A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46

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SECRET
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
Weekly Report by Home Intelligence - No. 25.
Copy No. 32

(From Wednesday, March 19th to Wednesday, March 26th, 1941).

Note : The figures in brackets refer to sources of information, a list of which is given at the end of this report.

I. GENERAL COMMENTS

1. General state of confidence and reaction to news .

The Blitzes : The two heavy blitzes of March 20th and 21st on Plymouth are described by the Regional Information Officer as comparable with the raids on Bristol and Coventry. In his preliminary report, he makes the following points:-

1. There is considerable feeling among civilians about the alleged deficiencies of the A.A. defences, compared with earlier and less destructive raids.

2. The large provincial towns of the South West are accepting the fact that if they are “due for a blitz” they must expect the destruction of the centre of their towns, and that nothing can prevent it. In Plymouth the people stood up to the blitz “exceptionally well”. For the first few nights afterwards, many went out to the country in cars and slept in them.

3. There is some criticism of the civic organisation at Plymouth on the ground that it has not stood up to the blitz too well; this is attributed to the concentration of local power in “a few elderly hands”.

4. The first raid opened within half an hour of the departure of the King and Queen who had been touring the City. During the day, the rediffusion relay system (which serves about 10,000 homes) broadcast details of the Royal tour. The public linked the raid and the Royal visit together, attributing the one to the other, and suggesting that the local rediffusion of the details of the tour was unwise. The rumour that the blitz was due to the Royal visit has been reported from other regions, and is similar to the recent rumours that other blitzes followed visits from prominent people.

It is reported that as an aftermath of the Portsmouth raids, there is an undercurrent of uneasiness among civilians as it is believed that certain naval and military establishments in the neighbourhood are being evacuated. Civilian workers, both in the dockyards and the civil defence services, claim that they should not be treated with less consideration than the fighting services. The facts are that one Naval unit only has been evacuated; this was because its accommodation had been destroyed.

In the Bristol raid of March 16-17th, the R.I.O. reports that there is some feeling about the large number of casualties sustained by fire-fighting parties. People are also concerned because, although the casualties of Clydeside and Merseyside were officially announced, those of Bristol were not.

The general atmosphere after the Clydeside raid is described as one of “carrying on, with a sense of relief at having been able to stand up to the ordeal”. The public are expecting further raids, though the tension is said to be slackening a little. The fact that some public houses are voluntarily closing at 9.30 instead of 10 in an effort to get people off the streets early is strengthening the belief that another blitz is imminent. There have been many strong expressions of disbelief in the official casualty figures. Popular estimates range from 2,000 to 5,000 killed, and some people are suggesting that the Government could not possibly have known the true figures at the time the announcements were made. An extension of this is a growing disbelief in official raid casualty figures in general. “The Ministry of Information bears the brunt of the criticism”. The coupling of the Merseyside and Clydeside figures has, however, had a good effect, by showing that others had trouble as serious as Clydeside. There has been considerable private evacuation from Clydeside of women and children, particularly from the Dock area. As after the Coventry raid of last November, “Irish are making plans to cross to Eire - and safety”. On the whole, evacuees have been well received, though some middle-class hosts are making the usual type of complaints: the children are “dirty and verminous”, the adults “ungrateful”, and some of them are said to be “just stopping (in Milngavie) for a free holiday”.

There is also criticism of some of the arrangements for dealing with the situation after the raid. The R.I.O. quotes a Clydeside contact as saying: “Everyone feels the repair question is unplanned”. In one district people whose homes had been damaged were indignant because wood for boarding up windows etc. was reserved for shops and public buildings, so that none was available for private houses. Demolition squads were criticised for being too slow at their work. They, on the other hand, complained that they were not properly equipped, and that more mobile cranes should have been available. Workers in certain districts have been inconvenienced by the transport situation. “Those living at a considerable distance from Clydebank and other industrial areas are still finding it difficult to get to their work”. Some of them who were delayed on Saturday were annoyed because they arrived too late to collect their pay.

The East End blitz was regarded by the people in the affected districts as the worst they have yet suffered. Many were physically tired at the end of a winter often spent in damaged houses or shelters, with long hours at work. They faced the bombing with resignation, and even in places a listless indifference. On the whole, the homeless showed great patience, though they are less willing than they were to wait in queues for assistance. There was no rush evacuation following the raid.

(5x, 7, 11, 14 South Western, Edinburgh, 21 Portsmouth T.C.).

America : From most regions there is reported to be a rapid growth of pro-American feeling. The Lease-and-Lend bill, Mr. Roosevelt's speech, and the news of further help have combined to produce this. America's self-interest is now seldom mentioned, and instead, many people are predicting that she will soon be in the war with us.

