Keeping Well During War: Health and Illness on the Home Front

Keeping Well During War: Health and Illness on the Home Front

As you know, we recently explored pregnancy and childbirth on Britain’s Home Front during the Second World War. Today I want to look a little more closely at health and discover how ordinary people coped with illness, shortages, fear, and medical care in wartime.

When the war started in 1939, Britain was facing an uncertain future. Many people were afraid of the bombs and of possible invasion but they were also worried of what war might mean for their health. Hospitals were prepared for mass casualties, doctors and nurses were facing growing pressure, and families wondered if  medical care would be to them if it was needed.

The government acted quickly. The Emergency Medical Service was established. Hospitals were organised to deal with large numbers of wounded civilians and service personnel, temporary wards and first-aid stations were set up across the country. This must have given them some reassurance, but the fear must have still remained.

When the Blitz started with a terrifying intensity. With the air raids came injuries ranging from burns and fractures to shock and even exhaustion. The ambulance crews, nurses and doctors worked with the volunteers in these dangerous conditions. Amazingly, some hospitals even treated casualties while the bombs were still falling. Families that were sheltering in the underground or in public shelters faced cramped conditions and poor sleep. This must have caused anxiety that would have affected both their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Illness did not disappear just because Britain was at war. Colds, flu, childhood infections, and many chronic illnesses could still hit families hard. Tuberculosis was still a very serious issue, in particular in areas where there was overcrowding. Wartime shortages would have also placed pressure on healthcare. Certain medicines and medical supplies became harder to get hold of, and doctors were often forced to work with limited resources, as many of the supplies were needed at the front.

Medical care was made even more difficult on the home front because of wartime demands that  stretched doctors and nurses. Some medical staff joined the armed forces or served in military hospitals in order to care for the wounded servicemen.

But the war also encouraged new approaches to public health. Antenatal clinics, infant welfare centres, and local health services became even more important. Vaccination campaigns continued, particularly against diseases such as diphtheria, which had  terrified parents. Health visitors and midwives would have played vital roles in communities, they would have checked on mothers, babies, and on vulnerable families.

Perhaps surprisingly, rationing sometimes actually improved health in some ways. Before the war, poorer families sometimes struggled to afford nutritious food. Wartime rationing was by no means luxurious and it could be frustrating, but it did help to distribute essentials fairly. Milk, vegetables, cod liver oil, and vitamin supplements became part of government health schemes.

Many children received cod liver oil and rosehip syrup through schools and welfare clinics. Many even experienced improved nutrition compared with before the war.

Even so, good health was fragile. Sleepless nights, being separated from loved ones, and the constant uncertainty and fear would have taken their toll. People carried on because they had little choice, but under the resilience and the bravery there must have often been exhaustion and worry.

The Home Front was not only a battle against enemy aircraft and shortages. It was also an often silent struggle to stay healthy, hopeful, and cared for in some of the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Do you think wartime Britain strengthened public health despite the hardships?