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MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
HOME INTELLIGENCE SPECIAL REPORT on conditions in PORTSMOUTH

From May 19th - 24th, 1941, post-blitz conditions were studied.

A list of persons interviewed is appended. As the time was short it was not possible to check all statements made or make a full study of official figures. The report therefore gives an impression rather than a comprehensive account of conditions in Portsmouth.

This report has been examined by the Regional Information Officer, Southern Region, and has been submitted by him confidentially to the Regional Commissioner's Office. Many helpful criticisms from both these sources have been embodied.

I. DESCRIPTION OF CITY AND DAMAGE

(1) Portsmouth city, which includes the pleasure resort of Southsea, is built on a peninsular, bounded by the Isle of Wight, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Portsdown hills to the north. The main route out of the city runs over these hills. Portsmouth continues to be an important naval base, the main activity being refitting and repair.

(2) The city has had alerts by day and night almost continuously since August 1940 and 58 bombing attacks in which about 800 people have been killed. It is said that the Isle of Wight is used as a pointer for incoming and outgoing enemy aircraft, so there is a lot of gun-fire. The barrage is reported to be of such magnitude that it is impossible to sleep but our visit coincided with the first lull since the Autumn and we did not hear a shot. There have been 3 major blitzes, in January, March and April. Most of the damage in the first was caused by fires which numbered over a thousand. Many of these could not be tackled as the water supply failed; gas and electricity services were also interrupted. The dockyards were not attacked in this raid but have suffered since. High explosives and landmines caused most of the damage in the last two blitzes and there was again interruption of the Utility services, but not for long. The scale of the damage is enormous, particularly in the south and in the poor Portsea area by the docks. Both the main shopping centres have been destroyed as well as many public buildings, including the Guildhall. Portsmouth is proud of its reputation as ‘No. 1 Blitzed Town.’

II THE LOCAL AUTHORITY

The local authority appears more progressive than in some other towns. With one or two exceptions, we found them not only conscious of the major problems but willing to admit short-comings. There is a genuine wish to co-operate both internally and externally, and the personnel is good. One of the main reasons given for this happy state of affairs is that most of the officials have now faced the fact that the city is ‘broke.’ This has relieved the tension which existed when they were still trying to balance their budget and has also impressed them with the need for area organisation. They are fortunate in having an energetic Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, an exceptionally efficient Chief Constable and excellent co-operation for voluntary agencies and the naval authorities. We felt, however, that many of those in authority were inclined to be rather too paternal in their attitude to the public, instead of encouraging them to help themselves.

III INFORMATION SERVICES

(1) The Secretary of the Information Committee welcomed the enquiry and made useful suggestions. As Deputy Chief Warden, he is in personal touch with people of importance and has first hand knowledge of local conditions. The Committee itself is held in poor repute by various other officials, who say it does nothing, and that many of its members are people who should not be trusted with important information. Closer co-operation between this Committee and the C.A.B. and Welfare Committees would seem desirable, though possibly hard to achieve. The Ministry itself is said to be on good relations with the Local Authorities, in spite of the Local Information Committee.

(2) A new Emergency Information Service is being organised. The Secretary is the Chief Librarian who is working night and day to get his plans in working order. He is making every attempt to follow Regional instructions. He will be responsible for circulating posters and notices and the loud speaker vans and is hoping to get voluntary helpers to accompany them to give oral instructions and advice. There will be branch offices in each of the six libraries.

(3) The C.A.B. is one of the features of Portsmouth. Under the vigorous if somewhat autocratic direction of Miss Kelly, C.B.E., J.P., who is also Hon. Secretary of the Council of Social Service, it has been operating effectively since the beginning of the war. The outstanding features are the registers of addresses of all casualties and homeless people who have passed through Rest Centres, and the arrangements for friendly visiting. The registers meet an important need, for much distress is obviated when people are able to get news of relatives in hospital and those who have moved away. The system is simple and might well be copied in other places. The friendly visiting of people who have been re-housed or discharged from hospital also helps their recovery. It has been noticed before that people in the semi-shocked condition that follows a bad raid need more than anything to feel that they matter as individuals and that they still have a place in the community. A criticism of this organisation is that it is over centralised. A branch office is, however, soon being opened on the outskirts of the city and other offices in neighbouring country towns are being started. It is hoped that permission will be given to advertise in the buses.