Invasion prospects : Further reports stress that the new instructions are regarded as clear and helpful, and sound common-sense. Of a sample of Londoners, 70% had seen them, and 65% had read them or had heard them on the wireless. Criticism was very rare; a few thought the repetition unnecessary, and a few middle-class people described the instructions as “patronising”. In country parts civilians are said to be still rather doubtful about how to deal with armed parachutists.

Only in Wales is there reported to be any wide belief that invasion is likely. Elsewhere the probability is regarded as remote.

Easter holiday : There are many requests that the Government should announce its decision about Easter holidays as soon as possible, to avoid the necessity for last-minute changes of plan by the general public.

The Balkans : Interest in the Balkans continues to be slight. In spite of press optimism, Yugo-Slavia has for some time been regarded as being lost; while it is not expected that Greece will be able to stand up to a German onslaught, it is hoped that we will give her all the help we can, even at some sacrifice of our own interests.

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5x, 6, 8, 9, 12).

2. Reprisals

Public feeling is steadily growing stronger in favour of reprisals. In the past, the blitzed cities and towns have been less inclined than the safe areas to urge heavy attacks on German cities. Now the situation appears to be changing. In Glasgow, for example, the “demand for reprisals is now becoming stronger among civilians; service men, home on compassionate leave, are blazing angry and all out for the heaviest possible reprisals.” Since the raids on Leeds and Hull, in the North Eastern Region there are increasing demands for reprisals “on the heaviest scale”. Similar feeling is reported from London, the South Eastern, Southern, North Midland and Midland Regions. Our bombing policy is described as “flabby”. More and more it is being suggested that we should “lay off” military objectives for a few nights and instead annihilate one or more German towns - preferably Berlin. In view of press reports of pessimism among the German Army and public, it is felt that now is the time to strike them hard. Further, it is generally believed that the German civilians “would not be able to stand up to the kind of pounding which our blitzed cities have had”.

(2, 3, 5x, 6, 9, 11, 12).

3. Rumours .

Rumours have been rather more numerous this week.

In the Clydeside area, the following are reported:-

1. That Mr. Churchill visited Glasgow after the blitz, and severely criticised the state of the air defences. “He was especially wild because all our fighters are in the South, and the Clyde had no real protection”. This rumour represents a new type.

2. That Haw Haw has promised Glasgow five days of peace to bury their dead.

Exaggerations of damage, either in Glasgow or elsewhere, were not common, reality having apparently kept place with rumour. In other parts of Scotland, rumour alleged that Dundee and Perth had been heavily attacked.

Elsewhere, Haw Haw rumours are once more occurring, with Sheffield, Bognor, Chichester, Scarborough and a Free French battleship outside Portsmouth as their subjects.

Two other rumours, apparently based on fact are:-

1. That enemy planes are guided by beam radio, and that our night fighters' successes were due to our planes flying along the beam.

2. That decoy beacons and fires in the Mendips are attracting German bombers, and that one of these decoys is within 200 yards of a hospital.

(4, 11, 12, 18 North Western, 34).

4. Eire

A special report by Postal Censorship suggests that opinion in Eire is gradually becoming more favourable towards this country. This change seems to be caused less by a dawning affection or respect for England than by force of circumstance. There is very little modification of feeling, however, over the question of “the Ports”.

The Government of Eire is being increasingly criticised; even Mr. de Valera himself is not immune from censure. Among the chief causes of discontent are:-

The rise in the cost of living.

Increasing unemployment.

Shortage of food and other supplies.

The Government's agricultural policy.

The strictness of the press and film censorship.

There are also complaints that the Government is taking no steps to check profiteering.

(20 Special P.C.)

II. SPECIAL COMMENTS

5. Air Raids .

Fire-Watching : There is still a good deal of confusion among fire-watchers about the way their job should be done. One of the reasons given for this is “that no-one seems to be charged with the job of seeing that they carry out their duties”; nor are there any precise instructions about where they should be during alert periods (as distinct from “alarms”). In some cases this uncertainty is said to be leading to “deliberate evasion of fire-watching duties”.

Funeral arrangements : Reports from the London Region state that “many poor people are more or less in the hands of undertakers” when making arrangements for burying air raid victims. “The usual procedure is for the undertaker to ask the amount of their insurance, and to base his charge on this figure”. It is suggested that some form of Government price control should be introduced to stop this practice.

Criticism has been made of the inefficiency of mortuary arrangements at Bristol, which is attributed “to the low mentality of those engaged in this grim work”. Medical authorities say that identification of bodies is sometimes made difficult because their identity cards are removed by the police - “presumably for security reasons”.

(4, 5x, 12, 14 Bristol, Edinburgh).

