Cthulu by searchlight.
Although Great Britain declared war on Germany on September 3rd 1940, Britain had started to prepare for the Second World War at least a year before it actually started. This war would not just involve soldiers. The government expected the war to disrupt and threaten the lives of civilians left at home. Therefore, between 1938 and 1939, the government thought of all the possible dangers and difficulties the Home Front would face during war. At first there was more an element of farce about the war. Indeed from September to May no serious incidents happened, the most Aggressive acts being the dropping of propaganda leaflets. The French called this period ' drole de gurre, the Americans 'phoney war'. Others talked of a new 'bore war', this phrase Partly came about due to the closing of cinemas, and theatres. This said aggressive acts did happen, such as the sinking of the Athena.It was really only after Dunkirk that people started to take the war seriously, the threat of invasion as well as air battles overhead brought home to people the fact that they were at war, and in danger. The Battle of Britain began on 13 August 1940, although Churchill had used the term as early as 18 June. 'Britain united' was born (this went as far as the Arsenal manager, and the whole team demonstrating team work).
| Reason | Effect |
| Lack of local knowlage | -25% on all navigation roles |
| Strangers('you not be from round here') | -25% on all Chr rolls |
| Lack of contacts | -25% on credit rating |
Britain was blacked out on September 1st, 1939 two days before the outbreak of war, but it was not enemy bombs but the blackout that caused the first casualties. The Blackout imposed on all civilians in all cities was absolute. No chinks of light, no see through curtains, no car headlights. Even the red glow of a cigarette was banned. Britain was plunged into complete darkness.
Road casualties more than doubled and by the New Year more than 20% of the population had come to grief in one way or another in the blackout. People fell into ditches, tripped over kerbs or stumbled into the path of an oncoming car.
The Using Of Torches PermittedBy the New Year it was widely agreed by the authorities that restrictions needed to be lifted to try and alleviate the numbers of pedestrian accidents. One measure was the issuing of a small pocket torch (the No. 8). However No. 8 batteries for these torches were scarce and most people continued to wander aimlessly in the dark. If you were lucky enough to have batteries it was necessary to place tissue paper over the main beam of the torch and point it downwards. The torches could be used to hail a bus during the Blackout but the Ministry of Information stated that the following must be adhered to.
Blackout procedures were modified. Council workers were out in force, painting white bands round all posts, boxes and other obstacles along important streets, and picking out kerbs and crossways with white markings. All traffic lights were now fitted with blackout shields, which allowed only a small cross of light to be seen instead of the usual full circle.
HOUSEHOLDS IN THE BLACKOUT
The Government ensured that there was enough Blackout material for each household. Blackout material had to be readily available but cheap enough even for the poorest families. In most cases black cotton fabric was used meaning that the bigger the house you had the more you had to pay for your windows to be covered. Except the local vicar who was given a certain amount of sympathy when asked to Blackout his vicarage.
Putting up Blackout material proved more time consuming than was first imagined and quickly became a tedious chore for most familiesFamilies could spend a long time putting up the Blackout materials only to find that one thickness of fabric was not enough to stop light from escaping and drawing the attention of a A.R.P. warden or eagle eyed neighbour. Indeed two or three thicknesses was often required before all light was snuffed out. Even pinning these sheets to window frames could prove troublesome. Householders were lucky if they had wooden frames but many had stone or metal frames proving that hanging this fabric could be an achievement in itself. Some tried to save time by lining their windows with black paper and pins. This was fine initially but with the continuous taking down and putting back up this method didn't last long!
With the introduction of the Blackout came stringent regulations and harsh punishment for people that did not adhere to these rules. The local A.R.P. could report anyone to the local authorities if any sign of a light was seen. Many householders would sit and wait for that knock on the door to tell them they had a chink of light shining from their homes. Being reported could lead to a hefty fine or in some cases an appearance in court.
BUSINESSES WERE HIT HARD FactoriesBusinesses faced even greater difficulties with the introduction of the Blackout. Many factories had glass roofs which had to be painted black meaning that workers had to work day and night under the glare of artificial lights. This proved difficult for workers by affecting their morale and expensive for their employers.
