. My mum and dad grew up in the war and they said the same. My dad lost his dad (my grandad) in the London blitz and dad's house was bombed while he was having a bath at the age of 14 (had to come outside with a towel wrapped round him). But he said his mum kept the household going and great friends were made. Speak to the elderly who were there. I think that when things are SO painfully bad and worrying, a survival community spirit comes out and people have no choice but to make the best of things. Films of the era were deliberately escapist and upbeat. People would go to the flicks every week to cheer themselves and they would sing songs in pubs etc with wartorn devastation all around them. Today so many people are on anti-depressants and are worried and poor and yet the films and tv are depressing, the adverts are depressing and the politicians are awful! They say suicide is really high today yet we have no blitz! Community spirit and making do has gone out of the window and our countryside and living skills have been lost. Kids don't seem to have hope or magic as much in their lives. Children's books in schools and modern school curriculums are depressing in my view. Not to mention the modern 'architecture' and surroundings.
I agree my grandmother has said pretty much the same thing as that 95 year old you spoke to. my grandmother is 94 she's told me lots of stories from her childhood about the war and how things were and how my great great parents were she's said it was the most happiest time of her life although she was terrified and was sent away to the country for a period with her two sisters she speaks fondly of those times and the community spirit and neighbours and how everyone did in fact just get on with it they all helped eachother .I've got plenty of stories from my nan I love listening to her and make a point of constantly asking her about the war bless her she loves telling me about that time .
My aunt, at the age of 12 took over the running of a household of 13 when her mum died in the war, she had 5 children younger than her, the older ones were either called up or working to bring in money to feed them all --food prices rose alarmingly. So this little girl was expected to grieve her mum, become mum, deal with rations and do laundry for 12 others.
The Keep Calm posters were not issued because the previous two were pretty much ridiculed by the public. Lucy Worsley has a BBC programme about the so called blitz spirit, definitely worth watching
I really appreciated this video. Here in America we don't have quite the same nostalgia for WW2 but I will say the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and sometimes even Gen X have this impression that everything in the past was great and they either feel sorry for younger folks (which helps nothing) or they think we're wimps because we value sensitivity and emotional awareness more. They can be quite callous. I think it's so important to have a balanced view of the past and not paint everything like "modern times/people are terrible".
Part of how Capitalism works is by pitting the generations against eachother so that we never actually blame those with great power and wealth. They keep us all fighting so that we never look up. Scapegoats have to be identified for all the mistakes of the ruling classes. It's all part of 'divide and conquer' which has been going on for centuries.
They reckon suicide, looting and thieving in the back outs were rife, same as divorce went up when men came back from war but I also think it's good to romanticise a bit because people did support each other and we overcome so much x ps love your videos x ps I agree about the pandemic. They kept cinemas and dance halls open during the war because people needed to see each other and let off steam to keep going. We were isolated during the pandemic x
I always feel for the women who lost people in world war 1 perhaps a lover or a father and then had to face their husbands and sons going off in world war 2. They must have wanted to break when war was declared yet againx
Makes you think there is more time between now and 9/11 then between the end and start of the World Wars. Many men who were wounded in the First World War were still being treated for their wounds when the Second World War began.
So people wrote in their diaries that they were not happy or were worried or frightened. What you think and what you do are two completely different things. Modern psychology would have us believe that we are slaves to personal thoughts, but the Blitz puts the lie to that in that those people were demoralised but they still kept going. Don't sit in your living room and devalue the ACTIONS of those people with after the fact analyses.
One question that's never been asked nor answered: Why wasn't Thatcher called u p either into the forces or for war work? All women aged 17-51 were liable for conscription under the National Service Act (No.2) 1939, but she never served. Not one day. And she was born in 1926, so she should have been drafted in 1943. Especially as the draft was extended at the time due to the big run-up to D-Day.
PLUS ALL THE WOMEN WHO DID JOBS THAT WERE ALIEN TO THEM, MOST MENS WORK, THAT KEPT THE SPIRIT AS WELL AND HELPED THE CAUSE OF HOW VALUABLE WOMEN WERE AND STILL ARE
So they lied to us? Why am I not shocked. Indeed, people would have been looking forward to the time when it was all over BTW, I love your 1940's home & outfit. I'm going to join your 31.5K subscribers and have a look at more of your posts
This was an interesting video. No one talked about the toxic aspect of the war all the stuff you inhaled, and all the things that were around you that were toxic the chemicals, the air.
