TY Aa 2.8 What was it like on the home front? The First World War didn’t just involve soldiers, sailors and airmen. The armed forces may have been the ones who went off to fight the enemy on foreign soil, but the people left at home had their part to play too. Huge numbers of civilians had jobs that were directly involved | and everyone in producing items for the armed force was affected by the war in some way. Some at risk of injury or death. So what impact did the war have on people in Britain on the home front? Bombs over Britain The Germans flew huge inflatable airships ~ called Zeppelins (see A) ~ over the eastern parts of Britain, dropping bombs on towns and cities there. By the end of the war over 50 Zeppelin air raids had dropped cover 5000 bombs, killing 557 people and injuring over 1300. German bomber planes attacked Britain too, and German battleships shelled seaside towns such as, Scarborough and Whitby. The government issued posters showing people how to tell the difference between British and German aircraft — and warning them to take shelter if they spotted an enemy aircraft. Less food and higher taxes Britain was short of food during the war because German submarines and battleships were sinking the boats that brought food into the country. So the government introduced rationing to make sure that the food that was available was equally shared out, Each person was allowed a set amount of butter, sugar, bacon, ham, and so on. Some goods, such as sugar, flour and meat, were in very short supply ~ so prices went up. The government also had to borrow millions of pounds from the USA to pay for the war, so taxes went up to pay back the loans. YY SOURCE A A German Zeppelin airship, photographed around 1916. were even © Describe how the First World War affected everyday life in Br Assess the effect of the Firs id War on the lives of women ain, * Explain how and why Briti ians were 1918 at risk between 1914 Women in the war With so many men away fighting, women were needed to do men's jobs. Before long, there were lots of, female bus drivers, chimney sweeps and steel makers Thousands of women found work in shipyards. in weapons factories and with the ambulance, police and fire service. In 1915, a Women’s Land Army was crest so women (known as Land Girls) could work in farming replacing men called up to the military. In 1917, Helen Gwynne-Vaughan helped to form the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC), which supported the war effort through non-combat roles such as mechanical and office work. She went on manage female workers in the air force, and was late? made a Dame of the British Empire in recognition of her work. > soURCEB A poster from 1917 urging women to join the Women’s Land Amy.y SOURCE CF © aires ‘att engineers at work during Zeppelin ¥ SOURCE D somo rules vot by the DORA. Tho niles wore designed to protect sensitive information improve production and proserve via forbidden to: + talk about military mi in publ pread. rumours about mi! + buy binoaula: + melt down gol and tunnel + whistle for a Lone is mistaken for an air rai¢ + give bread t + keep homing pigeons without Anew law & pormit buy drinks for other people in apub When war broke out the government introduced a new law called the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA). It gave the government the power to do whatever it felt was necessary to win the war: It could take over mines, railways and shipyards, and control what i paRESSLNT A erasure Teo drunken behaviour, for example, it introduced strict pub opening hours... and even allowed beer to be watered down! 1 What is meant by the term ‘home front’? Losing a generation | 2 Whatwas DORA and why do you Around 70 million men around the world fought in the First World think the British government thought War: Over eight million fought for Britain and its empire, and iewas necessary? | almost one million of these men were killed, Around two million eaten ancora ca ares Were injured, some with injuries that changed their lives forever. By the end of the war, it was estimated that there were only 12 towns °F villages in Britain that hadn't lost a man in the fighting, Some communities lost nearly a whole generation of men entirely. 4 Describe how Germany directly attacked British civilians in the war, ways do they show how women contributed in the war? Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, women served as bat troops and took part in the fighting. Maria Bochkareva, 1. In what ways did the lives of people ple, created the ‘Women's Battalion of Death’, a in Britain change during the First military unit that served at the front line from 1917. World War? | ‘Scanned with CamScannerE © Part of the Flanders Fields’ is an area of where fierce ook place). In Planders fields the poppies blow Becween the crosses, row on row, ‘That mark our place; and in the sky ‘The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead, Shore days ago We li Loved and were loved, and now we lie Jn Flanders fields, 1915 by John McCrae, a Canadian doctor who was serving in the trenches. He was inspired to write itafter attending the funeral of a friend who was killed in battle. ed, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Remembering the dead Inspired by McCrae’s poem (see C), an American teacher named Moina Michael campaigned to make the poppy a symbol of remembrance of the war dead. Her idea caught on and by 1921 artifical poppies were sold in Britain to raise money for war widows and injured soldiers. In 1922, a factory opened to make the poppies Itwas staffed by disabled ex-soldiers, and still operates today. Many people still wear poppies during the month of November every year Another tradition started soon after the end of the war. In November 1919, Britain's King George V received a letter from Percy Fitzpatrick, a South African author and politician whose eldest son had been killed in France in 1917. Fitzpatrick suggested that a period of silence be observed on the anniversary of the end of the war. The king agreed. Today, the two-minute silence is held on the second Sunday in November. It is called Remembrance Sunday and poppies are distributed in recurn for donations to help people affected by any war. Some people call it ‘Poppy Day’ Y SOURCE D Poppy wreaths being made at the Royal British egion Poppy Factory in Richmond, Surrey, 2006. Every year ver 35 million poppies are distributed. The Poppy Appeal raises almost £40 million a year, which goes to help members of the British Armed Forces, past and present, and their families. Porn abdicat coe The White Poppy was introduced in 1933 as a symbol of lasting peace. A | Purple Poppy was introduced in 200610 | remember the animals who serve during war, In 2010, the Black Poppy w: } launched to highlight the contributi of black, African and Carit communities to the war « the Khadi Poppy (khadi used in Pakistan and India) to recognise the contribut from this region. Soon after the end-of the war outbreak of influenza (flu) swept across Europe and killed an estimated 25 million more people. 1a Why was 1917 such an important year in the war? b When exactly did the war end? < How do we remember the end of the First World War today? 2G look se Map A. Identify the main countries that fought in the war and turn these figures into either a bar chart or a pie chart. b Approximately how many people were killed in the war in total? 3 Look at Source D. a Why did the poppy become a symbol of the First World War? b Have you ever bought a poppy? If not, say why not. If so, explain why you bought one. Did you know how your money was used? Scanned with CamScanner