The Hat Herald Issue 2
The 3 most bizarre things about living in London during WWII.
Today's story is about World War II, one my favorite chapters in every history book since I was a child. Just for today's read imagine you are a London citizen living through the war.
The city of London has always been a very diverse place with people from many different cultures which may lead to some bizarre sightings. However, during World War II, life in London was even more bizarre than what it is right now. Up next I have for you 3 of the most bizarre things the people living in London experienced during the second world war.
Number One. Air fights being broadcasted in the BBC's radio.
During the air raids carried out by the Luftwaffe, the British Royal Air Force, better known as RAF, fought tirelessly over the English Channel and the hills of Dorset, sometimes even fighting over London.
The RAF fought incredibly well, surprising British people and being a great headache to Hermann Göring, head of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe. The BBC on their daily radio broadcasts reported the results of everyday fights, reporting the number of losses and the number of german planes brought down by the RAF and ground pistols, this caused British pilots to became a huge sensation all across Britain.
British people saw the national pilots as heroes and celebrities, they saw them how we see today's football and basketball stars. Being an RAF pilot or even being part of the RAF was a big deal at the time, people were honored to be fighting in the skies for their country.
Seeing the big success the RAF was having the BBC one day started broadcasting an air fight, one of their reporters was hanging around the Cliffs of Dorset and saw an RAF plane chasing down a german plane. He began broadcasting the fight, narrating it as if it was a the most contested soccer match ever. People all over Britain tuned in to the broadcast.
The next day the government reported that some people absolutely loved the broadcast, some were even cheering (as in a stadium) for the RAF fighter while listening to it, but some others expressed their displeasure.
Number Two. The government asking you to keep a diary.
First of all I have to say that the diaries kept by the British people are great pieces of history, helping today's historians write great books about life in London during the war.
In 1937 the British Government began the "Mass Observation" project, consisting of having people submit daily diaries about their life during the war. This in an effort to measure the population's morale during the war (that's how we know some people liked and some disliked the air fight broadcast).
Hundreds of people volunteered and submitted their daily diaries. Said diaries were submitted by people from all over Britain and from all type of social classes, this was very helpful for the government to see how everyone was doing and which cities morale had been affected by the war. With Churchill sometimes using this information to pay some cities a visit and boost morale up.
I find this a great experiment and certainly a great project carried out by the British Government during such turbulent times. However, we have to recognize that it has a bit of a "big brother" vibe and I don't think it would be all that popular if it was carried out today.
Number Three. Churchill hanging around damaged buildings.
Just for a moment imagine you are living in London during the air raids carried out by the Luftwaffe. One day you wake up, go out of your bomb shelter and find your house in ruins, all destroyed by the bombs. Tired about the lack of sleep you start to sort things out, get some rubbish out of the way trying to recover some of your belongings, then all of a sudden you hear Mr. Churchill saying out in the back "we will get them back, you'll see" (I would definitely sob like a baby). Well that wasn't that uncommon in London during the war.
Churchill often went walking through bombed sites in London, shaking people's hands, giving some comforting words and some say he always looked with watery eyes almost about to cry while viewing the bombed buildings.
We are talking about one of the most powerful men at the time, just strolling by, comforting people out of nowhere, it indeed was something bizarre, not even imaginable in today's standards.
These are just some things I found bizarre about life in London during the second world war, but definitely there may be some even more bizarre.
If you want to read more about the war in London read the book "The Splendind and The Vile" from Erik Larson.
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