What life was like during the Battle of Britain

Have you ever wondered what life was like in Great Britain during the Battle of Britain? This post will guide you around daily life during the Battle of Britain, showing you how an ordinary civilian would have lived during these times.

Rationing

Today, whenever a person goes shopping, he or she can buy as much as they want. But during the Battle of Britain, there was a limit to how much you could buy. The Germans had cut off food supplies, so rationing was introduced to make sure everyone got their fair share of what was left. Everybody got a ration book with coupons for certain items.

A poster showing how rationing helps.

A ration coupon for sugar.

Air raids

Air raids were almost daily during the Battle of Britain. There were many bomb shelters across Britain. Whenever bombers were spotted, a very loud siren was sounded to warn people so they could get to their shelters in time. Somebody was always on duty to turn on this siren. The siren could be heard all over.

An air raid siren.

An Anderson bomb shelter.

No fuel!

During the Battle of Britain, ordinary people were not allowed any fuel, because all of it was being used by the army. The wheels of cars also had to be removed, so they wouldn't be stolen. And no lights were allowed after dark, so that bombers wouldn't see. A thick black liquid had to be coated over windows at night so the light wouldn't shine through.