MASS OBSERVATION ARCHIVE
Papers from the Mass-Observation Archive at the University of Sussex

Part 8: Topic Collections - Conscription, Pacifism and War Service

There are over 80 Topic Collections in the Mass-Observation Archive at the University of Sussex covering issues as diverse as Adult & Higher Education; Air Raids; Anti-Semitism; Beveridge Report Surveys; Commodities; Drinking Habits; Happiness; Housing; Leisure; Personal Appearance and Clothes; Reconstruction; Sexual Behaviour; Shopping; Work and Youth.  These represent surveys and investigations carried out by Mass-Observation mainly between 1937 and 1949, with some later files for the 1960s and 1970s.

This eighth part continues coverage of Topic Collections relating to the Home Front During World War II.  Specifically, this part covers:

Conscientious Objection and Pacifism, 1939-1944 (TC6, 3 boxes)
Forces (Men), 1939-1956 (TC29, 5 boxes)
Gas Masks, 1939-1943 (TC55, 2 boxes)
Dogs in Wartime, 1939-1942 (TC79, 1 box)
 
This part explores the war time experiences of those who served during the war and those who chose not to.

There were over 40,000 conscientious objectors in Britain during World War II.  Most were from middle and lower-middle class backgrounds and were influenced by religious beliefs.   TC6 explores their experience of the war, mainly through individual accounts sent in by members of the Mass-Observation panel who were either C.O.s or involved in pacifist activities.  The papers document the attitudes of others towards them:
To the conventionally minded some of them look odd and arty. {With] a tendency to be vegetarian, love their mothers, and love animals.

There are many descriptions of pacifist meetings and the violent antagonism that these sometimes engendered.

The section on Forces (TC29) covers a wide range of material including personal reports from male volunteer Mass-Observers in the Armed Forces; the Conscription Survey (1939); views on recruitment (1939); thoughts on Army Education; and attitudes of the public towards the forces (1940-41): 
For a long time I felt sorry for [soldiers], pitied them, their lives were just being thrown away.  But I feel rather different now and I envy them a bit because their minds are made up, they have no doubts as to whether what they are doing is right or whether they are doing the right thing.  I still feel sorry for them, their lives have been messed up, especially those about 26 or 27 who have made their names and have got to give it all up without any real reward.  The only thing I do not feel is pride in them, because their very existence shows what a hell of a position were in. (TC29, Box 1, File F)

There is much on life in the Forces, including soldiers views of the Blitz, the conduct of the war, army training and on fellow combatants (there was fierce rivalry - even hostility - between many allied forces).

Material on the Home Guard shows the intense seriousness and, at the same time, ludicrousness of Britains attempts to repel potential invaders. Scholars will welcome the inclusion of many posters and booklets dispensing government advice, contrasted with accounts of military manoeuvres and training facilities by volunteers themselves. 

The section on Gas Masks looks at provides a detailed survey of government instructions and advice about gas masks and the extent to which this was taken up by the general public.  The carrying of gas masks by civilians also came to be seen as a key indicator of wartime morale.

Public attitudes to dogs in wartime are analysed in TC79.  Should they be evacuated?  Could Britain afford to feed them when all food was rationed and even bones were recycled for human consumption in broth?  How did dogs cope with air raids?  There are also comments on various wartime accessories for dogs:  gas masks for domestic dogs or cats are, in our experience, quite impractical The value of dogs for companionship was balanced with the practical issues of keeping them. 
For the social historian, these sources will allow a more detailed and interesting account of everyday wartime experience to be compiled.