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The Second World War was the cause of more civilian casualties, many of them young people, than of military. In Britain, young people were on the frontline, facing the threat of enemy invasion and the fragmentation of daily life.
Their education was disrupted as their schools were taken over by the government, military and Air Raid Precautions (ARP); as pupils were evacuated and staff conscripted; curriculum was diluted and part-time schooling instituted; and concerns over food and accommodation increased.
Along with the physical dangers of bombing and disease caused by deprivation and social dislocation, youngsters endured psychological and emotional pressure from anxieties over home and family.
Young people worked in industry and agriculture, served in the Home Guard and ARP, carried out voluntary activities in health and welfare, and prepared for military service as cadets and in uniformed organizations.
School buildings aided the war effort as military headquarters, training centers and research centers for weapons development and were often bombed.
About the author
Dr Mike Osborne's interest in fortification began with childhood visits to castles, and has developed over the years to include all aspects of the topic, from Iron-Age forts to Cold War bunkers. He was a volunteer-coordinator for the Defence of Britain Project, recording the military structures of the twentieth-century, and, after a thirty-year-career in education, took early retirement. Since then, he has produced nearly twenty books on topics that range from Civil War sieges and fortifications, to drill halls and twentieth-century military structures. He has also written a series of county surveys of defences, as well as the best-selling Defending Britain.
Summary
This book shows Britain's youngsters adapting to the conditions of the Second World War, with many of their schools fulfilling military roles. They endured physical danger from bombing and disease; worked in industry and agriculture; served in the Home Guard and ARP; volunteered in health and welfare; and prepared for military service as cadets.