I would like to see how people these days cope with exactly the same situation! With the selfish, entitled attitude that they have today then I doubt anything would carry on, they would just be crying about why their internet would not work.
Keep Calm And Carry On posters were to be used in case of German occupation, which is why it was never actually used at the time. It makes sense also that propaganda, especially at that time, would want to paint a picture of calm and defiance. An effective tool used by all parties involved.
Alot of people might not know this, whilst big city's were bombed Swansea and Neath were as well. Also, my home town but it just destroyed a field and some windows luckily. Apparently, the German plane was too heavy so they released the bomb and it hit a playing field. No one was using at the time luckily.
I will counter though, that in the middle of the war, the British government couldn't just put up it"s hands and say,"oh well, Germany one!" That is the whole point of the propaganda.
I have never spoken to anyone who went through the war who thought that way. They most definitely wanted to win, the last thing my father wanted to do was surrender to the then enemy.
@@joanmatchett8100 I'm talking about that there was a poll held after France fell, where a slight majority of people in the UK said they'd prefer to quit the war at that time. Of course, the problem with using that is it's only representative of a very brief period of time. It's like saying George Bush was popular because specifically after 9/11 he had a 90% approval rate.
Please don’t turn into a political channel. A lot of us would like to take a break from that. You have a wonderful channel. It fills a need and purpose. Please don’t deviate from it. Don’t devalue what you provide.
I'm sure that's true. Many ordinary people probably resented the mess that the world's leaders had landed them in. It's interesting how the man who speaks at the start of your video, about there being no Blitz spirit, seems to be wearing a German uniform. It was good to see he was following in Lord Haw-Haw footsteps. It's all Churchill's propaganda. All sensible Brits want peace with the Germans 😂
I have to question the background video about 12'50" - is that really a reflection of people in early WWII London? No matter how uncomfortable it may be for the current woke generation - my parents born in London in 1936 and 1937, could not recall ever having see a black person until 1947. There seems to be a difference in what actually happened and what those in power want the current generation to believe happened. My Dad refused to be evacuated. He was taught by retired teachers, those that had taught his Mum, my Gran. He would arrive at school in the morning and be told that James was killed the day before and they wouldn't see him again. No counselling 9ffered or requested. Where did this country go wrong?
My Mother brought me up on stories of the blitz in Salford, Manchester. The blackout, the shelters, gaps between houses, she didn’t sugarcoat any of it. They sat on the cellar steps one December night and her Mum cut the Christmas cake - they didn’t think they would survive to eat it at Christmas! Mum was conscripted into the ATS and told me she was so much better fed than her family at home. I think there was a resilient blitz spirit, but dogged determination more than anything else. (I am in my 70s).
"Blitz Spirit" gives me images of Churchill visiting a part of the East end after a raid and saying "We can take it" to a bunch of housewives digging through the rubble of what used to be their homes looking for their belongings. At seeing and hearing Churchill's patronising comment they all started to throw bricks at him and told him "where he could take it" and "We're the ones taking it" he then got back quickly in his car and drove off.
There's a phrase that comes to mind every time I research WWII and PTSD in my quest to understand my grandparents's PTSD: We survived but not in one piece.
@@l.annahlstromdickson7497 My father sometimes had nightmares, he had recurring malaria until l was about ten. But he was always jolly and kind. My parents put that part of their life in a box, and turned the key. It helped them get on with life and enjoy it. I've always tried to follow their example.
Wow, Bravo for bringing to light something that is NEVER discussed. Romanticizing WWII is truly a dishonor to those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well as those who had to "move on" after the war with so many invisible scars, going back to "normal" as if what they just went through wasn't the most horrific thing to ever happen to them. This needs to be talked about more. Let's dispel this romantic idea that suffering and sacrificing during war time is somehow the "ideal." It is not. 👏
Couldn't agree more.