Local ShopkeepersLocal shopkeepers didn't fair much better either. As well as darkening their windows they had the added dilemma of how customers could leave their shops without any light escaping. The solution meant a double door much like a photographer's dark room where people would open one door and shut it behind them before opening the main shop door.
CRIME DURING THE BLACKOUTPeople complained bitterly that the Blackout saw crime rocket, particularly petty crime such as pick pocketing and the raiding of vegetable patches. Crime did increase but not as much as people exaggerated. The simple fact is that petty criminals could never be sure if people were at home or not during the Blackout and often thought it better not to take the chance of breaking into houses in case they came face to face with the householder!
DRIVING IN THE BLACKOUTDue to the high road casualties in 1940 the speed limit for motorists was reduced to 20 mph during the Blackout. Central white lines were painted in the middle of roads (which are still with us today) and curb edges were painted white as well. Motorists were told how they should prepare and use their car in the Blackout. They were told that they should display no interior lights and use a slit mask (comprising of 3 horizontal slits) for the headlamp, an ingenious invention introduced in 1940. Indicators had to be dimmed and the red rear lamp also had to be reduced. In reality lights were so dim and pointed downwards that most motorists could not see the signs as to where they were going. Eventually due to this and also petrol rationing fewer and fewer cars were seen on the road during World War Two.
Kerb finders could also be used which were attached to a walking stick or umbrella.
Pedestrians were reminded also that they should always walk facing the traffic and that they should carry or wear something white. Armbands were also worn that were luminous in the dark. These were exposed to the daylight to absorb light and emitted light in darkness.
A LIGHT HEARTED VIEW OF THE BLACKOUTDespite the strict Blackout regulations enforced on a tired Britain, Britons did not lose their spirit as the following comic strip proved in the darker days of World War Two. This humour under pressure is one of the enduring images of the Blitz. In the end it proved that mass terror bombing did not break civilian moral, here or in Germany.
BLACKOUT TURNS TO DIM-OUTThe Dim-out was introduced in September 1944 and meant that lighting the equivalent of moonlight could at long last be introduced. However the authorities still insisted that a full Blackout should be imposed if an alert was sounded. People all over the country breathed a sigh of relief. The Blackout was a restriction imposed on ordinary people that was both unpopular and often resented because of the time it wasted. Full lighting of streets that had not been seen since before the war eventually came in April 1945. Symbolically for Londoners it was the illumination of Big Ben that ended the Blackout in London. This came on the 30th April 1945, 5 years and 123 days to the day of when the Blackout descended on Britain.
At night players must make a luck roll to avoid an accident. If they fail and they have a stick or similar object have them delayed for an hour.If players have a torch they do not have to make the luck rol. If they have neither then they have a nasty accident, and take 1d6 hits. Driving in the black out is more dangerous, players have to make a driving roll to avoid accidents even when driving in a straight line. For any genuine hazards they half their skill.
The Government also tried to encourage people to grow food on every available piece of land 'Dig for victory' as the slogan went. Numerous campeghns were launched against waste includine that cthuloid horror the Saunder Bug. Of course there was also the 'dif for victory' campaign, this not only referd to the gorw your own ideal, but to the wider total mobilisation of Britain (indead it is true to say that the British were further along this road then the germans). All joined in, RAF pilots grew Radishes next to the runways, Hampton court and Sandrigham had flourishing potato gardens. Hyde park had a Pigery, and other british parks added their land to the attempt to make Britain self sufficant. Alotmonts grew up in every town and city, and almost every Englishman became a farmer.
Credit rating should for all players be 10% lower (there is less of every thing).
| Str | 1d6, avg 3 |
| Con | 1d6, avg 3 |
| Dex | 3d6, avg 8 |
| Chr | 4d6, avg 12 |
| Pow | 5d5, avg 15 |
| Int | 3d6, avg 7 |
Weapons
Bite 50% damage 1d3
'no person shall display any sign which furnishes any indication of the name of, of the situation or the direcion of, or the distance to, any place'this at least seems to have confused one German spy who in his report seems to have taken the name of a post office proprietor (Mrs Tonbridge) for a place name). It was forbidden to ring church bells, as they were to be used only as the pre-invasion warning, in 1942 they rang for the first time in years to celebrate Monty�s victory at El-Alamain. In December 1941 more controls were brought in (including the end of 'block reservations') , and still further austerity controls in February 1942.
