London Blitz

The words

1. Air Raid Siren

   Sirens sounded warnings of approaching raids. A surviving Air Raid Precautions card distinguished a wavering warning from a continuous tone meaning the raiders had passed.

   Card transcript, Air Raid Warning Signals · National Archives: warning card (opens a new tab)

2. Blitz

   The Blitz brought sustained German bombing to London and other British cities. The RAF Museum traces London’s large-scale attacks to September 7, 1940, when daylight raids continued into the night.

   RAF Museum: September 1940 raids (opens a new tab)

3. Churchill

   Winston Churchill was Britain’s prime minister during the Blitz. His first premiership lasted from 1940 to 1945; the official biography describes him leading an all-party coalition government.

   GOV.UK: Winston Churchill (opens a new tab)

4. Civilian

   Civilians lived through bombing while maintaining households and work. London Museum records people outside military service volunteering as wardens, firefighters and medical workers before the raids.

   Preparation and the “phoney war” · London Museum: the Blitz (opens a new tab)

5. Daylight Raids

   The opening attacks on London’s docks came in daylight on September 7, 1940. Bombers returned that night, linking the daytime raids with the sustained bombing that followed.

   RAF Museum: September 1940 raids (opens a new tab)

6. Docks

   The docks were London’s port facilities, where ships and warehouses handled goods. The RAF Museum identifies the docks of East London as targets of the September 7, 1940 raids.

   RAF Museum: September 1940 raids (opens a new tab)

7. East End

   The East End’s dockside districts were among the first areas hit in the sustained London raids. The RAF Museum records fires there still visible after the opening night.

   RAF Museum: September 1940 raids (opens a new tab)

8. Incendiary

   Incendiary bombs started fires. London Museum records their use against east London’s docks on September 7, 1940, connecting this term with the burning warehouses in the opening raids.

   When did the Blitz begin? · London Museum: the Blitz (opens a new tab)

9. London

   London became the focus of large-scale German attacks on September 7, 1940. The RAF Museum places this change of target within the wider campaign against Britain’s fighter defenses.

   RAF Museum: September 1940 raids (opens a new tab)

10. Morale

    Morale concerned people’s confidence under pressure. London Museum describes mutual help alongside fear and trauma, showing why the familiar image of cheerful endurance tells only part of the story.

    London Museum: the Blitz (opens a new tab)

11. Morrison

    The Morrison was an indoor steel shelter used inside a house. IWM’s catalog of Shelter at Home, a 1941 government film, describes one placed in a suburban living room.

    Did you know?

    In the film’s catalog description, a sheet is spread over the shelter and crockery is set out for tea. Its flat top could serve as a dining table.

    NPB 11071, description and production date · IWM: Shelter at Home, 1941 (opens a new tab)

12. Propaganda

    The government used films to encourage support for the war. London Museum identifies London Can Take It!, a 1940 propaganda film, with efforts to sustain morale.

    The Blitz spirit · London Museum: the Blitz (opens a new tab)

13. Shelter

    Londoners sought protection in many kinds of shelter. London Museum records official shelters alongside improvised refuges in shop basements, church crypts and the Tilbury shelter beneath a warehouse.

    Did you know?

    Shared shelters could develop their own social life. The museum describes singing and Christmas celebrations, alongside crowded conditions and tensions between people from different backgrounds.

    Londoners took shelter underground · London Museum: the Blitz (opens a new tab)

14. Tube

    London’s Underground railway provided shelter in tunnels and on station platforms. The RAF Museum describes the addition of bunks and first-aid facilities as stations took on this wartime role.

    Did you know?

    Canteens opened within the Tube system, and shelter marshals helped maintain order and provide first aid. The stations became places where people spent long periods, alongside their railway function.

    Underground station section · RAF Museum: shelters and wardens (opens a new tab)

15. Warden

    Air Raid Precautions wardens gave local advice and helped protect civilians. The warning card listed nearby wardens and first-aid posts, while the RAF Museum describes duties including maintaining the blackout.

    Did you know?

    The RAF Museum describes most wardens as unpaid, part-time volunteers who also held daytime jobs. Their civil-defense work was an additional responsibility alongside ordinary employment.

    National Archives: warning card (opens a new tab) · RAF Museum: shelters and wardens (opens a new tab)