The British government had a difficult job on its hands. It had to persuade the public to keep the railways clear so that troops could be transported quickly and efficiently across Britain, from training camps to the ports. It also had to keep the railways clear for other essential war work such as transporting sick and injured to hospitals and from 1940, evacuating children out of the cities to the countryside.
Petrol was rationed which meant that people couldn’t drive very far even if they had a car. The government wanted people to stay at home and work as much as possible to try to win the war. At the same time, the government realised that people needed to have some sort of holiday to look forward to. ‘Holidays at Home’ seemed to be the answer.
Look at document NSC 5/75. This is a government poster encouraging people to holiday at home. The money they would have spent on going away could be saved instead.
- What kinds of activities can you see on the poster?
- Can you think of any other stay-at-home holiday activities?
- How could you improve this poster? What would make a holiday at home more exciting?