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SECRET
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
Weekly Report by Home Intelligence - No. 16 .
Copy No. 51

(From Wednesday 15th January to Wednesday 22nd January, 1941)

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

I. GENERAL COMMENTS

1. General state of confidence and reaction to news .

While there is no evidence of any change in the high level of optimism and confidence noted last week, people seem to be a little more alive to the struggles which have yet to be faced. This is due to several factors:-

But in many parts, the general public are still not taking “invasion warnings” seriously. It taxes the public imagination to see how invasion could possibly be successful; though a number think a successful German invasion of Eire a much more practical proposition (1, 6, 8, 11).

From the blitzed towns there is little new to report. The Plymouth blitz of 13th January was taken with courage and cheerfulness. The local papers could not be published because of lack of power, but were able to improvise arrangements at Exeter. Here both a morning and an evening paper were printed and despatched to Plymouth and throughout Devon and Cornwall by road (14 S. Western). After the Portsmouth blitz of 10th January, it is reported that morale was on the whole excellent (due to the admixture of civilian and service population), but, particularly among women, there were “small patches of defeatism.” The attitude of such people is summed up thus: “We hit the other fellow and he hits us, and neither of us gets anywhere.” (14 Southern).

The increasing amount of news about American aid to Britain has not been altogether favourably received. On the one hand, people are glad of the promises and pledges for the future; on the other, they feel that achievement has not kept pace with the promises. This has tended to make a number “curiously uninterested in American developments”, while others draw cynical comparisons with the last war (1, 5, 5x, 6).

As usual, when the news tends to be good, criticism of news presentation is small, and “there is no longer the cynical hostility to official news which there was 3 months ago” (11, 39). The timing of the release of the news of the bombing of the “Illustrious” and the “Southampton” was criticised on two mutually incompatible scares. Some people complained of our being 3 days behind the Axis with the news, while others were “disgusted” because the announcement was made too soon for all the relatives of casualties to be informed (11, 39). It would seem that an explanation to the public of the official policy on the timing of announcements about naval and shipping losses would be helpful.

There are suggestions that more should be done to publicise the Civil Defence regions, and the Regional Commissioners, as most people are said to have only the haziest ideas on the subject (11, 26, 39).

2. Reprisals .

The London fire-blitz is certainly the most potent stimulus for “reprisal” demands which has yet occurred. Reports on this subject are still numerous (3 Leicester, Rutland, Northampton I.Cs., 5, 15, 22 Inverness P.C.). Many seem to have been more angry at the destruction of historic and artistic London buildings than over raids when loss of life was much more severe (22 Inverness P.C.). In a special report from the R.I.O. Scotland, it is pointed out that, after every blitz, the question of reprisals is always raised at “War Commentary” meetings. With equal regularity, the audience is satisfied by the explanations of an official bombing policy which the lecturers give (15).

3. Rumours .

Few rumours have been reported. The story of the shelter full of corpses converted into a communal tomb is still cropping up after each blitz (1, 3). Following the rumour of official fore-knowledge of Bristol's blitz, another rumour alleges that the authorities were warned to expect a gas attack the following night (7). It is rumoured in Aberdeen that barges for invasion of France and Holland are being built on the Clyde (11). Eire's petrol shortage is rumoured to be due to deliberate British policy, so that the Irish petrol pumps may not be full in the event of invasion (22 Bristol P.C.). Only one Haw Haw rumour has been reported - from Colwyn Bay (8).

4. Broadcasting .

A special Listener Research study (29) on the subject of the public attitude to radio talks has been made through 1,250 honorary listener correspondents. It was found that:-

There is no evidence to show that more people are actually listening, but the maintenance of past figures is very satisfactory, in view of the numbers who are separated from their sets by Home Guard duties, blitz conditions, etc.

II. SPECIAL COMMENTS

5. Air Raids .

The announcement of plans for fire-watching has been generally welcomed as evidence of the Government's use of its compulsory powers. Some women are said to be aggrieved because they are not at present included in the scheme. Other people feel that it lets them out of taking the initiative but are willing to co-operate when told what to do (1, 5x, 7, 10, 11, 18). In Scotland, where the response for volunteer watchers was reported last week to be “very poor”, the situation is said now to have improved (11).

There have been more objections to “the unfairness of the scheme”, which puts all responsibility on the occupier of premises and none on the owner (10, 39). The difficulty of getting watchers from Labour Exchanges is again reported, as are complaints about demands for exorbitant wages (2, 5x, 18). The disproportionately high pay which some watchers are getting is the cause of serious dissatisfaction among firemen, particularly in the London area (2, 5x, 39).

There is evidence of a slight but perceptible increase in public apprehension about the possible use of poison gas (1, 5x, 18, 39).

6. Shelters .

There has been very little comment on shelters this week, though recent bad weather has revived complaints in some regions (4, 5x, 7, 10, 19 North-Western).

7. Evacuation .

Unofficial evacuees from blitzed towns, who are not subjected to medical inspection, are alleged in some cases to be “dirty and verminous” (23 Plymouth T.C.).

In certain areas Citizens Advice Bureaux report that they are “overburdened with problems of unofficial evacuees” (31).

8. Food .

The food situation remains more or less unchanged. The scarcity of meat is still much the biggest problem in most areas, and though the majority accept the shortage philosophically, there is a minority which is loud in its complaints (1, 4, 5x, 10, 12, 18, 23 Portsmouth T.C.). There has lately been a revival of unspecified complaints about wastage of food in military camps (1, 3, 9, 13, 19 Midland, 39). The centralisation of food stocks in large towns is also still criticised, as this is thought to increase the risk of their destruction by bombing (3, 5). Reports from various sources continue to show the success of communal feeding arrangements (5x, 14N. Midland, 19 Midland, 39).

9. Agriculture .

The press, particularly in agricultural regions, is protesting vigorously against the calling-up of skilled farm workers (18, 19 Eastern, North-Western, Scotland). Local branches of the National Farmers Union are also critical of this policy, and it is suggested that “it would be wiser to release more men from the Services to work on the land, rather than to take them away from it” (1, 6, 11, 19 North-Western, 39).

Objections are reported to the employment of the Women's Land Army because its members lack sufficient farming experience; many of them are also said to be physically unequal to the work they are expected to do (6, 39). There are some complaints about them from farmers' wives who prefer looking after men, as they are thought to fit in better with domestic arrangements (39).

10. Pensions and Allowances .

Citizens Advice Bureaux report that “complaints are frequently made of delays in settlement of claims of both civil and military pensions.” Great hardship is said to be caused in many of these cases, and “weeks are said to elapse before some claims are even acknowledged.” There is also much criticism about the allocation of dependants' allowances, and it is said that investigators “do not take sufficiently into account the heavy financial commitments of many households” (31).

11. Prisoners of War .

Citizens Advice Bureaux and other sources report a large number of complaints about the non-delivery of parcels to prisoners of war. The British Red Cross is largely held to blame for this (3, 22 Inverness P.C., 31).

HOME INTELLIGENCE .

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REFERENCES