How did people's lives change during World War Two?

When World War Two began, life in Britain changed for everyone.

Rationing (the fair sharing of food and other materials that people can use or buy) restricted the amount of food and other materials that could be used or bought.

Government campaigns, like ‘Make-do and Mend’ and ‘Dig for Victory’ encouraged the community to work together and the roles of women in society changed forever.

The people of Britain had to come together if they were to win World War Two.

Important words on why World War Two began.

Before the war, Britain bought most of its food from other countries.

When World War Two began, ships carrying food to Britain were attacked and sunk by German U-Boats (submarines).

To avoid running out of food, the government took control of all food coming into the country. This was known as rationing.

Starting in January 1940, rationing made sure every person got a fair share and people could no longer buy as much food as they wanted.

Every man, woman and child were given a ration book containing coupons. These coupons showed how much food each person was allowed to buy each week.

Ration books

To keep the morale high, the government used propaganda (information, ideas or facts that are shared to change the way somebody feels or behaves) to encourage people to work together.

They used posters, leaflets and radio messages to share information and start different campaigns.

The ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign encouraged people to grow their own food. Places such as parks, golf clubs and gardens were turned into an allotment (a piece of land used for gardening or growing food plants).

During World War Two, materials like cotton, wool and leather were needed to make items such as uniforms for soldiers. ‘Make-do and Mend’ was a campaign to get people to fix and sew old clothes in order to keep materials for the war effort.

Throughout World War Two, the role of women in society changed significantly.

While many men were away fighting, women had to take on many jobs normally done by men.

Women were called up to work as mechanics, engineers, air raid wardens and bus drivers. They also replaced men in factories making weapons, bullets, aircraft and tanks.

Around 640,000 women also worked in the armed forces, joining:

• Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS)
• The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
• The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS)

As well as The Women's Land Army which worked on farms and had tens of thousands of members.

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

• When the German U-boats sank ships carrying food to Britain, the government chose to enforce a strict rationing system. What do you think was the biggest consequence of this new system?

• The Make-do and Mend campaign focused on saving and reusing different materials like cotton, wool and leather. Why do you think these materials were just as significant to the war effort as it was to ration or grow your own food?

• Women completed many different jobs during World War Two that were normally done by men. Why do you think their work was just as significant as those fighting away from home?

Are you a parent, carer or teacher?

Take a look at some of the links below on KS2 History which are packed full of knowledge, videos, quizzes and activities.