The Effects of the Blitz on Everyday Life in Britain

The Effects of the Blitz on Everyday Life in Britain

The Blitz had a major effect on everyday life; 1469000 people were

evacuated at the beginning of the war, out of the people who chose to

stay, 1.2 million citizens were left homeless 42 000 died, and 45 000

were injured. London was the worst affected area; however other towns

such as Cardiff and Manchester were affected. Rural areas were not

affected as much simply because there were not as many lights, making

it harder for the bombers to see where to aim.

‘One man told me that his young sons were killed in front of him and

he gently laid them together on his front lawn. In his own words, “I

went to help the living and got my neighbours out alive from their

kitchen”. He did not see his sons again, as ambulances were picking up

the wounded and the dead and taking them to the hospital.

The citizens that were left homeless went to friends, family or

shelters, and children wandered the streets without food and families.

The death toll was increasing daily, people lived in constant fear for

their families, and some who worked the night shift returned home to

find their whole street demolished. At night, there were two million

Anderson shelters that were available for shelter from the earlier

years of war. However many people were still left without protection,

and the government produced Morrison shelters (steel cages), or they

constructed a safe room. Approximately 150 thousand people sheltered

in the underground every night, it was crowded and many people got

sick because of the way of life in the undergrounds. Only 6 percent of

Londoners were taking shelters in underground stations, because most

people felt comfortable at home. It was not wise to have so many

people in one place as it was an easy target, although the Germans

were not able to hit the underground easily because of its depth below

ground.

‘I remember an incendiary bounced off a corner and went down into the