Life for children in Britain during World War II
World War II had a big effect on the everyday lives of people all over the country. Life changed for everyone, especially children. Many kids were separated from their families or lost family members, and there were fears of bombing. Everyday items like stockings and meat became hard to get, and many people had to make do.
In addition, many children had to grow up quickly during the war. Their mothers had gone to work, and they needed to be able to look after themselves and after their brothers and sisters. Children who had lost a parent also had to take on adult tasks.
Almost two million children were evacuated to the countryside at the beginning of World War II, in order to escape the bombings. Children were sent on trains, and had labels attached to their clothes. Many of them ended up standing at a railway station, unsure where they were going and whether they would get to stay with their brothers and sisters.
This was a frightening time. However, since there were no immediate bombings around the time of the evacuation, many of them were brought back. That meant that they had no where to go during the day. Their schools were closed and their parents were away working. They had to take care of and supervise themselves.
Rationing had a big effect, too. It meant that most children had a very restricted diet, since sweets, meat, flour, butter, and many other important foods were rationed to small portions or just unavailable.
People were constantly afraid of the threat of air raids. Some children spent some of their nights living in air raid shelters, because German planes could bomb their houses. During the London Blitz, from 1940 to 1941, Germany did bomb London.
One of ten deaths during this time was a child. Brightly colored gas masks were produced to make them more appealing to children. While children still went to school, they had to take gas and bomb drills there. Their rhymes and games were also affected by the war.
The war was very difficult for many children in Britain, as their lives were turned almost upside down by all the changes. The entire experience was very frightening and hard to live with. However, even in the middle of the war, children still played games and lived their lives as best they could. Some kept diaries of their experiences. This difficult time is one we don't often remember, but it was an important one.
This is an original news article © The Kids Window
One in a series of articles about British history, see our range of children's historical costumes.
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