The Home Front

1
The Home Front Life in Britain during World War II
Can you identify in the display below anything to
do with a) Fear of gas attack b) Shortages
of milk c) Fear of bombing d) Fear of enemy
spies e) Lack of material for clothes f) Food
shortages? Draw arrows to show where each item
is, and write in the name of the object
Look at the display of the Civil Defence
Post What did they have for fighting fires? How
did they communicate with each other? How did
they know where all their men were?
Look at all 3 display cases and the information
panel on wartime What other changes to daily
life would you have noticed during the war?
2
The Home Front Life in Britain during World War II
Can you identify in the display below anything to
do with a) Fear of gas attack b) Shortages
of milk c) Fear of bombing d) Fear of enemy
spies e) Lack of material for clothes f) Food
shortages? Draw arrows to show where each item is
Ration book
Powdered milk
Identity card
Gas mask
Evacuation scheme
Clothing book
Look at the display of the Civil Defence
Post. Find the objects in the left column and
match them to the tasks in the right column
Stirrup pump and bucket Radio receiver Operation
s board
Directing operations Putting out
fires Communication
Look at all 3 display cases and the information
panel on wartime What other changes to daily
life would you have noticed during the war?
3
How did life change in the Kettering area during
World War II? Aim to understand effects of war
on people at home to use a variety of
evidence to explore an issue Introduction Whole
group How can we learn about World War
II? 2 minutes Demonstration Whole
group Explain concept of Total War Show the
babys gas mask - What might it be? - Who might
have used it? - Why was it made? - Was it free? -
What can we learn from it about - What people
felt in 1939? - How much the government cared
about ordinary people? - How peoples lives
would have changed because of the war? - What
peoples attitudes would have been towards the
Germans? 5 minutes Research Groups of
3-5 As a group, look at displays and fill in
worksheet Pick one object and consider what we
can learn from it about changes to life in
Kettering. Prepare to tell this to the other
groups. 10 minutes Feedback Whole
group Tour of displays and groups feedback on
their object (perhaps use replicas since
difficult for everyone to see originals) 6
minutes Plenary Whole group Point out how much
can be learnt from an object if you think hard
enough how deep the consequences of Total
War are 2 minutes