History Briefs: Britain's Home Front in the Second World War

Experience the sights and sounds of Britain in the Second World War which was, arguably, the first time in history that whole countries went to war rather than just their armed forces. For Britain, with its proximity to Nazi Germany, this meant that the entire nation was, effectively, on the front line for nearly six years.
This video tells the story of the life on the home front including many of the ordeals, the sights and sounds, rationing and regulations, the blitz and the sacrifices that the people of the country had to make. During this period mass communication would change forever. The BBC would be involved in this and with helping to maintain the nation's morale.
This forms part of the History Briefs series from "Great Stories from the Past" which is designed to provide a quick yet reasonably detailed overview of famous people and renowned events in history.
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[@donaldjmccann]

''We'll meet again'' The only song that made my dad cry...after my mom died.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

It was the right song at the right time that chimed with that generation.

[@philipthoreau3590]

Still makes us cry.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

👍

[@davidedge6512]

True love.

[@Leningrad_Underground]

@@philipthoreau3590 So agree. I don't know why. I don't care why. It echos so emotionally across time. Timeless.

[@bobjackson4720]

In WW2 the BBC were not at war with traditional British values (like they are now).

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

One of the things that came out during the war in Iraq was that the BBC refused to describe British troops as "our" troops. It made them really quite unpopular at the time.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

So true, and what is more the values were high, very high, education was the norm, proper education. Now, it is nothing but vomit of political corruption

[@keithlillis7962]

Values change. This has been true throughout British history. If societies stand still, they stagnate.

[@kelvinsurname7051]

Dame Vera Lynn has such beautiful soul. Truely one of the finest roses. Rest in peace Dame Vera Lynn 1917-2020.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

She certainly understood that the people of the country needed at that time. What she did on the Burma front - Imphal & Kohima - was remarkable.

[@kelvinsurname7051]

@@GreatStoriesNow933 she was caring lady with class, she also set up numerous charity, she never retired from her work.

[@woodenseagull1899]

At the age of six in 1946; I received my first Banana. Then trying to eat it by eating the skin, was a memorable event!

[@pathopewell1814]

I also had this experience. I don't care for bananas to this day!

[@bulldogstrut1]

Very good documentary. You reported subjects that are seldom encountered, Vera Lynn and her contribution, for one example. Keep up the good work.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nigelhamilton815]

Our very , very special generation. God bless them.

[@bobjackson4720]

Being born in the early months of 1950 I remember a slim Britain and gaps in the streets where houses had been bombed out. It was mid to late sixties before fat people began to appear, we were told to feel sorry for them as they had "faulty glands". In the subsequent years it's amazing how those ''faulty glands'' have become an epidemic.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

I remember the gaps in the streets. Most of them never went until the 1980s.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

Brilliant! Fat people were not the norm. Now we have barrage balloons because of the wealth of easy food, and laziness. We worked and food was not so available as it is today, and what we had was not processed, as it is now. What is more you went into a green grocers and you were overwhelmed by the smell of vegetables. Can you find the smell of vegetables now? Fat ignorant and a wealth of rubbish that passes off as food.

[@alisdairmclean8605]

Exactly my observation as well. I was born in the last two weeks of the 1940s.

[@keithlillis7962]

An excellent video. Vera Lynn and her trusty pianist also travelled abroad to entertain the troops. Most notably to Burma, (the forgotten war).

[@stephenh3919]

Exceptionally good; thank you.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@stephenh3919]

You're welcome. It's clear that your work is a labour of love, and extremely professionally done. It is we who should thank you.@@GreatStoriesNow933

[@nomadpi1]

What a pleasure to see sharp, focused. color photography here in a historical record.

[@janlindtner305]

Rarely does a tear run down my cheeks; but when civil sacrifices and sufferings are so well described I must succumb. It makes me remember that when an aggressor goes from military targets to civil ones, the attacked becomes much more ferocious in holding out and winning, a parallel to the war in Ukraine. At the same time, I remember "Dad's army" with a smile and "Good night mister Tom" as pictures of unimaginable suffering as well as waste of resources and unnecessary pollution that could have been used for progress and welfare, a failure worthy of war crimes. Keep up your excellent documentation work.👍👍👍

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Ironically, perhaps, in October 1939 (so after the Polish campaign) Hitler told the Reichstag, "War, as an enterprise, is where all participants are losers after enduring millions of deaths and billions in lost wealth". Pity he didn't practice what he preached!

[@nomadpi1]

Yes, and the German civilians reacted the same way to being bombed as the British civilians.

[@grahvis]

During the late 40s-early 50s, family holidays were camping on farms. For a couple of weeks, we would have all the butter, eggs etc. we could eat despite rationing.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Interesting! I was brought up to understand that the WarAg was pretty tight on consumption of the on-farm produced products.

