Wartime miscellany

Hi Kaga. Interestingly the papers glossed over the threat of war - given the politics of the owners they would, wouldn't they? Communism, as you say, was the bogeyman, and many in high places looked to Hitler in the late 1930s to smash the Soviet Union. Interestingly, after 1941 we wanted the Soviets to smash Hitler!

belushi. I have just lost a whole morning's work answering Kim Philby was a Times reporter in 1939, was well read by people. The papers were reduced to half size, the government held their debates in the evening and Belgium was neutral. Gemany and Russia signed a non-aggression pact, but attacked Poland from two sides, guns blazing. Chamberlain would not let go of his job. Coventry had sandbags everywhere, teachers were joining up, gas masks and first aid became our lessons, road signs disappeared. Buses had Coventry daubed out, their lights masked. Glass panes had diagonal sticky tape, shelters were built. Balloons floated over Coventry, tossed and twisted in the stormy weather, and guns were bristling all round the city. Notices were displayed when they tested the guns and sirens. In the summer of that year it rained for two weeks. The corn could not be cut, then the sun came and we cut the corn. The government wondered what sort of note they should send to Germany - Chamberlain was wobbling. Consternation and alarm grew in the government and still Chamberlain refused to put Britain's industry on a wartime footing. The mood stiffened. The navy left port to take up blockade positions. Sept 3rd and the UK declared war on Germany, and dad dropped a bombshell on me - mum was expecting another child. Aunts were looking after her and my sister was looking after the family, but I was with dad, going to collect tea chests from Woodway Lane. Dad said mum and he had decided to evacuate me and my younger brother (8) to a friend's house out in the country - with the power station just yards from the house, if it got hit then at least two of the family would survive. I fought back the tears - dad said it was as hard for them as it was for us two, but it had to be done, and so two days later we went to live with this middle-aged couple miles from anywhere. I had to find our way over the fields to a country, religious school, but worse was in store. On the second day, we came out the school, down the pathway to the layby at the roadside and the whole lot of boys waited in a half circle. In the centre was the 'cock of the school', a farmer's boy about four inches taller, four stone heavier. I had little chance. If he grabbed me he would use his weight, and boxing wouldn't help. He squared up. I looked at my little brother and so did they. I smashed my foot into his crotch, and as he went down I hit him behind the ear, then clenched my fists and dared the crowd. No takers. We walked across the road, jumped over the stile into the field and went home to the cottage. No one bothered us again.

Rob, I have no idea if our members (bar Belushi) are really interested in this wartime stuff, or even long time history, as no criticism or otherwise?

Kaga. For my taste, keep it coming. I don't always absorb it all but often find a nugget that is fascinating. It is relevant to those of us who lived at that time

Hi Kaga. Keep the history stuff coming - isn't that what the site is supposed to be about? It's a shame more of the contributors didn't stick to this forum's remit.

Kaga, what year were you born?

Kaga, I really like reading your reminiscences as they bring a really personal touch to the stories of that era. It was long before I was around and my parents were only in their teens at the time so I, for one, feel any comments I could make would be from a less valid source than your own. It's great to get some real-life insight to balance the official records of the time. Thanks for that!

Kaga, of all our forum members your memories are unique and most welcome. Like many, I read the content and enjoy seeing those days from your perspective, but I haven't necessarily got anything to say in reply. Your stories stand alone like the pages of a book, and replies are not always required.

Thank you, members, for your kind support. I was born in July 1927, my father was in the First World War for the last two years, and had many war books, so as I grew up, the first book I could read was the First World War. Our street had many limbless young men, and Coventry hundreds of them, it was a sorry sight. So, through the twenties and thirties the papers and books were everywhere and the people were saying 'never again' - the sight of all that mud and carnage had a drastic effect. In the late thirties, when the dark clouds loomed again, many people would have said 'never again' (last night, BBC I player showed the Vera Britain war book film). The French built trenches from north to south, almost draining the French economy, and Churchill and De Gaulle said they were wasting money, the war would come from above, and so it did. Young people had to sign government forms when 16 years of age, thus the War Cabinet knew where people were to call to arms at 18. 1942/3, my sister and elder brother both enlisted with everyone else that reached that age - a few were exempt that had industrial qualifications. I joined in Feb 1945, voluntarily - as you entered the services you were given a demob number, so if the war went well, you would come back to civvy street in order. They couldn't have everyone released at the same time. WWI killing was limited to a small area, but in 1939 WWII the barrier was lifted - men, women and children, the 'battle' is shared by everyone.

