- Did the Brits really have a
Blitz spirit?
L/O:
Describe the reactions of Londoners to
the Blitz
Identify sources which support and
contradict the idea of a Blitz Spirit
Justify your opinion on the Blitz Spirit
Starter:
• Look at the photograph. Can you give it
a caption?
• What is the ‘blitz spirit?’
Number smart
starter
After the bombings began, life
was completely turned upside
down for civilians. People began
to sleep in the tube stations to
be safer. Every day people woke
up to see if anything of theirs
was hit. If their home was
destroyed, the whole family
would live in a temporary shelter
until they could find some other
accommodation. They always
tried to keep life normal, but that
is hard during a war.
Record 3 figures which would
help you understand the
severity of the Blitz.
Introductory Tasks
• Working in your groups send one person out
at a time to walk around and read- come back
to your group and create
• A definition of the Blitz Spirit
• A list of at least four reasons why there was a
Blitz Spirit
"Everything was blown to pieces, you could see it all by the red
glow reflecting from the fires that were still raging. I looked out
the back and saw that where my father's shed had been was just a
pile of rubble. Then I saw two bodies, two heads sticking up. I
recognised one in particular: it was a Chinese neighbour, Mr Say.
He had one eye closed and I realised he was dead. I just
convulsed, I was shaking all over. I thought, well, I must be dead
because they were, so I struck a match and tried to burn my finger.
I kept doing it to see if I was still alive. I could see, but I thought, I
cannot be alive. This is the end of the world."
Len Jones recalls emerging from an air raid shelter in east London after the first night of
the Blitz (from The Blitz: The British Under Attack)
Class Discussion:
• Who has studied the Blitz before? What happened?
• Was Croydon bombed?
• What was the Black out?
• What happened to the children in London?
• Juliet Gardner’s interpretation of the Blitz
Spirit
• Angus Calder’s interpretation of the Blitz Spirit
A reason Londoners retained
hope in winning the war was
because St. Paul’s Cathedral
was never destroyed. It was
damaged when a bomb
smashed through it, but it
never showed damage on the
outside. One London citizen,
Tom Stothard, said, “I think if
St. Paul’s had shown damage,
the heart would have gone out
of Londoners. But there it was,
hope.” The reason people saw
hope in St. Paul’s is because
they saw a spiritual landmark
amid great devastation. It was
a symbol of survival amid the
devastation of the rest of
Europe.
St. Paul’s was a
symbol of survival
Churchill’s Speeches
Winston Churchill rallied the
people’s spirits and efforts. He
inspired the people on to their
own heroic efforts and “Their
finest hour” by his speeches.
Churchill’s expertise at writing
speeches brought the British
people together for a common
cause. Churchill was the
embodiment of the British
people’s determination to stay
alive and not to give up.
“WE SHALL NEVER
SURRENDER”
Propaganda - The government used its control over all forms of the
media to present a picture of life going on as normal despite the
constant nightly attacks.
The people themselves by volunteering for
work helped keep spirits up during the Blitz
Reserved
Occupations
Rationing
Home Guard
Weapons
Factories
Air Raid Wardens
Evacuation
Women
joined
armed
forces
What is the interpretation of
Juliet Gardiner about Londoners in
WW2?
"There was endurance in the
face of an external danger.
People were going through it
together, putting up with
eight months of constant
bombardment. People were
absolutely exhausted, but on
the whole there was very
little panic, they went to
work, went about their daily
lives. There were no - or very
few - calls for surrender, the
morale didn't implode"
Juliet Gardiner
What is the interpretation of Angus
Calder about Londoners in WW2?
“Behind the jaunty
bulldog-Britain façade
cultivated by the
Government’s
propaganda machine,
crime rates almost
doubled as looting, black
marketeering and armed
robbery spiralled out of
control!”
Angus Calder
Find the hidden evidence. Can you make a list
of crimes which occurred during the Blitz
Where do you stand?
(and can you justify your position…?)
“There was
endurance in
the face of an
external
danger. People
were going
through it
together.”
Juliet Gardiner
“crime rates
almost
doubled as
looting, black
marketeering
and armed
robbery
spiralled out
of control!”
Angus Calder
Where do you stand?
(and can you justify your position…?)
"Even though looting and
incidents of crime shot up
during the war, I still
“There was
“crime
rates
think
the
British
people
endurance in
almost
did
pull
together."
the face of an
doubled as
external
danger. People
were going
through it
together.”
Mrs Buxton
looting, black
marketeering
and armed
robbery
spiralled out
of control!”
Which interpretation is best supported
by the evidence and your own
knowledge?
• Does the evidence support the idea that there
was a Blitz Spirit? – give examples
LEVEL
8
LEVEL
7
LEVEL
6
I can use my sources as solid evidence
to support my conclusion
I can use a combination of my own
knowledge and the sources to conclude
I can say whether I trust a source or not
and say why.
Can you give
your self a level
for your work
today?
LEVEL I can choose a source to help answer a
5
question
LEVEL I can use more than 1 source in my
4
answer
LEVEL I can use a source to answer a question
Did3you meet your learning objectives?
Learning Objectives:
All To be able to DESCRIBE mood of Londoners during the Blitz
MOST To be able to EXPLAIN reasons why people behaved in certain
ways during the Blitz
SOME To be able to JUSTIFY your views on the interpretations offered.
Juliet Gardiner
Angus Calder