Your video woke a memory of something from my childhood in the 1970's. I had a friend whose mother was from Germany. We used to play in the crawlspace at her house. It was outfitted quite comfortably, had lights, food, carpet, a radio and we would play games in what we thought of as a play fort. It wasn't until years later we realized it was her mom's way of being prepared. Her mom had been a little girl and lived through the Allied bombings in Germany. There's no doubt that living through a war will have long-term effects on people.
Hi, I think why the papers played the losses down was to not show the Germans the extent of the damage they caused giving them some kind of victory.
As if the Nazis were thick and didn't know the damage 😂
@@grahamstewart615 This is what I researched.
@@kellystarot1980respect
My grandad was awarded a medal which was due to be given at our cathedral, as I was his main care and support I began to discuss plans for travel etc but was stopped abruptly with grandad saying he wasn't going and that if they called again "tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine, it was all a bloody lie." that was all he said and it was never mentioned again.
A medal for what?
You can't blame any government in wartime for attempting to raise the morale of the nation by using propaganda and for attempting to demoralise the spirit of the enemy, both armed forces and civilians.
Great video.
I was a child in the blitz and evacuated later to Grimsby. I can tell you that the people of the England at that time were totally different from those of the present day. Time and distance have the same effect, so you are correct, it is impossible to compare modern UK with Britain at the time. " The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there" LP Hartley
Both my parents survived the blitz, my dad lost his entire extended family in one night. PTSD wasn’t a thing back then, however, the episodes of rage, anger & violence my sister & I were subjected to over the years, makes sense now.
It's so incredibly sad that our parents and grandparents lived in a time when mental health was not only a taboo subject, but also, the real help they so desperately needed simply wasn't available.
Yes and when a person is bombarded with daily propaganda ( and a lot of it was necessary to keep the country from giving up and surrendering) then that same person feels that they should just “buck up” and carry on. Because after all, “our lads have it so much harder on the war front,”
@@littlehomeinthevalley It wasn't simply that it was "taboo." It was that people didn't understand what the problem was.
@@terrylopez5452 Well, they DID have it so much harder. They were living in mud trenches and having people drop bombs on them or shooting at them!!!
Well, it was a thing. It just wasn't recognised.
"The first victim of war is always the truth."
My parents were in their teens and early 20s during WW2. I think the biggest difference between their generation and later ones, is just the level of daily discomfort that they took for granted. Something that lasted well into the 1970s, for many.
Thanks Hannah - you are an educator - it’s good to look at things from a different perspective. My father fought in WW2 but like many who served, he didn’t want to talk about his experiences as they were too harrowing. We owe that generation so very much. Your videos get better and better.
The national myth building began in 1940 and continues to this day. It was particularly strong when I was a kid in the 1960s/70s, where there was a whole industry built on WW2 movies, tv shows, books, comics and toys. We were basicaly taught that Britain had won the war, with a "little" help from the Commonwealth and United States. Our allies from Russia and China rarely (if ever) got a mention, as they were our cold war enemies and subsequently a thoroughly bad lot.
Have a look into the Holodomor
Thanks for doing this. I've read Home Front diaries from that era which present a very different picture to the whole Britain Can Take It vibe. People were understandably angry. And the whole your efforts will give us victory one was withdrawn because it was so unpopular. It was seen as YOU do all the work and make the sacrifices, and WE the elite will have all the victory. And the whole idea that everyone was a better human being then is absurd. There were serial-killers at large in the blackout, rapists and con-men.
The impression I was given from my grandfather, in a reserved occupation was you worked long hours and then had other jobs to do, his was a guard of the mine he worked at because people broke in and stole the coal that was needed for trains in this case. Not much we're all in this together spirit when you can't heat your house in winter because of coal rationing. Many of the miners would give away coal they had "acquired" to widow's and old folks too so the worse off didn't go without. I can't remember my grandfather calling the war the best time of his life.
Excellent video and I agree we can over romanticise any period. I’m a big fan of the clothes etc from this time period and I’m in the process of slowly renovating my home. I appreciate your work. It’s Veterans Day in the US. 🇺🇸 have a blessed day.
Armistice day here.
@ thought so … poppies
That is one huge cup.😊
Another thing that shouldn't be forgotten is the rise of crime and the black market during this period. Bombed houses represented easy pickings for the light fingered.
