WWI – The Home
Front
The role of women, food shortages,
bombing raids and how Cheshunt was
affected.
Before the First World War
Before the war, the most common
employment for a woman was as a
domestic servant. However, women
were also employed in what were
seen to be suitable occupations
e.g. teaching, nursing, office
work.
The outbreak of war
The introduction of conscription in
1916 led to an increase in the
number of women employed in all
sectors of the economy.
There had been a Trade
Union decree that women
would only be employed
for the duration of the
war so that there would
still be jobs for those
men returning from the
military.
Many women were paid good wages,
especially in munitions factories, but
in most cases they were paid lower
rates than men.
Improved wages did allow more
independence for some women.
Women became more visible in the
world of work. They were seen to be
doing important jobs.
The armed forces also employed
Women to do a variety of work,
many jobs were of a clerical and
domestic nature though.
Women were in great demand for
the ‘caring’ side of employment and
became nurses in the First Aid
Nursing Yeomanry, and drivers and
clerks in Voluntary Aid Detachments.
After the War
•
•
•
•
Women were expected to give way to men returning
from the forces and return to pre-war ‘women’s
work’.
The assumption that ‘a woman’s place is in the home’
returned.
The percentage of women at work returned to prewar levels.
More women than before worked in offices.
After the War
•
From 1918 women over the age of 30 who owned
property were allowed to vote in elections.
•
Shorter skirts and hair became fashionable.
•
Women went out with men without a chaperone.
•
•
Women smoked and wore make-up in public for the
first time.
In 1919 being female or married was no longer
allowed to disqualify someone from holding a job in
the professions or civil service.
Shortages

The outbreak of war led to inflation
[increase] in prices, particularly of food.

Poor families couldn’t afford to pay more,
by the end of the war many were suffering
from malnutrition.

Germany’s U-Boat campaign in the Atlantic
– sinking supply ships from America - led
to food shortages in Britain.

April 1916 – Britain only had 6 weeks of
grain left!

People were encouraged to convert their
gardens into allotments.
Rationing
 Fuel
was also in short supply and was
rationed.
 From
January 1918 sugar was rationed,
from April butter, meat, cheese and
margarine were added to the list.
 Ration
cards were issued and people had
to register with butchers and grocers.
 It
worked! Malnutrition disappeared and
no-one in Britain actually starved during
WWI.
Britain under attack!

December 16th 1914 – German Navy
attacked Hartlepool, Scarborough and
Whitby, killing 119 people, including
children.

For the first time EVER the lives of
British civilians were at risk during
wartime.

May 31st 1915 – London was the first
British city to be bombed by German
Zeppelins (air ships).

These air attacks continued until late
1916 when pilots from the Royal Naval
Air Service flew night patrols to
protect London.
The Cheshunt Zeppelin

September 2nd 1916 – 16 Zeppelin’s crossed the
channel carrying 32 tons of bombs aiming for targets
in London, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Royal Flying Corps pilot, Lieutenant William Leefe
Robinson flew his bi-plane under one of the SL11
airships over North London and fired his machine gun
‘into its belly’, he shot the airship in the side and at
the back which eventually set the craft on fire.

The wooden framed airship fell into a field behind the
Plough Inn Pub in Cuffley. The explosion was seen 40
miles away and the fire burned for over 2hrs.

The crew were all killed but no civilians were hurt.
Leefe Robinson – the Hero!

This was the first airship to
be destroyed on British soil.

All the other airships saw
this event and fled back to
Germany.

Leefe Robinson’s heroic
deed marked the END of
German zeppelin attacks on
Britain!
Cuffley made famous

60, 000 sightseers came to
Cuffley to see the wreckage
of the airship.

Leefe Robinson was hailed a
national hero and given the
Victoria Cross for
‘conspicuous bravery’.

9th June 1921 a service was
held and a permanent
memorial to the event was
erected at Cuffley on the
spot where the zeppelin fell.
TASK
You have the rest of this lesson to create a power
point (min 3 slides) about the Home Front in WW1.
Try to say which you think was worse, life in the front
lines or on the home front – remember to give your
reasons. Include information and images about;
 the role of women
 shortages during the war
 Cheshunt during the war.

Use the web links provided and information from
your own research (e.g. Google).

Be prepared to present your work to the rest of
the class – make sure any information is written in
your own words and you make note of the websites
you use for information!

Web Links
Search for Women in WW1 and/or try the following links;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/women_employment_01.shtml
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world_war_one_and_women.htm
Search for WW1 rationing in Britain and/or WW1 shortages in Britain, or try
the following links;
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/rationing_and_world_war_one.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWrationing.htm
Search for Cuffley Zeppelin attack 1916 and/or try the following links;
http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/wr.php?main=inc/vc_w_l_robinson_page1
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archivefree/pdf?_r=1&res=950CE2DF143BE633A25755C0A96F9C946796D6CF
http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/postcards/t065-event-postcards.htm
Other
http://www.webhistorian.co.uk/pages/index.php?id=71
http://www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/history/bombardmentofhartlepool.asp
How do I reach my target
level?
Level 5 – Describe in as much detail as possible,
try to give at least 3 examples.
Level 6 – Explain in detail, giving at least 3
reasons. Include all the reasons/causes and try
to say how they fit together.
Level 7 – Compare sources/reasons/causes and
show how they are linked together. Explain
which are the most or least important/reliable.