Manor House Great picture again. Where do you find them?

Conscription: the Second World War Limited conscription of men During the spring of 1939 the deteriorating international situation forced the British government under Neville Chamberlain to consider preparations for a possible war against Nazi Germany. Plans for limited conscription applying to single men aged between 20 and 22 were given parliamentary approval in the Military Training Act in May 1939. This required men to undertake six months' military training, and some 240,000 registered for service. Full conscription of men On the day Britain declared war on Germany, 3 September 1939, Parliament immediately passed a more wide-reaching measure. The National Service (Armed Forces) Act imposed conscription on all males aged between 18 and 41 who had to register for service. Those medically unfit were exempted, as were others in key industries and jobs such as baking, farming, medicine, and engineering. National Service Demobilisation In June 1945 the process began of demobilising the thousands of men and women who had served in the forces during the war. The government had begun preparations for this in 1944 with the Reinstatement in Civil Employment Act which allowed men and women to claim back their old jobs in civvy street, provided their employer was still in business. Continuing commitments There was still an urgent need to keep up high levels of military manpower in parts of the world where Britain had strong ongoing commitments - in Germany, Palestine, and India. The government concluded that these requirements could only be met effectively by continuing National Service in peacetime. This was not, however, popular, especially now that Britain was no longer at war. It was therefore with difficulty that Clement Attlee's Labour government persuaded Parliament in 1947 to pass the National Service Act. National Service in peacetime It came into force in January 1949 and meant that all physically fit males between the ages of 17 and 21 had to serve in one of the armed forces for an 18-month period. They then remained on the reserve list for another four years. During this time they were liable to be called to serve with their units but on no more than three occasions, for 20 days maximum. Students and apprentices were allowed to defer their call-up until they completed their studies or training. Conscientious objectors had to undergo the same tribunal tests as in wartime. After 1945, however, National Service did not extend to women. (Source: UK Parliament) To put the dates above in context: D-Day Landings 6th June 1944 Germany surrendered May 1945 Japan surrendered Sep 1945 (Japanese Emperor surrendered Aug 1945)

Three Spires, But the farmer could only claim so much labour, according to his farm, so if a farmer had two sons he had to choose who worked on the farm and which son joined the armed forces.

Kaga. Old newspapers.

Soldiers preparing for the 1939 war with weapons, training, strategies of 1914 and trench warfare. In the early part of 1940 the phony war. Charlie Chaplin had made a film called the "Great Dictator', this was a funny film of Hitler strutting about like madman. It went down well with the British, and was loved and adopted by the newsreels, who presented him as such. But Hitler was not like that, he was tall, had a soft, clear voice and convinced the Germans that France and Britain did not want just to beat them, but wanted to anihilate the German race. Meanwhile, the 'never again' and Chamberlain's 'peace in our time' were so strong in France they raised subscriptions for Chamberlain to buy him a house and a trout stream. But we were heading for Armageddon, without guns, tanks, etc, for we still had not put rearmament on a wartime footing. There was great unrest and argument in the government, rows went on past midnight. By Jan 1940, the absence of real war was making the rules impossible to enforce, tens of thousands parents were reclaiming their children from evacuation, gas masks were not being carried. Alarmed by the state of things, Ministry sent out thousands of posters. But it was a harsh winter, Coventry had ten feet of snow, blackout injuries leapt, gas and fuel shortages didn't help, and the Thames froze over. Politicians were calling out to Chamberlain 'you've missed the bus' and 'in the name of God, go'. But even in May, Lloyd George asked if we could do a deal with Hitler. It is now, almost impossible for me to state the true order that things happened in those days.