IV EMERGENCY ORGANISATION

(1) The planning of Rest Centres, known here as Emergency Centres, appears to have been good and there is excellent co-operation between the Public Assistance authority and the voluntary agencies. The P.A. arrange transport to collect people from the scenes of incidents and, at the same time, arrange for the opening of appropriate Centres. Two potential dangers are the apparent dependency on the telephone as a means of communication and the insufficient number of centres. At present, there are 20 centres with room for only 3,500 people or 5,000 ‘at a pinch’. Twice as many are contemplated but suitable buildings are scarce. The area organisation of voluntary helpers, a scheme evolved by Miss Kelly's agency, has proved of great value. Each area has a supervisor and is capable of functioning as a self-governing unit in an emergency. Among other tasks, they staff the Emergency Centres. After the work is done, a full report is made and problems are discussed in committee. The Centres have been cleared after each incident with commendable speed, reaching a peak of 1,000 in one day after the last blitz.

(2) Feeding in Emergency Centres has sustained a high standard, the Lord Mayor insisting on the provision of roast joints every day, where possible. Catering has been complicated by people drifting away from the Centres without notifying the Supervisors and by others, not living in the Centres, turning up for meals. While feeding in Emergency Centres was good we were told there had been a breakdown in supplies for firemen and demolition workers drafted in from other districts. Many of these had no food for as long as 24 hours. It appears that available W.V.S. canteens were not summoned.

(3) The sick in Centres are attended by Red Cross nurses. The difficulty of getting ambulances to take patients from the Centres to hospital is reported, also the fact that ambulances cannot be used to take the infirm beyond the city boundary, ‘a piece of red tape which causes unnecessary suffering’. Another complaint made was that an infirm person cannot be admitted to hospital unless they become a casualty. The M.O.H. says his greatest problem is the clearance of E.M.S. hospitals which become ‘cluttered up with chronics’. We were also told that civilian sick got insufficient attention and there was some criticism of doctors, many of whom are said to leave the city at night. All these things have a bad effect on morale as they are not only painful to the sufferers but distressing to the public who must stand helplessly by.

(4) No description of emergency organisation would be complete without mention of the navy, which has risen to the occasion in every emergency. Naval ratings are detailed to help with the rough work in Emergency Centres, others are drafted to the scene of incidents where they assist in rescue and demolition and do such odd jobs as minding babies and carrying suitcases. They have been of immense help in repairing electric cables, etc.

(5) Provisions against fire have now been improved with the installation of water tanks throughout the city. The digging of pits has been advocated as water is said to be only a few feet below the surface. This would ensure an endless supply but it may be technically impossible. If so, we feel the fact should be announced, in order to allay criticism.

V PRESSING PROBLEMS

A. Flight to Safety .

(1) Trekking . By 6 pm, an observer will see that all traffic is moving northwards. The movement begins at about 3.30 pm and continues until dusk; at the peak period, there are long queues at every bus stop along the route. The people are making for the bridge on the main road out of Portsmouth, in order to sleep in the northern suburbs, the surrounding hills, or in towns and villages within a radius of 20 miles. On one night after a bad blitz, it was estimated that 90,000 left the city and now, after a raid-free period, there are said to be still some 30,000 trekkers, half of them being men. This figure takes no account of other thousands who move from the city centre to the outskirts but do not cross the bridge. It is interesting to note that most of the trekkers do not get far enough away to escape the terrific noise of the bombardment and that many who sleep in unprotected halls in what should be regarded still as target areas are less safe than they would be in shelters in the heart of the city. But they feel safer because there is open space around them and something other than houses for the bombs to hit. They crowd into houses and halls in the villages, into shelters and holes in the hills, into stables and hop-pickers huts. Some sleep under hedges and some in the vehicles that drove them out. On a round with Messrs Fry's cocoa van, a new and popular institution, we saw people lying on open banks and a colony of 120 in some disused stables without water or sanitation. For such quarters, some families pay as much as 17/- a week in bus fares. It is perhaps significant that the trekkers are known as the ‘Yellow Brigade’ by people who remain in Portsmouth and as ‘those dreadful blitzers’ by the country folk.

