I am taking these excerpts from my book War and Peace; 1940s by Jeremy Harwood, Reader's Digest.
The National Savings campaign spent more money on posters than the Ministry of Food as the posters were an important part of educating the masses on what will help with the war effort each in their own little way. Famous slogans such as 'Careless Talk Costs Lives', 'Dig For Victory', 'They Can't Get On Without Us' and 'Keep Mum - She's Not So Dumb' have become timeless and iconic phrases of the country at war. A quote from the book from a compiler at the time reads; "Take a short walk from the office where this report is being written and you will see 48 official posters as you go on hoardings, shelters, buildings, including ones telling you to eat National Wholemeal Bread and not to waste food.... to ones exhorting the need to save for victory."
Saving for victory was all about citizens scrimping by whilst the war was on in order for them to aid the recovery of the economy by spending their money after victory!
"Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in February 1945 at the age of 19. She trained as a driver and mechanic, although she slept at home rather than in barracks with her fellow recruits. The princess reached the rank of Junior Commander. Mary Churchill, Winston Churchill's youngest daughter, was also a member of the ATS."
"Join the ATS, 1941
Art.IWM PST 2832
In 1941 Abram Games was commissioned to design recruiting posters for the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) to help shed its dowdy image. This first poster was withdrawn from circulation as it was thought that the 'blonde bombshell' image might make the ATS seem immoral. The second poster was also withdrawn as it was considered too 'Soviet' in style. The final poster, issued in 1944, featured a middle-class, respectable-looking woman."
The National Savings campaign spent more money on posters than the Ministry of Food as the posters were an important part of educating the masses on what will help with the war effort each in their own little way. Famous slogans such as 'Careless Talk Costs Lives', 'Dig For Victory', 'They Can't Get On Without Us' and 'Keep Mum - She's Not So Dumb' have become timeless and iconic phrases of the country at war. A quote from the book from a compiler at the time reads; "Take a short walk from the office where this report is being written and you will see 48 official posters as you go on hoardings, shelters, buildings, including ones telling you to eat National Wholemeal Bread and not to waste food.... to ones exhorting the need to save for victory."
Saving for victory was all about citizens scrimping by whilst the war was on in order for them to aid the recovery of the economy by spending their money after victory!
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/theartofwar/img/pics/works/INF3_0229.jpg
Information on Dunkirk
The Blitzkrieg put the Nazi forces in a very strong position to take France after their successful plunder of Western Europe and so when the front broke down at Sedan Paul Reynaud (The French PM at the time) commented "The road to Paris is open". It was after this that the German forces began to advance on the Channel coast and the British decided that a swift removal of troops was the wisest choice. A rescue then ensued and this is where the first scene of our game is set.
The Home Guard
The Home Guard were the 'army at home' and by 1943 their average age of their men was 30. Their force was improvised - "pickaxes, crowbars and golf clubs were all pressed into service...In the absence of anti-tank weapons, volunteers were taught to make Molotov cocktails - bottles filled with resin, petrol and tar - and how to fuse and hurl them at an invading enemy." (page 30) They served as an important feature of the home defense in the War - in the event of Britain being invaded they were the ones expected to fight the insurgents. We would like to feature the role of the Home Guard in our game as they were an integral part of British Life during the War and their 'soldiers on a shoestring' stories develop our colourful game world no end.
Women at War
"In December 1941 Britain became the first nation in history to conscript women when it was decreed that unmarried women aged between 20 and 30 were to be called up." (p 62)
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/theartofwar/img/pics/works/INF3_1235.jpg
Many women who joined the forces found themselves dispatched to work in the war industries such as aircraft production or ammunition factories. After the compulsory conscription of women to work in the war industries and to join the 'national service' in July 1941 "the battle for production" (p 65) was being fought valiantly. This successful call to arms brought about a mobilisation on a scale Hitler would have never anticipated.
The ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service)
The following quotes and images are taken from the above website;
"Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in February 1945 at the age of 19. She trained as a driver and mechanic, although she slept at home rather than in barracks with her fellow recruits. The princess reached the rank of Junior Commander. Mary Churchill, Winston Churchill's youngest daughter, was also a member of the ATS."
Art.IWM PST 2832
In 1941 Abram Games was commissioned to design recruiting posters for the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) to help shed its dowdy image. This first poster was withdrawn from circulation as it was thought that the 'blonde bombshell' image might make the ATS seem immoral. The second poster was also withdrawn as it was considered too 'Soviet' in style. The final poster, issued in 1944, featured a middle-class, respectable-looking woman."
Below are some details of the book I looked at
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