British Society,
1939-1951
Stephen Rhind-Tutt
Jan 2022
rhindtutt@coherentdigital.net

Unique documentation ofmarginalized groups
when British society was under its
greatest stress

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British Society, 1939-1950• Exclusive, previously undigitized files
from 11 government departments, aswell as associated adverts andpropaganda• Sourced from the UK National

Archives & the History of Advertising
Trust• 117,000 pages from 1938-1957• Social, economic, political, andMAF 59/18: Women’s Land Army, Recruiting
Posters

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cultural coverage, including gender,
health, race, education, labour,domestic conditions, food studies,childhood, and more.

HLG 900/41 : Mrs. Hayman’s report on theRotherhithe Day Nursery, October 1939

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Unique insights into how policy was madeData
Statistics and narrative
detailing the situation• Reports• Surveys• Letters from the Public• Statistical Data
• Maps, Charts, and Diagrams
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AnalysisGovernment interpretation
and response• Briefings• Official••

Correspondence
Meeting Minutes
Memoranda

PolicyImplementation andpropaganda• Advertisements• Pamphlets, Posters• Film and Broadcast Transcripts• Press Summaries andPublications

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Topical Coverage

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Learning and research tools
Research Tools• In-depth subject indexing• Table-of-contents for each file with detailedabstract.
Glossary of key government people•• Organizational directory
Learning Tools• Video introductions• Subject essays• Lesson plans• Reading lists and document-based questions
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6Impact of war on business and society•••

Reports on living conditions, social tensions and crowd psychology during air raids.
Photographic and narrative surveys of bomb damage.
Surveys of demographic and industrial changes at a national and local level.

HO 207/386: Instructions to shelter
wardens on how to control crowd
disorders in public shelters, June 1941.
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Domestic roles and labor• Efforts to redefine the role of women• Public information adverts promoting
government policy• Ministry of Information film scripts andproduction documents.

• “Kitchen Front” radio broadcast
transcripts

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History ofAdvertising
Trust: O&M
wartimebook no 3,1940

Race Relations & Refugees• Policy documents on the status of foreignnationals, and reports on their experiences.
• Reports on racial tensions and anti-Semitism• Coordination of domestic programmes with therest of the world, and surveys other countries’
experience.

Appeal for a refugee detained
as an “enemy alien”, July 1940

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HO 262/9: Anti-Semitism: minutes andreports. An anti-semitic pamphlet and a
discussion of strategies on how to counter it.

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Geographical Coverage•

Documentation on the Empire and its role
during the war, including surveys of attitudes
towards it.

•
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Comparative statistics from around the world11

International Editorial Board• Dr Brett Holman,••

University of New England, Australia
Dr David Clampin,Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Dr Juliette Pattinson,
University of Kent, UK• Professor Daniel Ussishkin,

University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA• Dr Karen Schaller,

University of East Anglia, UK

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12In-depth file information
Ministerial collections•CAB 71 - War Cabinet, Lord President's Committee, Minutes and Papers.
•CAB 74 - War Cabinet, Food Policy Committee, Minutes and Papers.
•ED 136/111-128 - Board of Education and successors, Private Office, Files and Papers: Evacuation papers.
•ED 138/48-53 - Board of Education and Ministry of Education: Second World War and General Historical Survey: Evacuation papers.
•FO 371 - Foreign Office: Political Departments: General Correspondence from 1906-1966. Political: General: Refugees. Advisory Council on Aliens.
•HLG 82 - Ministry of Works and Buildings, Nuffield College Social Reconstruction Survey, Reports and Papers.
•HLG 900 - Ministry of Health: Evacuation Schemes and Billeting Arrangements, Second World War, Specimens of Series of Documents Destroyed.
Government Evacuation Scheme.
•HO 192 - Ministry of Home Security: Research and Experiments Department, Registered Papers, General Survey of Damage in Great Britain (Birmingham).
•HO 199/381-487 - Ministry of Home Security, Intelligence Branch, Registered Files: Civil intelligence papers.
•HO 203 - Ministry of Home Security, Daily Intelligence Reports.
•HO 262 - Ministry of Information, Home Intelligence Files.
•LAB 6/7-94 - Ministry of Labour and National Service. Sub-Committees on Military Recruitment; Reserved Occupations and Manpower Priorities: Minutes.
Local records•HLG 7 - Ministry of Health: Second World War Special Wartime Functions, Registered Files (LN and other series) and Papers. Evacuation: Regional Officers'Reports.
•HO 205 - Ministry of Home Security: 'O' Division: Correspondence and Papers.
•HO 207 - Ministry of Home Security: Civil Defence Regions, Headquarters and Regional Files.
•MAF 59 - Board of Agriculture, Women’s Land Army: Correspondence, papers and minutes of Committees.
•MAF 67 - Ministry of Food, Food Control Committees, Select Minutes.
•WO 199 - War Office, Military Headquarters Papers: Home Guard papers and histories.
Propaganda collections•INF 6/326-675 - Central Office of Information and Predecessors: Film Production Documents: Wartime films.
•MAF 102/2-7 - Ministry of Food, Public Relations Group: Kitchen Front Broadcasts.
•HAT OM - History of Advertising Trust: Wartime Guard Books
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Software Features• Currently available on theT&F platform• Migration to the Commons
Platform by Sept. 2022
• New tools include••••

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Links to open content
Ability to upload content
Improved performance
Modern design

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Value for small and large research institutions‘An exceptional resource which allows students and researchers alike todive deeply into virtually all aspects of the British home front during theSecond World War. From the official and public face of the war to therumours that spread like fire, from the individual experiences of civilians
under aerial bombardment to government effort to manage the total war
economy - it’s all here.’
Brett Holman, University of New England (Australia)‘The sheer volume of material available here deserves recognition: this is
not a partial nor selective review, but rather a comprehensive catalogue ofvarious aspects of British society during the Second World War.’David Clampin, Liverpool John Moores UniversitySample customers
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