London and the Second World War, 1939-45 | Edexcel GCSE History (1HI0)
London and the Second World War, 1939-45
- 97 questions
- 6 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
London and the Second World War, 1939–45 is examined in Paper 1, Thematic study and historic environment.
It covers London at the outbreak of the Second World War, the nature of attacks on London, the impact of the Blitz on civilian life, London’s response to the war, Britain and the Second World War: the wider context and sources for a London Blitz enquiry.
Sample questions from London and the Second World War, 1939-45
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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London at the outbreak of the Second World War
Why did raids aimed at the wharves kill so many ordinary families?
Show the answer
Terraced streets of dockworkers' housing stood right against the quays, so bombs meant for cargo sheds fell on homes. -
London at the outbreak of the Second World War
Why did many families dislike using their garden shelter?
Show the answer
It was cold, cramped and damp, and often flooded because it was dug into the ground. -
The nature of attacks on London
Which raid of 29 December 1940 became known as the Second Great Fire?
Show the answer
A concentrated incendiary attack on the City that burned out whole streets of offices and warehouses around St Paul's Cathedral. -
The nature of attacks on London
When and where did the first V1 to reach the capital come down?
Show the answer
On 13 June 1944 it hit a railway bridge at Grove Road in Bow, killing six people. -
The impact of the Blitz on civilian life
Name a station where people sheltering below ground were nevertheless killed.
Show the answer
Balham, where about 66 died in October 1940 when a bomb burst the water main and sewer above the platforms, and Bank, where about 56 died in January 1941. -
The impact of the Blitz on civilian life
How did dancehalls, theatres and cinemas keep going during the bombing?
Show the answer
After a brief closure at the start they reopened, with matinees and early performances so audiences could get home before the sirens, and the Windmill boasted that it never shut at all. -
London’s response to the war
Where did Churchill and his ministers direct the war from?
Show the answer
From a strengthened basement beneath government offices in Whitehall, known as the Cabinet War Rooms. -
London’s response to the war
How was Victoria Park in the East End used during the campaign?
Show the answer
Large parts of the park were dug up and divided into allotments where local people grew their own vegetables.
The 6 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| London at the outbreak of the Second World War | Why London was a target as the seat of government, the Thames as a guide, the port and East End war work, the fall of France, deaths beside the wharves, Operation Pied Piper and evacuation, Anderson shelters, gas masks for adults, toddlers and babies, the blackout and barrage balloons. | 17 |
| The nature of attacks on London | Black Saturday, the burning Surrey Docks, fifty-seven nights of raids, the Second Great Fire, incendiaries and high explosives, unexploded bombs, the raid of 10 May 1941, the V1 and V2, and the toll by 1945. | 15 |
| The impact of the Blitz on civilian life | Air-raid wardens, Morrison shelters, the ban on sheltering in the Tube and how Londoners broke it, facilities on the platforms, the deaths at Balham and Bank, Mickey Davies's shelter, the South Hallsville School and Bethnal Green disasters, leisure in wartime, the Café de Paris bombing, rest centres, disruption to working life and ministers' fears for morale. | 18 |
| London’s response to the war | The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace and its bombing, the Cabinet War Rooms and the Map Room, Churchill's bunker, and Dig for Victory in Victoria Park, the Tower moat and across the capital. | 11 |
| Britain and the Second World War: the wider context | What the Blitz was, why the Luftwaffe turned on cities, German aims, the relief for Fighter Command, other bombed cities, why raids ended in May 1941, the Ministry of Information, censorship and the 'Blitz spirit'. | 10 |
| Sources for a London Blitz enquiry | Personal accounts, diaries and photographs, censored pictures, borough newspapers, council records and bomb damage maps, the Ministry of Home Security's returns and other official papers, Mass Observation, newsreels, national dailies and later memoirs, the strengths and limits of each, and how to plan a follow-up enquiry from a detail in a source. | 26 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby options
Edexcel GCSE History Active Recall Guide
Every option, not just this one. 2,881 questions with their answers.