(2) Shelters . There are over 40,000 shelters of all types. Many of them are good but they are not much used since the trekking habit took hold, except those in the comparatively unblitzed north. On the Portsdown hills and along the London Road, the shelters are still crowded, though the numbers have decreased considerably with the recent quiet nights. A count in the London Road shelters revealed that, out of 700 people, only 19 came from local towns and all the rest from Portsmouth. There are no bunks in public shelters, due to the official policy of ‘discouraging’ their use and ‘encouraging’ the use of Andersons by bunking them. We saw people propped up on narrow benches or lying on the floor of public shelters, though we were told later that they were ‘not supposed to’ as the shelters ‘were not meant for that’. There are no shelter marshals and no attempts at organisation. The urban district authorities say that the shelters are left in an indescribably filthy condition and that people will not use the Elsan lavatories, where these are provided. They have to employ special men to clean them out. A story was told of some children found at mid-day in a shelter who declared, ‘we live here.’ It appeared their parents left them during the day while they worked and shopped in Portsmouth. Lack of sleep is one of the main dangers of shelter life in these conditions. No shelterers questioned by us admitted to more than 2 or 3 hours.

(3) Transport . The huge daily movement of population makes transport a major problem, especially for workers. Over 6,000 men from the dockyard alone sleep out of the city. All available buses are crowded on to the roads but the service is still inadequate. At the same time, the trains are not used to capacity, due to the higher fares and the comparatively few stopping places. A difficulty is that the demand increases with each new provision made. For instance, an early train put on for the benefit of 40 dockyard workers evacuated to Petersfield was soon carrying 400. ‘This sort of thing makes planning impossible. we have no idea when saturation point will be reached.’ Another difficulty is that the wives and children of workers accompany their husbands on the early buses, so keeping other workers off. This is said to be because few have amenities for cooking or feeding at their place of sleep, so they must come back to their Portsmouth homes for breakfast.

(4) Feeding . The need for communcal feeding both in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas seems largely unrecognised. Only three ‘Municipal Restaurants’ exist in the city and are used to capacity. There is a plan for a large number to be opened, but only in the event of ‘dire necessity,’ that is, after a big blitz. We feel that this attitude is not in keeping with the Ministry of Food's conception of communal feeding and that more propaganda is needed. The attitude of the official in charge appears largely responsible for this policy. Apart from a personal horror of communal feeding, he expressed the opinion that it encouraged parasitism and laziness and he did not see why ‘workers probably earning more than I do’ should be ‘subsidised by the Government.’ From another source, we learnt that catering establishments in the city have been reduced to 15%, so the need for alternative provisions appears obvious. The feeding of dockyard workers is one of the greatest problems. Out of a total of 20,000, it is estimated that over 5,000 never have a hot meal. This is due in part to the bombing of existing dockyard canteens but much more to the huge number who join in the nightly trek and have no opportunity of getting their accustomed evening meal nor a satisfactory breakfast. After considerable pressure, 2 kiosks have been set up at the dockyard gates, providing tea and sandwiches. They open at 9 am and close at 6 pm, so are little use to the dockyard workers except between 12 - 1 pm, during which time only a few hundreds can be served. We saw the scramble one day and noticed how miserable the dockyard workers looked in comparison with the cheerful soldiers also using the kiosks. In this connection, we heard of some discontent among workers at being ‘kept out’ of canteens run for Service men, whom they feel get all the consideration. There is also much bitterness among women workers because of the shop hours and the difficulty of getting anything to put in their menfolk's sandwiches. It was also noted that the fact that it is ‘customary’ for dockyard workers to take sandwiches for their mid-day meal is being used as an excuse for failure to make other provisions.

