Propaganda played a major role in World War II: the British government used it to their advantage.
Advertising changed and propaganda campaigns were used to influence people to support the war effort in every way possible. It became extremely powerful during these challenging times and was cleverly used to create a general public that was 100% behind the Allied efforts.
One of the government’s first tasks during WW2 was to recreate the World War I Ministry of Information to influence the population into supporting the war campaign.
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Ministry of Information
After war was declared on 1st September 1939, the Ministry of Information was set up on 4th September. With its own Minister of Information Lord Hugh Macmillan at the helm, its official role was to promote the case for war to the general public by issuing “national propaganda” and controlling the media, news and information.
Responsible for issuing official news, managing censorship and providing publicity at home and overseas in Allied and neutral countries to support the war effort, all public information produced by the ministry during the war had to reflect the official government line. It was designed to keep the population’s spirits up and made its way into every walk of life.
It even popped up in wartime recipe books, which detailed nutritious meals that could be cooked, despite rationing. With the aim of being optimistic, it was initially predicted that normal food supplies would soon return. In reality, rationing continued long after the end of the war in 1945 – it was still in place until 1954.
Operation Pied Piper
When Operation Pied Piper was launched, encouraging children and vulnerable people to evacuate from cities to rural areas, particularly during the Blitz, a targeted campaign urged families to participate for their own safety.
Cities such as London were suffering almost nightly air raids by the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, with people rushing to spend the night in underground shelters to avoid the constant barrage of bombs. Despite the dangers, some parents were still reluctant to send their children to live with strangers in the countryside.
The government did everything in its power to make sure families took part in Operation Pied Piper. Traditional forms of propaganda, such as newspapers and posters, were joined by new media, including Pathe newsreels, films at the cinema and radio broadcasts.
Had they been able to use the modern social media channels that we have today, the message could instantly have reached a much wider audience!
Posters and leaflets
The majority of people depended mainly on printed publicity material. Many couldn’t afford to go to the cinema, and it was long before everyone had a TV in their home.
For this reason, the main thrust of Operation Pied Piper saw posters springing up all over London, urging families to evacuate their children. Pamphlets were handed out, advising that they shouldn’t come back until it was truly safe.
In order to encourage host families to take in the evacuees, apart from offering them a financial incentive of 7s 6d for each child’s keep, the ministry organised another propaganda campaign to praise the individuals and families who took evacuees in.
One poster depicted a housewife standing in a line of uniformed women, welcoming evacuees. The simple message was that the ordinary housewife’s role was just as important to the war effort as that of the Armed Forces. Targeting women in a way that was seen as appealing, it emphasised that their role on the Home Front was as carers, to “keep the home fires burning”.
The propaganda also told evacuees what to take with them: it suggested packing only a small suitcase with clothing, personal possessions, a sandwich for the train journey and of course their gas mask.
Other propaganda championed saving metal to recycle in the munition’s factories and growing vegetables for people on the Home Front to eat. This was one of WW2’s most famous campaigns, known as Dig for Victory.
Keep calm and carry on
Another propaganda campaign in 1939 urged people to keep their chin up and keep smiling. It was released in three stages, the first poster proclaiming, “Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory.” This was followed up by a second poster, which said, “Freedom is in peril, defend it with all your might.”
Both posters were pasted on public billboard sites across the land. However, people didn’t seem to like them, and the negative response led to the third poster containing the message, “Keep calm and carry on”, being withdrawn. Ironically, in modern times, this message is very well-known and can be seen emblazoned on everything from mugs and t-shirts to tea-towels and pyjamas!
Wartime propaganda was important for defeating the Nazis because it was used by the government to boost public faith, empowering people with the confidence to believe Britain could win the war. It was all about morale and keeping people’s spirits up, especially when their loved ones were overseas fighting on the frontline.
Test of independence
The War tested the BBC’s independence, as it was a case of trying to give reports a positive slant, without actually lying. The government and the military had discussed using the BBC to counter crude propaganda coming from the Nazis. There was even talk of taking over the BBC in the early days of the war.
Both sides dropped leaflets and some of those reaching British troops made the government angry. When the United States entered the war in December 1941, leading to American troops being stationed on British shores, Germany started a propaganda campaign to try and undermine the Allies’ unity.
Leaflets were dropped on British troops showing a crude drawing of a grave with a helmet on top and carrying the message, “British soldiers! You are fighting and dying far away from your country, while the Yanks are putting up their tents in merry old England! They’ve got lots of money and loads of time to chase after your women.”
Even some British broadcasters didn’t support the war and felt peace terms should be agreed. Under the pseudonym, “Lord Haw-Haw”, William Joyce began putting out his own radio propaganda from Hamburg, Germany, promoting negative views towards the Allies.
The government wanted to use the BBC to counter this and planned to take over the airwaves, but the broadcaster disagreed. They argued that putting out “clumsy rebuttals” at the government’s request would dignify Haw-Haw’s propaganda, undermining the trust of the audience back home.
The BBC insisted a “trusted news source” for audiences at home and overseas was a “more potent weapon” than a blatant propaganda machine.
Economical with the truth
The government recognised that the BBC should report events “truthfully and accurately”, but not in any great detail if it would jeopardise operations or endanger the civilian population. As a result, the BBC reported setbacks as well as success stories.
However, the reports were economical with the truth and would report that bombs had fallen, causing casualties, but they wouldn’t reveal the location or time of the attack, nor how many casualties there were – so the enemy wouldn’t find out which of its aircraft had hit their target.
For the duration of the war, broadcasters were banned from talking about the “unmentionables”. No references to the weather could be made, in case it revealed the conditions for bombing, giving the enemy an insight into the Allies’ plans. Other topics that couldn’t be mentioned were the names of military regiments and the location of members of the Royal Family.
Everyone had different experiences and individuals had varied views about the way their life was going. Although it was difficult to determine how the people on the Home Front really felt and whether the government propaganda had the desired effect, the saying, “United we stand,” seemed to be the case.
The government campaigns such as “Dig for Victory” and “Wings for Victory Week” pulled all the nation together to bolster morale and reassure people the war was going well.
Remembrance Sunday
This year, 75 years after the end of WWII, people across the world will be remembering those brave individuals who lost their lives defending our freedom in times of conflict. Join us here at Page1 in paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedom of future generations. We will remember them.
