The Blitz
Added 2024-01-16 11:15:01 +0000 UTCIn the video I mention that there was a lack of deep shelters early on in the Blitz… and that it took a lot of protest by ordinary people to change this. One person who really stands out when it comes to this bit of history is Michael (or “Mickey”) Davies.
Mickey was a man of very short stature – so short, in fact, that he was often referred to as “Mickey the Midget”. But what he lacked in height he made up for with an abundance of charisma, intelligence and patience. He was a very popular local figure at the start of the war.
When the bombs started falling, Mickey and thousands of others were directed to the Fruit and Wool Exchange in Spitalfields, where they could take shelter in the basements. Unfortunately, these basements weren’t fit for purpose. With so many people sheltering inside it was dangerously hot, grossly unsanitary, and rife with tension and disorder.
Mickey took it upon himself to fix these things. He developed rules for the shelter, instituted good hygiene measures, persuaded local merchants to provide milk for children, and arranged for doctors to come by each night for any medical issues that arose. The effect was transformative – the shelter became not only much more pleasant, but much safer too.
It was only after Mickey had done this (on his own initiative) that the government started making similar improvements in other shelters. Mickey’s example was quite possibly a catalyst for change that improved and saved thousands of lives.
Comments
That's one disaster that I haven't actually covered yet - although I've read a lot about it, and I definitely want to put together an episode on it at some point. Will give Society of the Snow a watch; it's such a strange and intriguing story that I could do with the background!
Fascinating Horror
2024-01-22 14:43:43 +0000 UTCIt is extraordinary how much our impressions of the blitz and life during World War II in general come from material that was actually intended as morale-boosting propaganda. Like you say, the real experience was a lot more complicated and dangerous!
Fascinating Horror
2024-01-22 14:35:33 +0000 UTCHey, sorry if this is a weird question, but did you do a video on the Uruguayan Air Force flight 571 disaster once or am I going crazy? Asking because I recently watched Society of the Snow, an incredible film based on the true stories of the survivors. I could have sworn I remembered you doing an in-depth video on the disaster and I wanted to revisit it, but when I went looking I couldn't find it on your channel! So either it's been taken down for some reason, or I completely imagined its existence... hope you can help me out here 😅
Rosie Morgan
2024-01-21 12:14:05 +0000 UTCOnce again, you've produced a clear and concise account of a complicated event. I suspect a lot of us think of Mrs. Miniver calmly putting the can goods back on the shelf in their shelter and facing a downed German pilot. It was a lot more complicated, harrowing and dangerous than that. I know that people ended up living in the tube stations, because there was no home to go to.
Elizabeth Finkler Hanasaki
2024-01-16 20:48:31 +0000 UTC
