GCSE British Society | Revise Civilian Role in the Great War

History Quiz - Britain: British Society 1890-1918 - Women And Civilians In The Great War (Questions)

Discover how women and civilians in Britain supported the war effort during the First World War, from factory work and fundraising to coping with air raids at home.

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Fascinating Fact:

Women also worked as bus and tram conductors, clerks, and police auxiliaries. Their presence in public roles became a common sight in towns and cities.

In GCSE History, this topic looks at how the First World War affected life on the Home Front in Britain. You explore how women took on new jobs, how civilians coped with shortages and air raids, and how government controls such as censorship and rationing changed everyday life. The topic also examines how these experiences influenced attitudes to class, gender and democracy in the years after the war.

Key Terms

Home Front: The part of a country where civilians live and work while its soldiers are fighting overseas.
Rationing: A system that limits how much food or fuel each person can buy so supplies last during wartime.
War work: Jobs done to support the war effort, such as making weapons, growing food or working in military-related services.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What roles did women have in Britain during the First World War?

Women in Britain worked in munitions factories, on farms, in offices, hospitals and public services. Their work helped keep industry, transport and administration running while many men were away fighting.

What was life like for civilians on the Home Front in the Great War?

Civilians faced rising prices, food shortages, rationing and new government controls. Many experienced air raid warnings, fundraising drives and constant reminders that the war affected everyday life.

How did the First World War change attitudes to women in Britain?

The war showed that women could do skilled, responsible work and manage public duties. This helped shift opinions and contributed to some women gaining the parliamentary vote in 1918.

Try These Related Quizzes

Many women served near the front line as nurses. One such nursing unit were the FANY's, founded by Kitchener in 1907, What does FANY stand for?

[ ]	Front Army Nursing Yeomanry
[ ]	First Army Nursing Yeomanry
[ ]	First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
[ ]	First Aid Nurses Yeomanry

DORA was an Act of Parliament passed in August 1914, that curbed the rights of citizens under wartime conditions. What does DORA stand for?

[ ]	Defence of the Realm Act
[ ]	Defence Orders Revision Act
[ ]	Defence Objectives Register Act
[ ]	Defence of the Regular Army

Men were expected to join up in the forces: either voluntarily or by conscription. Some men, however, were not allowed to leave their jobs, which were considered vital to the war effort. Examples would be coal-miners and train drivers. What general name was given to such employment?

[ ]	Reserved occupations
[ ]	Reserved employment
[ ]	Excluded occupations
[ ]	Excepted jobs

London received air raids in 1915 from German airships. By what name were these craft known?

[ ]	Dirigibles
[ ]	Hindenburgs
[ ]	Luftzeuge
[ ]	Zeppelins

In January 1918 the government placed limits on civilians' consumption of certain foodstuffs, following an escalation of the Germans' submarine campaign against merchant shipping. What was this measure called?

[ ]	Limitation of civilian consumption
[ ]	Rationing
[ ]	Retail restriction
[ ]	Food purchase ban

Women workers were especially appreciated in the munitions industry, and many thousands served there. How many women were employed in this way at the peak?

[ ]	500,000
[ ]	1.5 million
[ ]	850,000
[ ]	300,000

What happened to both Scarborough and Hartlepool in December 1914?

[ ]	These towns suffered serious air attack
[ ]	German troops landed briefly in both places and did much damage
[ ]	Both towns were bombarded from the sea by elements of the German fleet
[ ]	The Germans experimented with poison gas against civilians in both places

British propaganda made much of atrocities committed by the Germans against civilians in the early weeks of the war. Which country was said to have suffered especially badly from this?

[ ]	France
[ ]	Russia
[ ]	Belgium
[ ]	Holland

Women tried to shame male civilians into joining up. How precisely did they do this?

[ ]	By threatening to publish the names of men of military age who had not yet joined up
[ ]	By forcing men in civilian clothes to try on military kit
[ ]	By refusing to go on dates with their boyfriends until they agreed to sign up
[ ]	By distributing white feathers to any man wearing civilian clothes who seemed to be of military age

10.

The government reduced pub opening hours in order to get better service from the civilian workforce. What were the new opening times in the evening?

[ ]	1830-2130
[ ]	1800-2200
[ ]	1900-2230
[ ]	1730-2030

History Quiz - Britain: British Society 1890-1918 - Women And Civilians In The Great War (Answers)

Many women served near the front line as nurses. One such nursing unit were the FANY's, founded by Kitchener in 1907, What does FANY stand for?

[ ]	Front Army Nursing Yeomanry
[ ]	First Army Nursing Yeomanry
[x]	First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
[ ]	First Aid Nurses Yeomanry

Nurses were of course badly needed at the front, but women did not get involved directly in combat

DORA was an Act of Parliament passed in August 1914, that curbed the rights of citizens under wartime conditions. What does DORA stand for?

[x]	Defence of the Realm Act
[ ]	Defence Orders Revision Act
[ ]	Defence Objectives Register Act
[ ]	Defence of the Regular Army

Civilians had to accept that their everyday movements and actions could now be curbed by law

[x]	Reserved occupations
[ ]	Reserved employment
[ ]	Excluded occupations
[ ]	Excepted jobs

Many such men wanted to join up but were refused permission to do so

London received air raids in 1915 from German airships. By what name were these craft known?

[ ]	Dirigibles
[ ]	Hindenburgs
[ ]	Luftzeuge
[x]	Zeppelins

Such raids terrified civilians, who felt that they were now fighting in the front line as well as enlisted troops

[ ]	Limitation of civilian consumption
[x]	Rationing
[ ]	Retail restriction
[ ]	Food purchase ban

The Germans very nearly succeeded in starving Britain out of the war by reserving the right to sink any ship on the high seas. So the government was forced to introduce curbs on the purchase of certain foodstuffs

Women workers were especially appreciated in the munitions industry, and many thousands served there. How many women were employed in this way at the peak?

[ ]	500,000
[ ]	1.5 million
[x]	850,000
[ ]	300,000

The main task was filling shells, which was dangerous work. However the work was well paid, and sometimes women went on strike for better conditions

What happened to both Scarborough and Hartlepool in December 1914?

[ ]	These towns suffered serious air attack
[ ]	German troops landed briefly in both places and did much damage
[x]	Both towns were bombarded from the sea by elements of the German fleet
[ ]	The Germans experimented with poison gas against civilians in both places

After these incidents few British civilians felt safe from the savage "Hun"

British propaganda made much of atrocities committed by the Germans against civilians in the early weeks of the war. Which country was said to have suffered especially badly from this?

[ ]	France
[ ]	Russia
[x]	Belgium
[ ]	Holland

These accounts of mistreatment were reinforced by the stories related by refugees