(5) Evacuation . Over 34,000 people, mostly children, have been evacuated since Sept. 1939: until the bad raids began, they were returning at an average rate of 103 a week. Further evacuation is felt to be a problem of the utmost urgency. Recently, the Lord Mayor called for a new registration and in the first three weeks of May, 2,500 people responded. These included 233 old people as well as a number of invalids and babies. We were disturbed to hear that there appears to be no scheme behind this registration. There is vague talk of Dorset for school children but apparently no possibilities for the other classes. Thousands have already crowded into the surrounding areas, many of which are now overcrowded according to Ministry of Health standards. One hears of women spending all their money on fares to distant towns where they hope to find room and of soldiers getting 48 hours leave to search for billets for their families. The most desperate cases are those of the very poor in Portsea, who are surrounded by dockyards and very nervous but cannot afford the nightly journey to safety, of old people who are too feeble to seek for themselves and who cannot even, in some cases, reach a shelter. Two Salvation Army Hostels for old people are full and a residential nursery for babies has just been opened at Bishops Waltham but we were told that more were needed. It is thought that many do not register because they feel it is hopeless.

(6) Suggestions . The various suggestions made to cope with the above problems include the following:-

B. Labour .

(1) We were told the demand for male labour of all types, especially for skilled men, exceeds the supply. A sufficient number of women are available for factory work but there is a shortage of domestics and office staff.

(2) The general attitude to work appears to be healthier than in Southampton, doubtless because of the naval example and discipline. There is a complaint, however, that it is harder to enforce discipline now that the threat of dismissal is no longer immediate and because it is difficult to keep a check on ‘excuses’ owing to abnormal conditions. Behaviour during alerts has improved. In the dockyards, work continues until the whistle blows, ‘then it is a job to make them take shelter.’ Absenteeism is noticed after Sunday work (the City Engineer has stopped Sunday work for this reason) and among married women. With the latter, it is often in order to shop. There is a complaint that women are jibbing at wearing the protective caps provided, or refusing to put all their hair inside. ‘Gruesome descriptions of scalping make no difference.’ We were told that the employment of women in the dockyard shops is satisfactory. ‘Men are accepting them very well on the whole.. their presence seems to be stimulating.’

(3) Difficulties of transport, feeding and accommodation have been noted. Unsatisfactory living conditions are thought to be taking their toll in an increased sickness rate with slower recovery and a tendency to septic conditions from minor injuries. There is a slow but steady fall in production which is causing alarm. Problems arising out of the policy of dispersal of certain units to other towns need more study, but no details were available.

C. Fire-watching .

Since the nightly exodus from the city, fire-watching is very unsatisfactory. Large areas are uninhabitable but still inflammable. Adequate protection is thought to be impossible until compulsion is introduced. The men who trek out and ‘leave the city to its fate’ are much criticised and it is felt that if they are made to take their turn, it will be good for general morale as well as their own.

D. Civil Defence .

We were impressed by the excellent co-operation between police and wardens, not always evident in other towns. It is perhaps because the Chief of Police and Chief Warden are combined in one man, who is able and progressive. Since his appointment, he is said to have infused new life into a Force whose spirits were flagging. He and others are concerned about the welfare of the Civil Defence personnel. It was stated that the cumulative effects of exhaustion were being felt and that far too little was done to ensure that these key people got proper food and rest. It was emphasised that the spirit of the whole community depended on the good morale of these services. A scheme on a modest scale for giving the police a few days relaxation in a holiday home outside the city is being tried and it is hoped it may be developed. Proper accommodation outside the target area must also be ready for reinforcements - both firemen and police - called in for an emergency. In the past, they are alleged to have been neglected. A plan for a regular exchange of men from less vulnerable areas is under consideration. There is also a scheme for housing the city police in a suburban hostel where community living would ensure good food. A hostel in the city is considered far too dangerous and the men are dispersed in billets.