6. Food

Fewer minor grumbles have been reported this week, but the main difficulties are becoming gradually more serious, and there is deepening anxiety about the food situation.

There are complaints from certain industrial areas about the difficulty of getting proper meals at factory canteens; employers state emphatically that this is causing serious concern. In the Midlands, a campaign to recruit industrial labour is being seriously hampered by this problem. The allowance of food is described as quite inadequate; consequently the workers, particularly the women, are leaving their jobs. If this situation is not quickly improved, it is thought that repercussions in industry may be very serious.

The distribution of eggs is still causing many complaints. In Nottingham, for instance, though some shops are short of them, a direct supply company in the city receive thousands of eggs a day, and customers who queue up for them can get as many as four dozen at a time.

Though there have been fewer reports of queues this week, they still come from many parts of the country. In Coventry there are strong complaints that it is difficult to obtain enough food to maintain health.

The need is also stressed for teaching housewives to make better use of available foods. It is said that more tinned food than ever is being used, and many people are wondering what is to happen when it is less easy to get.

Complaints of wastage in N.A.A.F.I. canteens have again been received. Explanations which have been given are that if surplus food is returned, subsequent rations are based on the smaller consumption, and that no credit notes are given for returns.

(1, 3, 6, 9, 18 North Western, Midland, Plymouth T.C., 34).

7. Labour

Women in Industry . Registration of women has been more discussed than any other subject on the home-front this week. Although the scheme is generally approved, it is causing much confusion and anxiety; at the same time most of the criticisms have been constructive.

From the Services comes great anxiety. “A man does his best because he has a wife or sweetheart waiting for him at home” is an expression which covers many of the men's feelings.

The opinion is generally expressed that mothers with young children should not be recruited for industry until all other woman-power has been exhausted. This feeling is so strong that it is suggested that older women, whose children are able to look after themselves, should be conscripted before them. While there are still so many “idle women and particularly young childless wives living in billets, and unmarried girls, not in employment”, mothers are reluctant to go into industry. Many of them are willing to work, if they can be sure of good day-nurseries; but it is realised that even this will mean a great strain on them, and it is wondered what the effect will be upon the future generation.

A survey in the North Eastern Region of 20-year old girls shows some of them to be reluctant to leave home; those who do not mind doing so would prefer to join the Services rather than go into industry.

It seems that publicity may be needed to save an influx of women into the wrong jobs and the chances of panic-changing. Few women seem to know whether the jobs they are now engaged on will be regarded as reserved occupations.

It is also pointed out that many who are already engaged in full time voluntary war work will be unable to continue this if their domestic servants are called up.

(1, 2, 3, 5x, 9, 18 Midland, 20 Inverness P.C.)

8. Trade .

The working woman's chief difficulty of finding no time to do her shopping is still a very real hardship, and is now more noticeable than ever, as the number of women in industry increases. It is again suggested that shops should make re-arrangements in their hours to meet new needs.

The main complaint from shoppers this week is the increase in the prices of children's clothes, though in general these are not affected by the Purchase Tax.

There is evidence that neither the Purchase Tax nor the Limitation of Supplies Order seem to be properly understood either by the public or by many retailers.

(5x, 34).

9. Evacuation .

Evacuee grumbles are fewer.

There would appear to be less discrepancy between registrations and departures of evacuees than is often thought. From a total of 53,957 unaccompanied children registered in London from the 15th September, 1940 to 8th March, 1941, 46,750 actually departed.

(5x).

Home Intelligence.

212

REFERENCES

1. Northern Region (Newcastle) Weekly reports from R.I.Os.
2. North-Eastern Region (Leeds)
3. North-Midland Region(Nottingham)
4. Eastern Region (Cambridge)
5. London Region (London)
5x Special London reports.
6. Southern Region (Reading)
7. South Western Region (Bristol)
8. Wales (Cardiff)
9. Midland Region (Birmingham)
10. North-Western Region (Manchester)
11. Scotland (Edinburgh)
12. South-Eastern Region (Tunbridge Wells)
13. Northern Ireland (Belfast)
14. Special reports from R.I.Os.
15. M.O.I. speakers' reports
16. Local Information Committees' reports
17. Home Press Summaries M.O.I.
18. Regional Press Summaries
19. Hansard
20. Postal Censorship
21. Telephone Censorship
22. Police duty-room reports
23. Mass Observation
24. War-time Social Survey
25. B.B.C. listener research papers
26. B.B.C. special papers
27. Citizens' Advice Bureaux
28. W.V.S.
29. Scottish Unionist Whip's reports
30. Liberal Party reports
31. Economic League's reports
32. W.H. Smith's questionaires
33. War Office Postbag summaries
34. Primary sources

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