Once a session each player should be stoped by some jobsworth, and have his papers examined. The players need to make a luck roll to avoid beging held for questioning (there is some minor discrepency, or the questioner is just incomptant) for 12 hours.
The situation on the trains was somewhat different. There was no actual rationing of train services, but there was a reduction in the availability of passenger services (By 1944 the number of passenger trains had fallen by thirds, although each of these carried twice as many people as before the war). Spare parts grew increasingly rare as the war went on, railway yards had been taken over by the ministry of supply for making munitions. The rolling stock became increasingly obsolete, and was kept in service until it finally gave up the ghost. The pre-war quality of Britains railways gave way to austerity, rolling stock, and engines became shabby, and unkept. The passenger carriages were no longer heated, and lack refurbishment. By 1942 the situation on Britains railways was so bad that America sent over 400 locomotives, and even drivers and firemen (despite the govements claim that the railways were' a vital national service' around 100000 railway men had been called up early in the war, and in 1943 it was necessary to redirect men and women to work on the railways). The arrival of the American locos meant that in some areas you had the sight of "wild west" trains driven by coloured crew chuffing round the new forest.
Travel by train had become very uncomfortable, standing in crowded corridors became a sign of the times. During air raids trains were completely blacked out, when the siren went that had to stop at the next station to let passengers off to take shelter, or choose to continue their journey at a snails pace. The speed limit on the railways during a black out was 15 MPH before November 1940, it was raised to 20 MPH after this. This as well as less frequent services lead to long delays, and long waits for a train became part of the shared national experience of war. the windows of tube trains were covered up to protect passengers from flying glass except for a small diamond shaped slit, this added to the difficulties by making it difficult to see which station you were at. Despite this most people accepted the decline in service, even if this was accompanied by a three fold increase in fairs during the war years. People took to hart the slogan 'is your journey really necessary'. The other branch of the public transport system the buses (and trams) also suffered. Quite literally hit by the Blitz, indeed by 1941 many bus services had been withdrawn altogether (this was especially true of the country). In London so many buses were lost to air raids that others were borrowed from other cites (a favour later returned to cities such as Coventry). Another reason for the shortage was that many buses had been turned into emergency ambulances. In order to get trough buses started to take strange routs to avoid craters ( or UXB`s). During the winter of 1940/41 London alone lost 156 bus and tram drivers killed, as well as around 400 injured. Another wartime 'tradition' (and now one of the icons of British culture?), queuing for a bus, was made compulsory in April 1942. some of the strain was taken up by lorries, which now acted as buses. to help travellers the numbers on trams in London were transferred from top front to the sides, in order to conform to blackout regulations. Another sign of the times were 8 foot wide trams from South Africa on the streets of Barking and Ilford.
The taxi also had some unusual wartime service, many London taxis were converted to auxiliary fire engines (with the addition of trailer mounted pumps). Others were used as ambulances.
Lastly mention must be made of the horse. During the war horse drawn delivery vans were still commonplace. The drivers were advised to tie up there horses during raids, and this reveals the main weakness ( during the war) of this mode of transport, animals do not like load bangs. Horses also found a role on the roads, those who had access to them could and did use them instead of their cars (those who did not have a horse often used bikes).
The theatres, dance halls, and cinemas had been closed early in the war (and to this was added that 'Football matches and outdoor meetings of all kinds which bring in large numbers together are prohibited until further notice'). This meant that the only forms of entertainment open to people was either the pub or BBC radio (the BBC's fledgling TV service was shut during the war, it restarted with the program it had shut down with, a Mickey Mouse cartoon!). But the fears some expressed about an increase in alcoholism did not materialise, and is another illustration of the snobbery that still persisted. Although the BBC suffered some criticism for the nature of its output, on the whole it seems most people were satisfied with the programs. Until February 1940 the BBC was reduced to just one service (the home service) In February 1940 the BBC added its only other wartime service, "the forces program", although despite it s name most of its listeners were not in the services.