As an American who enjoys learning about your history, I totally get what you're saying. Those that haven't been exposed to the real stories and diaries of people who lived through the war only get a romanticized view of such a tragic time in history. I will say this though, the British public never gave up and deserve the utmost respect.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much sacrificed by so many for so few.This should have the words Churchill used.
💯
True, but his we shall never surrender speech was magnificent
Absolutely well said! You raise excellent points about the duplicitous use of propaganda during that time, and THAT other more recent time!
It must have been such a traumatic time for so many people who were just trying to survive. Definitely something to think about.
My Mother was 'bombed' out of her family home during an air raid on the Victoria docks in the east end of London. She had to be dug out of the Anderson shelter, her neighbors all dying from a direct hit. She always reminded me of her seeing a Policeman looting silver cutlery from the rubble. Let's not forget that it was the British government that ordered and carried out the bombing of civilian targets in Germany first, before they responded in kind.
No. Not so.
"Germany dropped bombs on London first, with British retaliation on Berlin the next day.
On the night of August 24, 1940, Luftwaffe bombers dropped their bombs on the center of London destroying several homes and killing civilians. Amid the public outrage that followed, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, ordered Berlin to be bombed the next evening.
The fact that the German bombing of London may have been accidental was not known at the time.
Germany had earlier in the year been bombing civilians in other countries, so it was expected from them."
"One thing is certain, however: the Germans were deliberately targeting civilians in Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands[1] before Britain got involved. Something they practiced in 1937 in Guernica[2]during the Spanish civil war. They began the bombing of civilians, just not in Britain."
As you know Sweden didn't take part in the war, but we also have a lie about something called 'The Preparedness Spirit'. Sweden was NOT prepared to take part in the war (the military was in bad shape in 1939) and people didn't like rationing, blockades etc, but the propaganda at the time and many years later claimed that this was the case.
We should have followed your lead and not taken part, no blitz, no rationing, no over four hundred thousand dead no large scale immigration, if only.
Wow, some things NEVER change!! Thanks for the video. I really enjoy your videos!!
Hi, I was born in London just after the war ended and I can remember the many bomb sites all around where we lived. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been listening to bombs exploding all around and wondering when you would be getting hit.
It wasn’t a lie at all, it might have been overplayed, not might was overplayed. Did criminals/ evil people take advantage of blackouts etc yes they totally did. Were people worried, upset, anxious, angry and devastated often due to the blitz and loved ones being away fighting or been killed, absolutely they were. Remember most people lived in poverty and slums which most people can’t imagine now. I remember my grandparents house off a street that had factories around it, no bathrooms or heating and a loo in the backyard, only in the late 1970s were they moved into an old age pensioners bungalow and the old ‘slums’ demolished. Most people just about managed to feed and clothe children, you didn’t eat a lot of fruit or veg, eggs or meat like today, most people ate if lucky small amounts of cheaper cut of meats but mostly had offal. For most it was plain and small amounts of food even before wartime. Lots of children wore sand shoes because parents couldn’t afford actual shoes were my father lived. In my town the blitz was just behind London for the damage it caused and a report only released a few years ago was kept during wartime on the effect war had on people, quite a few were so frightened of being killed in the bombings that they committed suicide. I’m late fifties and apart from a couple of funny stories my grandparents and people of their generation never ever talked about the war, of all they went through the horror they put a lid on it to keep the nightmares at bay. Normal everyday people got on and helped each other as they always did, community spirit was common unlike today. People were people at the end of the day with all the emotions we have today. Unfortunately there a lot of high profile historians even at universities that have no shame in lying about our history and change facts for their agendas, one of their favourites is blasting our country at war.
Well said, when people call us privileged, l have to laugh. Half of the children that went to school with my father, had no shoes and socks. Two thirds of my friends lived in slums. Were people nicer, kinder, more moral then. Yes, they were. They had nothing, but they all helped each other.
Londoners in the East End were locked out of tube stations because the authorities didn't think they would leave them to go to work. 1/2 a million pets were destroyed in the first week because they thought it would be so bad they wouldn't be able to feed them.