E. Housing .

(1) There have been 55,000 claims for damage to houses (out of a possible 75,000) so it may be imagined that not all get immediate attention. There are the usual complaints about rain doing unnecessary damage - ‘soaking bedding and soaking morale’, and also complaints that the system of allotting certain areas to certain contractors leads to absurdities such as the repairing of a deserted street whilst a neighbouring inhabited street is neglected. A grouse against the Government is that owing to the elaborate forms to be filled in before money can be claimed for repairs, local councils have to borrow and pay heavy bank charges. (Largely owing to this, the Gosport Council has an overdraft of almost £50,000 and complains of having to ‘finance the Government.’)

(2) Over 7,000 people have been placed in vacant requisitioned houses and over 14,000 billeted. Rehousing becomes progressively more difficult. Homeless people are encouraged to look out for possible houses for themselves. These are then requisitioned and arrangements are made to adjust the rent, the offer made by the applicant being accepted. The help with rent is supposed to be temporary but, owing to understaffing and the need for a special enquiry into each case, it has sometimes continued for months. When rent adjustment is made, the Government pay the balance but will not do this until a report is made on each house by the overworked district valuer, so there are long delays. A case was cited of a man who let two houses and received no rent for so long that he had to apply for Public Assistance. This sort of thing kills co-operation and makes people refrain from offering houses, as they did at first. It is suggested that it would be solved if the Town Clerk were empowered to pay immediate rent.

While the homeless are waiting to be rehoused, they are moved from Emergency Centres into temporary billets, for which purpose an up-to-date ‘hospitality’ list is kept. There are always some people too dirty or uncouth to billet and it is thought that some houses should be kept ready so that such people could be installed immediately. The Rehousing Officer would like to requisition 100 houses for this purpose, but has been refused permission. He has only 6.

F. Crime .

On all sides we heard that looting and wanton destruction had reached alarming proportions. The police seem unable to exercise control and we heard many tales of the wreckage of shelters and of stealing from damaged houses, and were told that some people were afraid to take shelter in an attack for fear of being robbed of their remaining possessions. This seems another illustration of the lack of community spirit. The effect on morale is bad and there is a general feeling of desperation as there seems to be no solution. Some of the trouble is caused by children, many of whom do not go to school, though attendance for a half day is again compulsory, but the worst offenders appear to be youths of 18 or 19, though it is difficult to judge as few are caught.

VI MORALE

The morale of the city may be summed up in a sentence often repeated, ‘The spirit of the people is unbroken, but their nerve has gone.’ That is to say, though they have been badly shaken by their experiences and are afraid, they do not want to give in. The ability to return to normal may be seen in the way cinemas begin to fill and shelters to empty as soon as there is a lull. A few factors that make for good morale are the following:-

The following are danger points:-

(1) Neglect of the welfare of the Civil Defence services on which civilian morale depends.

(2) The cumulative effects of lack of sleep, bad feeding and comfortless quarters.

(3) The trapped feeling of people who cannot be evacuated or even escape at night. Concern over the plight of old people and children.

(4) The withdrawal of clergy on the destruction of their churches.

(5) Lack of home or school discipline for children.

(6) Widespread looting.

(7) The lack of community spirit, shown in this looting of bombed persons and also in the fact that no attempt is made by the people to organise shelters or appoint marshals, and in the reluctance to take fire-watching duty. The paternalism of the authorities may foster this and it may be, in part, temperamental. The danger should be recognised as, in a crisis, panic may spread amongst a collection of people where there is no group feeling and everyone acts for himself.

