871: At the Battle of Ashdown, King Ethelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred ('the Great') defeat the Danes.
1918: US President Woodrow Wilson reveals his 14-point peace plan for a new world order after World War One.
1940: Britain introduces food rationing with bacon, butter and sugar the first commodities affected.
When World War Two broke out in September 1939, it was not uncommon in Britain to hear the remark, 'It'll all be over by Christmas!' - just as people had said that World War One would be over by Christmas 1914.
Unknown to people at the time, however, there would be five Christmases before May 1945, when this war was 'all over'. By that time the government's drive for maximum productivity had ensured that summer holidays were done away with, that Guy Fawkes' night had disappeared - the victim of blackout regulations - and that Easter eggs had disappeared, but at least the Christmas holiday still remained.
An excellent way, therefore, to study the home front in Britain during the war years is to take a look at how Christmas was celebrated during those years. It was celebrated all over Britain, in the towns and villages, on farms and in the cities, by rich and poor, old and young, so it can provide us with a series of varied annual snapshots, giving a picture of how conditions on the home front changed throughout the country, as the war progressed.
1939 - 1940
23 December 1940; a family celebrate Christmas early, as the father is on duty on Christmas Day For many, the first wartime Christmas was little different from how it had always been. There were a few extra restrictions, which affected some aspects of the seasonal festivities, but these were minimal - blackout regulations, for example, killed off the traditional sight of lit-up Christmas trees in people's front windows, and shop displays were obscured by anti-blast tape on the windows.
Food was not yet rationed, although in November 1939 the Minister of Food announced that butter and bacon were going to be rationed, starting in January. The government spent some time debating whether extra spending at Christmas should be discouraged; some maintained it was good for morale, but the Chancellor insisted that money should not be wasted. Few people took notice of these concerns in any case - with rationing coming, everyone was determined to enjoy the festive season, and hotels were fully booked, as were restaurants.
With rationing coming, everyone was determined to enjoy the festive season.
For many families, however, absence marked the traditional family get-together. Younger men might well be 'somewhere in France' with the British Expeditionary Force, and hundreds of thousands of city children had already been evacuated from their homes and sent to live in the country.
Throughout the last months of 1939 some of these evacuees had begun a gradual drift-back home, which was already a concern for the government. Families were discouraged from bringing their children back to the cities at Christmas time, in case too many were tempted to stay at home afterwards. Parties were laid on in many of the country areas where the children had been sent, to help them enjoy their stay; £15,000 (equivalent to about £500,000 today) was raised by various sources, such as newspapers, to entertain these visitors at Christmas.
Further-flung family members would also have found their journeys home difficult, as travel restrictions were beginning to bite; in September petrol rationing had been introduced, and rail travel was discouraged.
For most people, however, this was a happy time, and people spent freely on presents. Many gifts were topical; for children, miniature Red Cross, RAF or naval uniforms were popular. The usual card games - which that year included 'Blackout', and 'Vacuation' - were also available, as were many 'annual' books, including the Blackout Book.
For adults, topical gifts included steel or Bakelite helmets, and gas mask cases in Rexine or leather. People were encouraged to buy French food and drink, and as a result many troops in France, especially officers, received parcels from home that included French produce.
1918: US President Woodrow Wilson reveals his 14-point peace plan for a new world order after World War One.
1940: Britain introduces food rationing with bacon, butter and sugar the first commodities affected.
When World War Two broke out in September 1939, it was not uncommon in Britain to hear the remark, 'It'll all be over by Christmas!' - just as people had said that World War One would be over by Christmas 1914.
Unknown to people at the time, however, there would be five Christmases before May 1945, when this war was 'all over'. By that time the government's drive for maximum productivity had ensured that summer holidays were done away with, that Guy Fawkes' night had disappeared - the victim of blackout regulations - and that Easter eggs had disappeared, but at least the Christmas holiday still remained.
An excellent way, therefore, to study the home front in Britain during the war years is to take a look at how Christmas was celebrated during those years. It was celebrated all over Britain, in the towns and villages, on farms and in the cities, by rich and poor, old and young, so it can provide us with a series of varied annual snapshots, giving a picture of how conditions on the home front changed throughout the country, as the war progressed.
1939 - 1940
23 December 1940; a family celebrate Christmas early, as the father is on duty on Christmas Day For many, the first wartime Christmas was little different from how it had always been. There were a few extra restrictions, which affected some aspects of the seasonal festivities, but these were minimal - blackout regulations, for example, killed off the traditional sight of lit-up Christmas trees in people's front windows, and shop displays were obscured by anti-blast tape on the windows.
Food was not yet rationed, although in November 1939 the Minister of Food announced that butter and bacon were going to be rationed, starting in January. The government spent some time debating whether extra spending at Christmas should be discouraged; some maintained it was good for morale, but the Chancellor insisted that money should not be wasted. Few people took notice of these concerns in any case - with rationing coming, everyone was determined to enjoy the festive season, and hotels were fully booked, as were restaurants.
With rationing coming, everyone was determined to enjoy the festive season.
For many families, however, absence marked the traditional family get-together. Younger men might well be 'somewhere in France' with the British Expeditionary Force, and hundreds of thousands of city children had already been evacuated from their homes and sent to live in the country.
Throughout the last months of 1939 some of these evacuees had begun a gradual drift-back home, which was already a concern for the government. Families were discouraged from bringing their children back to the cities at Christmas time, in case too many were tempted to stay at home afterwards. Parties were laid on in many of the country areas where the children had been sent, to help them enjoy their stay; £15,000 (equivalent to about £500,000 today) was raised by various sources, such as newspapers, to entertain these visitors at Christmas.
Further-flung family members would also have found their journeys home difficult, as travel restrictions were beginning to bite; in September petrol rationing had been introduced, and rail travel was discouraged.
For most people, however, this was a happy time, and people spent freely on presents. Many gifts were topical; for children, miniature Red Cross, RAF or naval uniforms were popular. The usual card games - which that year included 'Blackout', and 'Vacuation' - were also available, as were many 'annual' books, including the Blackout Book.
For adults, topical gifts included steel or Bakelite helmets, and gas mask cases in Rexine or leather. People were encouraged to buy French food and drink, and as a result many troops in France, especially officers, received parcels from home that included French produce.