My mother was a, young girl in, WW2, heard the sirens go and, took shelter under the, dinner table. Positioned in the, door frame. Heard bombs going off, and counted, like we do with lightning. Hesrd they, booms getting closer. Braced herself heard a, crash upstairs, came out when the, booms faded. Everybody did. To look at the, German planes. They were tougher people then. Saw parachute on the, roof. Bomb squad turn up. Bomb had gone through the roof and got caught up in the rafters. "If that bomb had gone off. I wouldn't be here talking to you now" Neither would we. I said.
I can't think of evacuations without thinking of Goodnight Mr Tom 😭
Thank you so much for highlighting the difference between what people want to believe and reality. I've read every mass observation diary I can get my hands on, and they paint a very different picture of how people felt during this period than the highly romanticized version we're fed by TV programs and historical fiction. I recommend The Secret History of the Blitz by Joshua Levine for people interested in reading more about this topic.
I would like to give you an example to support your outlook!.
My Dad from Liverpool, was in The Royal Marines fighting in North Africa and Italy
Sometimes instead of traveling all the way back to Liverpool "on leave" he would go back to North London with his friend to his family in White Hart Lane (yes they did support Tottenham)
He told me of a time on leave with his friend in North London's bombed out areas when people were in the rubble finding bodies and recovering what the could ... Churchill turned up in an open top limousine along with a film crew and started to shout "We Can Take It" ... the people turned against him verbally and told him where to Go !!! it was filmed but NEVER SHOWN !!!.
Keep spreading the truth and let us not forget and pass on true history and what really happened to us in the past. Now more than ever, governments and people are trying to erase, remove, hide, blur, and lie about the past and what happened back then. Its up to us to keep the past and the truth alive. Well done love
Hannah thank for doing this . I to am still upset that the press wove WW2 and covid together obviously two different things. What was going on and what those people had to endure every single day is beyond my 12:58 ❤️imagination. Thank you again for doing this .
Your videos are always so very interesting.. thank you!
I love your site, and I feel there might be a connection between depression and modern day life. I love your old style kitchen, I sometimes feel those grey and dark grey commodities fridge, stove etc, although easily maintained are dull and too boring on the eye. The eye looks at dull charcoal, instead of a bright fridge and stove like you have. Your site is wonderful, endurance wouldn't describe what our ancestors went through, and they kept going, and so will we. Thank you.
You’re really going from strength to strength with your videos!
This is a sobering account of the so-called “keep calm and carry on” ideology.
By all means, to strive to be the best we can be on an individual level and as a collective is absolutely great, but covering up the truth of people’s suffering to the point where it alters future generations perspectives of how to deal with certain traumas is just so detached.
Scary
Like a conversation late at night after the tv stations closed down.
50 years ago.
And you're correct, millions were terrified.
Cigarettes in 1940 were priced at 2020 pandemic levels.
I remember being charged £2 for a paper face mask to wear on the bus.
You can buy a 100 now for £5.
I was once told by a history teacher that the Keep Calm poster was only meant to be displayed in the event we were invaded by Germany and it's allies. As this never happened the posters weren't required and most of them were trashed after the war.
I come from Hull and my mum would tell me alot of stories of the war. How her family lost 3 homes through bombing. How she was evacuated, the rationing. The loss of her father, who was killed in action. Hull was significantly bombed. Peoples lives were lost, places of work bombed. As my mum used to say to me. " There was no glory, or winners in war, everyone lost". I know the war had a profound effect on her and throughout her life.
I watched a documentary about the War that went into detail about the morale of the British during the War, and how the government pushed the people to have the fabled Blitz Spirit.
My grandparents never really spoke about the war. They only told me three things:
1 They lived in London early in the War, and didn’t use the underground. My nan said it was dirty and smelly, and overcrowded. However, one night when the air raid sirens went off my grandad said they should go to the underground. When they came up the next day their block of flats had taken a direct hit. They were able to leave London and went to live with my great grandmother in Sussex.
2 You never know when food may become scarce.
3 The Canadian soldiers that camped in their village gave sweets and tinned fruit to the children and the soldiers were so very young.