VII CONCLUSION

In face of these problems, we believe the time has come when talk of front-line defence must give way to action. The front line is no place for babies, invalids and old age pensioners: they and all unnecessary people should be cleared from the city: they put a strain on its resources and are a grave responsibility in an attack. The essential workers and defence services that remain should then come under front-line discipline, which would include proper provision for their feeding, safety and welfare, with an assurance of reasonable rest periods in base towns, for no soldier is left permanently at the front. If it proves necessary for these people to sleep outside the target area, it would mean that huts with shelters or else a large shelter in the chalk hills must be built. Work on building should start without delay in order that it shall be completed before the bad weather sets in. The best possible use of the railways as well as buses must be arranged and also compulsory firewatching for the protection of areas that are derelict but still inflammable.

Such drastic action can only be taken by an authority with wide executive powers. It will be made easier because experience has already brought home the necessity to many of the present officials and also, in part, to the people of Portsmouth.

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PORTSMOUTH REPORT
28.5.41.
LIST OF SOURCES .

I. INTERVIEWS .

1. Mr. F. Maxwell Wells, Sec. of the Voluntary Information Committee. Deputy Chief Warden.

2. Mr. Harry Sargeant, Emergency Information Officer.

3. Chief Constable West, Also Chief of Wardens & Fire Service.

4. Superintendent Inspector Baker.

5. Inspector Stratton.

6. Col. Duke, Deputy Town Clerk. A.R.P. Controller.

7. Mr. Scott, Emergency Feeding Organiser.

8. Col. Williamson, M.O.H.

9. Mr. Birch, Rehousing Officer.

10. Secretary of Mr. Davison, Evacuation Officer.

11. Mr. Parkin. City Engineer.

12. Miss E.H. Kelly, C.B.E., J.P., Hon.Sec.C.A.B. and of Portsmouth Social Service Council.

13. Miss H.M. Kelly, O.B.E.

14. Mrs. Daly, Lady Mayoress.

15. Mr. Brogden, Deputy Public Assistance Officer.

16. Mr. Rose, Ministry of Labour Welfare Officer.

17. Mr. Hall, Labour Manager.

18. Miss Robbins, Labour Manager.

19. Mr. Knapman, H.M. Factory Inspector.

20. Mr. Chase, Dockyard Welfare & Safety Officer.

21. Miss Bradshaw, Dockyard Welfare & Officer for Women.

22. Mrs. Valentine, Deputising for Mrs. Williams, W.V.S. Organiser.

23. Canon Robins.

24. Brigadier Manning, Salvation Army.

25. Major Grace, Salvation Army.

26. Mrs. O'Rorke, Superviser, St. Jude's Emergency Centre.

27. Mr. Martin, Divisional Warden.

28. Messrs. Fry's Representative.

29. Sir Hugh Cocke, Chief Billeting Officer, Petersfield.

30. Mr. Fardell, Local Controller (Evacuation) Petersfield.

31. Mr. Ben Levy, M.O.I. Secretary, Petersfield.

32. Mr. Burley, Clerk to Urban District Council, Petersfield.

33. Mr. Madgwick, Town Clerk, Havant.

34. Miss Bean, Evacuation Officer, Havant.

35. Mrs. Byde, C.A.B. Havant.

36. Mrs. Monkton, W.V.S. Organiser, Havant.

II. OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION .

37. A day spent in Petersfield and a day in Havant to investigate problems in dormitory and reception areas.

38. Visit to Dockyard.

39. Visit to badly blitzed parts of town, poor quarters and new shopping centres.

40. Meal in Communal Feeding Centre.

41. Tour of Cosham and Portsdown Hill at night, with Messrs. Fry's Van, to see shelters, huts, etc.

42. Conversations with members of the public, policemen, wardens, etc.