Search - Glen Miller;Noel Coward;George Formby;Vera Lynn;and others :: Home Front

In 1941, the third year of World War 11, the British public were enduring many difficulties regarding such issues as basic supplies, the prevailing bombing and how to keep up their general morale. However, by 1941, 'The Battle of Britain' had managed to turn the tide around and the Allies were in a more commanding role and as the war progressed, we began to find that our bleak situation was improving to such an extent that society was in better shape at the war's conclusion than it was before the start of hostilities. The damage that society suffered in the war's early stages contrasted sharply with the benefits that emerged towards the war's end. It was the women, children, the old and the disabled that were left behind to cope during these stressful times and they were collectively known as 'The Home Front'. The declaration of war in September 1939 was obviously going to strike fear in most of us. Immediately, the Government enforced emergency measures which would affect the lives of millions. They assumed that bombing would be the major part of the offensive and, therefore, thousands of children were evacuated into the countryside, where bombing would be a lot less intense or non-existent. Women and the elderly found themselves alone and having to be independent. One major social victory was the way women were viewed at the end of the war. With their vital participation in the domestic war effort and becoming part of the conscription in 1941, women were now viewed as being just as capable as their men-folk. The 'Home Front' had shown how dramatic their war effort was and, in return, their equal rights began to be recognised. The war was not just fought on the beaches, but on the home front as well. But it wasn't all doom and gloom, as this album of cheerful and inspiring wartime favourites perfectly shows.