I’ve just found your channel and I love your content. I’m fascinated about the home front and WW2 in general (I have a special place in my heart for the RAF), as an Australian who lived in the UK for a few years I feel that the British home front is very dear to me after living where it happened.
I enjoyed learning a lot in this one! I wonder if one reason the journalists etc glorified the ‘Blitz Spirit’ is in the hopes that it might make people feel better, possibly empowered about what was happening to them. Now, it’s another question if that would actually have had the desired effect… but maybe that was a reason.
Thank you for producing such quality videos!
Bravery is not because of the absence of fear, but in the face of fear.
I didn't learn about WW2 at school. The War was only 20 years before I was at school. I'm really interested in Social History, so educated myself on the subject. Due to this, I've become informed through facts. What's important to remember is that it really was a very different World back then. A couple of examples of that would be where a doctor didn't always tell a patient how serious their diagnosis was, or the number of people we hear about who were adopted but had no idea until they were adults. When the bare truth was held back from the public, it was seen more as (wrongly IMHO) shielding them from the grim horrors of what was actually taking place; avoiding alarm when there wasn't really a choice. about "keeping calm and carrying on". Another thing to consider is National security. Even if the British people realised it was propaganda that "We can take it", our enemies somewhat believed it. Another well put together video, thank you!
Hi. Just found your channel because of the little bytham connection. Five minutes into this one and subbed. I live in a thirties semi with jellymould lampshades and Edwardian dining chairs ( my grannies) i drive a 1961 land rover as my daily and own old motorbikes and deco jugs. But im under no illusions and hate British exceptionalism. Its never done us any favours. Now back to the blitz and looting
I love all your videos, you have a wonderful way of presenting ❤
Fabulous work and debunking of rose coloured constructions of reality!
Well said!
This has nothing to do with your recent video but you inspire me to buy more vintage or antique furniture. I just purchased from a thrift store a waterfall wardrobe. Never seen one that when I pull out the 2nd to top drawer it turns into a desk! These craftsmen were genius! Got it for 225.00 and on line sells for 1200.00.
A lot of honesty coming out in these comments by many of us who met eye witnesses.
Our elders.
Respect
They did endure and defied. They qued for rations, cooperated by squashing into the tube stations, and took on new jobs and separations. All classes served, the rich gave over their properties and even the royal family had the food and clothing rations.
Pure nonsense the rich where all right as for the royals don't get me starred
Absolutely love this video I also love the channel Thankyou so much for posting this I learnt a lot ❤
I’d never heard of “bomb chasing” and looting. This video has been eye opening to say the least.
Superb.
It was paradise for crooks !
I grew up with this myth. It was very prevalent when I was a child in the early 1970s. Well done for making this video.
My Mum and her Family in Plymouth Devon Uk
used to leave The city at Night ‘
and go to a little Shed her Grand dad had built out on Dartmoor , for the family to escape the night Bombing of Plymouth 😮❤
during the Battle of Britain
mum would stand out side watching the planes going over
and the Dog Fights
poor Gran her mum used to get so worried watching her daughter 😂
mum worked in the Restaurant of the Department store pophams all the American film stars of the day would come there from the Liners to Eat
she met many big stars Gary Grant ect
I always figured people were pretty much punch drunk after a few weeks and just kept going because stopping would have meant death. Just one foot in front of the other. Life over the past decade has been pretty much a case of rolling with the punches. Get up, dust myself off and get on with it. I'm 62 and have seen some shit. Nothing prepared me for the 2000s. Nothing. I just reel in reaction most days, head spinning. I'm going to have a nervous breakdown one of these days. I've earned it and by Hannah I'm going to have it.
