Outbreak and the early days
This country is at war
The declaration of war with Germany on the third of September
1939 did not come as a surprise to the people of Britain or show
them unprepared. For a number of years the country had been
preparing to defend itself in the event of a war. In 1939 the
Government’s immediate fear was for the country to be hit by mass
air raids and gas attacks. In Southampton barrage balloons
were raised into the sky and anti aircraft batteries were quickly
organised to defend against this. There had already been a
trial blackout exercise in Southampton as early as 1937 as part
of the coastal defence measures planned, this was
imposed and light leakage was checked by vigilant air raid wardens
patrolling the streets. Preparations were made to protect
the public buildings by using bags filled with sand that were
then stacked against the walls. Public shelters were
created and Anderson shelters given out to homes with gardens.
Throughout Southampton’s history the port has always been an
embarkation point for troops departing for war. This was no
different during World War Two. At the outbreak of war the
docks shipped out the British Expeditionary Force and their
supplies. The BEF was a home based regular army that was
created to enable Britain to respond quickly, the force was sent
over the channel to support the French army against the German
invasion. Phoney War
The phoney war is a phrase that refers to the time directly after
war had been declared with Germany and lasted from September 1939
until May 1940. The expected mass fighting and air attacks
did not initially occur, an all out war had been expected and
in reality nothing really happened those first eight
months. In April 1940 German troops invaded Norway and
Demark and moved towards Northern France entering the country in
May and began forcing the retreat of the British and French troops
back to the town of Dunkerque and the surrounding beaches.
What occurred then was the rescue of some 300,000 soldiers from the
British Expeditionary Force and the French army by the
British Navy and a flotilla of support vessels that
volunteered or were commandeered for the task.
During this period an evacution programme had begun, when the
expected bombing didn't happen many of those who had been in the
first wave of evacuations from key towns and
areas returned to their homes despite government adverts
urging them not to. Southampton's children were amongst the
first to be sent away and many did return only to be evacuated a
second time when the phoney war was over and the real one
began.
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