What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (2024)

Watch: Children in the 1940s

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What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (1)

What happened in the 1940s?

  • In 1939 Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. This was called World War Two and it lasted until 1945.
    This meant children from the cities were evacuated away from their parents.

  • Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940 and promised never to surrender.

  • The government introduced rationing, which limited the amount of food everyone could buy.

  • Sweet rationing did not end until 1953 – eight years after the end of the war!

What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (2)

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What was the Blitz?

  • In September 1940, Germany started bombing towns and cities in Britain.

  • London and Belfast were badly bombed as well as other cities such as Coventry, Swansea, Peterhead and Exeter.

  • Many children helped in the war by acting as messengers or looking out for fires.

  • Younger children helped collect materials which could be recycled, such as clothes and waste paper. They also collected money and knitted socks for the troops.

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What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (3)

Evacuation

  • During World War Two many children were evacuated from towns and cities to the countryside where it was safer.
  • Evacuation was an adventure for some who had never seen the countryside. Others were homesick and unhappy.
  • Children in the 1940s experienced food shortages, rationing, lessons in putting on gas masks, and practised evacuation drills.

What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (4)

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What was school like?

What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (5)

  • Sometimes classes were in the open air as many school buildings had been bombed.
  • Schools in rural areas were often overcrowded because evacuated children joined the classes.
  • Younger teachers joined the Armed Forces and retired teachers returned to the classroom.

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Did you know?

What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (7)

  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill refused to allow fish and chips to be rationed.
  • Churchill felt it helped to keep people's spirits up.

What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (8)

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Activities

Activity 1: Children in the 1940s quiz

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Activity 2: 1940s colouring in sheet

Download and print this colouring sheet of Lucy, Nathan and Young Gramps in the countryside in the 1940s. Can you colour it in and label it with some of the things that evacuees would have seen?

activity

Download the 1940s colouring sheet here.

What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (9)

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What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (10)

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What did children do in the 1940s? - BBC Bitesize (2024)
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