I have to say that I don't like this clickbait title. I was speaking last week to a 95 yr old lady who was 10 at the time of the Coventry blitz that lasted 10 hours whilst she hid in a friend's pantry. There was utter devastation. Of course she wasn't happy about it! But in her words 'when I look back, they were some of the happiest times in my life'. She said people DID help each other and adults tried to keep chipper for the sake of the children. My mum and dad grew up in the war and they said the same. My dad lost his dad (my grandad) in the London blitz and dad's house was bombed while he was having a bath at the age of 14 (had to come outside with a towel wrapped round him). But he said his mum kept the household going and great friends were made. Speak to the elderly who were there. I think that when things are SO painfully bad and worrying, a survival community spirit comes out and people have no choice but to make the best of things. Films of the era were deliberately escapist and upbeat. People would go to the flicks every week to cheer themselves and they would sing songs in pubs etc with wartorn devastation all around them. Today so many people are on anti-depressants and are worried and poor and yet the films and tv are depressing, the adverts are depressing and the politicians are awful! They say suicide is really high today yet we have no blitz! Community spirit and making do has gone out of the window and our countryside and living skills have been lost. Kids don't seem to have hope or magic as much in their lives. Children's books in schools and modern school curriculums are depressing in my view. Not to mention the modern 'architecture' and surroundings.
Couldn't agree more
An excellent and extremely erudite response - you have made me think ….. thank you
I agree my grandmother has said pretty much the same thing as that 95 year old you spoke to. my grandmother is 94 she's told me lots of stories from her childhood about the war and how things were and how my great great parents were she's said it was the most happiest time of her life although she was terrified and was sent away to the country for a period with her two sisters she speaks fondly of those times and the community spirit and neighbours and how everyone did in fact just get on with it they all helped eachother .I've got plenty of stories from my nan I love listening to her and make a point of constantly asking her about the war bless her she loves telling me about that time .
My aunt, at the age of 12 took over the running of a household of 13 when her mum died in the war, she had 5 children younger than her, the older ones were either called up or working to bring in money to feed them all --food prices rose alarmingly. So this little girl was expected to grieve her mum, become mum, deal with rations and do laundry for 12 others.
Well said I'm with you all the way.
The Keep Calm posters were not issued because the previous two were pretty much ridiculed by the public. Lucy Worsley has a BBC programme about the so called blitz spirit, definitely worth watching
I really appreciated this video. Here in America we don't have quite the same nostalgia for WW2 but I will say the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and sometimes even Gen X have this impression that everything in the past was great and they either feel sorry for younger folks (which helps nothing) or they think we're wimps because we value sensitivity and emotional awareness more. They can be quite callous. I think it's so important to have a balanced view of the past and not paint everything like "modern times/people are terrible".
Part of how Capitalism works is by pitting the generations against eachother so that we never actually blame those with great power and wealth. They keep us all fighting so that we never look up. Scapegoats have to be identified for all the mistakes of the ruling classes. It's all part of 'divide and conquer' which has been going on for centuries.
Amazing video x
Wow I never really thought about this but it makes sense thank you 🙏
The most common poster in Germany was a picture of an Eagle and the slogan:
Der Sieg unsere Fahnen folgen!
(Victory follows our banners!)
They reckon suicide, looting and thieving in the back outs were rife, same as divorce went up when men came back from war but I also think it's good to romanticise a bit because people did support each other and we overcome so much x ps love your videos x ps I agree about the pandemic. They kept cinemas and dance halls open during the war because people needed to see each other and let off steam to keep going. We were isolated during the pandemic x
I always feel for the women who lost people in world war 1 perhaps a lover or a father and then had to face their husbands and sons going off in world war 2. They must have wanted to break when war was declared yet againx
Makes you think there is more time between now and 9/11 then between the end and start of the World Wars.
Many men who were wounded in the First World War were still being treated for their wounds when the Second World War began.
There's a good book that debunks mist of the myths about the British home front during WW2: "You, You and You!" by Peter Grafton (Pluto Press, 1978).
So people wrote in their diaries that they were not happy or were worried or frightened. What you think and what you do are two completely different things. Modern psychology would have us believe that we are slaves to personal thoughts, but the Blitz puts the lie to that in that those people were demoralised but they still kept going. Don't sit in your living room and devalue the ACTIONS of those people with after the fact analyses.
One question that's never been asked nor answered:
Why wasn't Thatcher called u p either into the forces or for war work? All women aged 17-51 were liable for conscription under the National Service Act (No.2) 1939, but she never served. Not one day. And she was born in 1926, so she should have been drafted in 1943. Especially as the draft was extended at the time due to the big run-up to D-Day.