[@grahvis]

@@GreatStoriesNow933 . They were, but it didn't stop it happening in small ways. It didn't stop the illegal slaughter of farm animals either, I remember once coming across a hidden dumped sack of bullock bones, including the skull. There was the practice of fattening a pig in a pit in a back garden, so it couldn't be seen. Neighbours would help feed it and when it was slaughtered, they shared in the meat.

[@billygillan821]

This was interesting but sad it left out George For by,yes Vera Lynn was the forces sweetheart, but Formby was one of the people who's movies songs and personal appearances were huge as Our Gracie as the great Gracie Fields was known

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

I entirely accept that Vera Lynn was not the only star of the period and George Formby may have been one that we should have included. With regard to Gracie Fields, we reached the conclusion that while she had been extremely popular with the pre-war generation, she was seen in a less favourable light by the war generation as a consequence of her leaving Britain during the more precarious period of war and only return when it appeared to be safe to do so. That remarks is not meant as any form of undue criticism of her but it is based more on perceptions and remarks made by those on the frontline at home and abroad. Thanks for your comments.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

True what you say. Not in personal life could he match Vera Lynn, but good in films.

[@stanwizz2351]

I still have reasonable teeth why because of rationing.

[@asya9493]

A point well made ! There was no junk food in those days, apart from things like coffee made out of things other than coffee.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

No sugar and no sweets = healthy teeth!!

[@michaelbirt6972]

Excellent fun fact about how that generation's health was actually pretty good.

[@tommycockles2947]

i was born in 1941,now except for angina,i still lead a healthy life compared to some people born much later

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

👍

[@vincekerrigan8300]

​@@tommycockles2947Good for you. I was 1931 - still riding my road bike. Lycra and all. Got a bit of e-assist nks though.

[@paulheinrich7645]

Notice that, other than a notable few, there weren’t any morbidly obese humans anywhere to be seen In archival footage. Tragically, today many are less healthy despite greater access to food.

[@tommycockles2947]

A Mcdonalds isnt exacly a healthy food ha ha

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

👍👍

[@ThRealJakeFeatherston]

I am watching this a few days before the Austrian Painter's birthday 🎂

[@Gribbo9999]

Manchester wasn't included in the list of port cities blitzed. My Mum, who lived near Manchester docks, was bombed out three times during the war so she might not have agreed with that.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Understood and appreciated. Nowhere was immune from bombing. While Manchester did have a docks at that time our research suggested that the Germans treated it for bombing purposes like other major industrial centres, for example Birmingham which was also heavily bombed.

[@queenbeekeeper]

The tea ration looks worryingly meagre. I don't think I could have coped with that small pile. And the ration was for two people!

[@dougaldouglas8842]

True, nations of peoples involved, not just front line, but whole towns and cities. I remember the aftermath and how the pernicious British government treated us, and our soldiers, despicable times, but we soldiered on. I walked amongst the destruction, and we even had sea mines on beaches, and an amnesty for the likes of bullets, two and six we used to get from the local chemist for each box we handed in. Gas masks were not very nice, and we had an Anderson shelter, a joke, hole in ground, corrugated piece of tin on top to save you from a bomb.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Thanks for your comments

[@cindymaceda2999]

Strict rationing of bacon, butter & sugar was probably a healthier move for the British. 😊

[@amandahudson2038]

Unlike today’s media.

[@Leningrad_Underground]

I am interested to note that at 30.07 the flags of USA GB USSR and "Israel"?? . which doesn't exist until 1948.

[@GreatStoriesNow933]

Very well spotted! We had not noticed that. Consequently that clip cannot be what it purports to be. Interesting - thanks for pointing it out.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

It may yet be that the flag was present where the state was not confirmed, because Israel had been a state for some years, but not officially recognised until 1948, the Israel that attacked our troops.

[@Leningrad_Underground]

I have recently found out that there were jewish units within the british forces. and volunteers from Palestine fought as jewish units. Churchill himself gave permission for them to carry their Flag/Banner. certainly by 1944. The zionists had as can be seen already planned their State and it's apparatus including, Flag and other symbols / institutions of State well before 1947. so it is quite likely the shot in the posting was some time between 1944 and May 1945. Later than that I think it unlikely that the US and Soviet flag would be seen in the same context. @@dougaldouglas8842

[@amandahudson2038]

All those people and what they went through. Betrayed by todays government

[@clifftonicstudios7469]

V2 rockets killed most brits, invented by werner von braun he is now a celbrated hero who also used Jews to build his V2 Tunnnels underground bases he was SS, he was taken on after the war given a big house etc and head of the Apollo Program. Makes me Sick.

[@nomadpi1]

Yes, but he put Americans on the moon in 1969.

[@clifftonicstudios7469]

@@nomadpi1 yeah and killed loads of Brits with his V2s

[@user-se2xm5yp6u]

The V1and V2 yes I remember them well.