Eventually the theatres reopened(the Windmill never shut, and the Tiller girls became a symbol of the of courage, as well as sex ), although not to everyone's likely, some clergy especially. There was a greater awareness of 'living theatre'. Although the content did vary, especially after the arrival of the Americans. 'This is the army' which was seen by the Royal family featured the striper 'Gypsy rose Lee'.
the 'appreciation' of art also increased during the war years. In January 1940 the govement set up the Council for Education in Music and the Arts (CEMA), with a grant of �25000. Its purpose was to help spread the arts out to the provinces, and to promote 'spiritual values' (not those of the kind that the churchmen meant though). CEMA organised exhibitions, tours and concerts all over the country, although Bevin thought it too `Ighbrow).
Music too became an important part of the morale war. But it also suffered before Russia entered the war the Croydon Times felt it necessary to remind its readers that Tschaikovky wrote under the rule of the Tsars, nit the Bolshivics. After Russias entry into the war this wa no longer an problom (although the BBC had doubts about playing the internationale along with the other allied national anthems. The BBC also had probloms of conscience over Wagner. The BBC were not alone in this, although the directer of the Hastings Municiple Orchastra denied banning Wagner, he had just omitted certain items 'because they might suggets the Siegfried Line).
But for most people music meant one person, 'the forces farorite' Vera Lynn, and the popular songs, song both by civilians at home and solders overseas. Although with a few exceptions there were no real morale bosting songs, as there had been in the great war (except perhaps for 'Lili Marlene' ironicly in view of the treatment of Wagner a German song). Melody maker even sugested that leading dance-band musicains be given reserved occupation satus due their molake boosting efect.
Some songs were banned, although some for the most silly of reasons. for example 'Marching thru Gergia' was banned less it offended the sensibilitys of Americans from the southern states. The sone 'Wion-win-win-win with Churchill' was banned beacuse the lyrics were considerd not worthy of the subject.
Dancing, with the exception of the Jitterbug, was another of the more accpetable forms of entertainment. But the attempts to ban the Jitterbug failed. Everyware held dances, Camps, cafes, town halls , dance halls(wehn reopended), Sunday schools, weekday schools and any manner of private home. their were even teat dances. Dance music was so popular that the BBC was broadcasting 20 dance programs a week.
nd then there was sport, despite the early attempts to put a stop to it. Although football crods were limited to 15000 in 'safe' areas, and 8000 elsewhere. The leagues were regionalised, the pools were 'pooled', but neither the game nor the pools died. Clothing coupons were even issued for football kit. Whilst Lords reamined an unsulied temple to that English of games, Cricket (although the Australian prime minister John Curtin said 'Australians will allways fight fot those 22 yards'), Arsenal turned Highbury into an civil defense post, whist Twickenham was turned into alotments (as was Hurlingham polo ground). Tenis not to be outdone had home guards train at the All England tennis Club, rifle drill on center court? Golf of couse could not be left out by the war and wartime rules were introduced to cover the new hazards created by the war. the plans to turn the bourogh bowling green of Hythe failed despite the opinion that playing bowls in wartime was wrong.
The plight of the refuges was perhaps the most targic, and unforgivable. Having fled the tyranies of the faschist states they were, at the start of the war, interned on the Isle of Man in the Summer of 1940 (and kept in what ammounted to concentration camps).
The American armed forces landed in January 1942, and replaced the canadians then garrisoning Ulster. There had however been Americans in the RAF`s Eagle squadron during the battle of Britain, and these were transfered as a whole to the USAAF. American also suppied vast quantatys of aid, not only thru lend lease, but through direct acts of charity from both individuals and organsiations. The Americans also brought over their 'Negro' troops, not only men, but also women. Generaly (altough not always true) they were not subject to rascism, indead it seems that they were on the whole highly popular, especialy with the ladys. So much so that the US army had to ask that there was less fratinisation.
There was one othr class of foreigners in Britain POWS.The Italians were the most numerous at first, and also the most tolerated. Indead there was even a degree of fratanisation. The Germans however seem to have been regarded in a differant light, and enjoyed far less freedom. One reson was Italys cahnging of sides in 1943, and the fact that suddenly the Italian POW`s were now allies. There was of course also spies, and the dreaded fifth column, although the Axis intelegence effort was appaling and had been thoughly infiltrated by MI-5. In fact the fear of the fifth column was far more of a threat then any actual danger possed by German agents. It was found necessary to make the speading of rumors a punishable offence.
© S. SlaterMMI