PLUS ALL THE WOMEN WHO DID JOBS THAT WERE ALIEN TO THEM, MOST MENS WORK, THAT KEPT THE SPIRIT AS WELL AND HELPED THE CAUSE OF HOW VALUABLE WOMEN WERE AND STILL ARE
So they lied to us? Why am I not shocked. Indeed, people would have been looking forward to the time when it was all over
BTW, I love your 1940's home & outfit. I'm going to join your 31.5K subscribers and have a look at more of your posts
This was an interesting video. No one talked about the toxic aspect of the war all the stuff you inhaled, and all the things that were around you that were toxic the chemicals, the air.
I would like to see how people these days cope with exactly the same situation! With the selfish, entitled attitude that they have today then I doubt anything would carry on, they would just be crying about why their internet would not work.
German trains carried signs that said:
Rader mussen rollen fur dem Sieg!
(Wheels must roll for victory)
Thank you!
Sometimes lies are necessary.
that's what the black heart of the poppy represents... the lies from the British deep State
I believe the keep calm and carry on posters, didn’t come out till after the war.xx
Sorry see you covered that.x😊
Keep Calm And Carry On posters were to be used in case of German occupation, which is why it was never actually used at the time.
It makes sense also that propaganda, especially at that time, would want to paint a picture of calm and defiance. An effective tool used by all parties involved.
Alot of people might not know this, whilst big city's were bombed Swansea and Neath were as well. Also, my home town but it just destroyed a field and some windows luckily. Apparently, the German plane was too heavy so they released the bomb and it hit a playing field. No one was using at the time luckily.
Never trust a British politician, as relevant now as then!
Love
" Hidden Meaning Of Test Card F '
I will counter though, that in the middle of the war, the British government couldn't just put up it"s hands and say,"oh well, Germany one!" That is the whole point of the propaganda.
Why did it leave you stunned? Have you had your head stuck in the the sand your whole life?
The true blitz spirit was that most people wanted to surrender.
I have never spoken to anyone who went through the war who thought that way. They most definitely wanted to win, the last thing my father wanted to do was surrender to the then enemy.
@@joanmatchett8100 I'm talking about that there was a poll held after France fell, where a slight majority of people in the UK said they'd prefer to quit the war at that time. Of course, the problem with using that is it's only representative of a very brief period of time. It's like saying George Bush was popular because specifically after 9/11 he had a 90% approval rate.
Can you do a video covering Nella Last.
They made a film on her called housewife 49 played by Victoria wood. X
Thanks for the recommendation.
I knew an old Irishman who lived through the blitz on London. He said the people of London where wonderful. Get stuffed.
❤
We have always been lied to. We should never have fought each other. Zoomer Historian will explain why.
Disingenuous to say that generation didn't have it hard!
Please don’t turn into a political channel. A lot of us would like to take a break from that. You have a wonderful channel. It fills a need and purpose. Please don’t deviate from it. Don’t devalue what you provide.
I am terribly sorry but I love your cup a lot
I'm sure that's true. Many ordinary people probably resented the mess that the world's leaders had landed them in. It's interesting how the man who speaks at the start of your video, about there being no Blitz spirit, seems to be wearing a German uniform. It was good to see he was following in Lord Haw-Haw footsteps. It's all Churchill's propaganda. All sensible Brits want peace with the Germans 😂
But it was worth it to have drag queen story hour.
ruclips.net/video/CnCK2iLVD7o/видео.html
History Debunked covers this well .
You should see what the Labour Party withholds from the public nowadays 😮
Great video.
I see you can't read it was BEATEN not DEFEATED. ergo you can't read so how do you know what happened?
how would you know
Basically you are repeating what many historians have said before you. You are not posting some revolutionary thinking.
You are making so many assumptions.
What on Earth are you going on and crying about?!!
I have to question the background video about 12'50" - is that really a reflection of people in early WWII London?
No matter how uncomfortable it may be for the current woke generation - my parents born in London in 1936 and 1937, could not recall ever having see a black person until 1947.
There seems to be a difference in what actually happened and what those in power want the current generation to believe happened.
My Dad refused to be evacuated. He was taught by retired teachers, those that had taught his Mum, my Gran.
He would arrive at school in the morning and be told that James was killed the day before and they wouldn't see him again. No counselling 9ffered or requested.
Where did this country go wrong?