Key Stage 4 History
This pack includes information about:
 The BEF, Dunkirk and Churchill
 The Battle of Britain
 D-Day and the defeat of Germany
Key Stage Four History
Teachers’ Notes
Aims and objectives:
-Discover more about Britain at War, 1939-45.
-Use evidence from the past to understand how conflict affects individuals and families.
-Become confident in using primary sources.
The Mass Observation Archive has a wealth of material, dating from 1937 to present day. It
contains ‘everyday’ responses to 20th-century events, such as the Great Depression and The
Second World War, and documents social, cultural and technological changes in post-war Britain.
The BEF, Dunkirk and Churchill:
SxMOA1/2/16/4/J/1: 3 press cuttings from January 1940 - shows for the BEF
SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk, 1940
SxMOA1/2/66/14/A/1: Typed report on attitudes of Tynesiders and local press to withdrawal of
BEF from Dunkirk, Jun 1940
SxMOA1/3/54: March 1942 Directive – attitudes to Churchill
•
This collection of documents – which includes overheard conversations, personal accounts and
press cuttings – will help students build a picture of the early days of the Second World War 
How did the public respond to Dunkirk? What did they think of Churchill?
The Battle of Britain:
SxMOA1/2/23: Air Raids in Croyden
•
By reading through recounts of air raids in Stepney, students have the opportunity to gain
empathy for those involved  What affect did air raids have on the public?
•
D-Day and the defeat of Germany:
SxMOA1/2/49/1: Victory in Europe Day and Victory in Japan Day
SxMOA1/2/69/17: Press cuttings – VE Day, 1945, VJ Day, 1946
•
Personal accounts of VE Day and VJ Day reveal people’s thoughts and feelings about these
significant events. They also indicate the difference between the two events: how they were
celebrated and how people responded, bearing in mind the use of the atomic bomb prior to VJ
Day.
SxMOA1/2/16/4/J/1: 3 press cuttings Jan 1940 – shows for the BEF
1
SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
2
SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
3
SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
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SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
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SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
6
2
SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
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3
SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
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SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
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SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
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SxMOA1/2/25/2/F: Dunkirk ‘overheards’, 1940
11
SxMOA1/2/66/14/A/1: Typed report on attitudes of Tynesiders
and local press to withdrawal of BEF from Dunkirk, 09.06.1940
12
SxMOA1/2/66/14/A/1: Typed report on attitudes of Tynesiders
and local press to withdrawal of BEF from Dunkirk, 09.06.1940
13
SxMOA1/2/66/14/A/1: Typed report on attitudes of Tynesiders
and local press to withdrawal of BEF from Dunkirk, 09.06.1940
14
SxMOA1/3/54: March 1942 directive
15
SxMOA1/3/54: March 1942 directive
16
SxMOA1/3/54: March 1942 directive
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SxMOA1/3/54: March 1942 directive
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SxMOA1/2/23: Observations of an air raid in Croydon
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SxMOA1/2/23: Observations of an air raid in Croydon
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SxMOA1/2/23: Observations of an air raid in Croydon
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SxMOA1/2/49/1/C: Victory in Europe Day, 1945
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SxMOA1/2/49/1/C: Victory in Europe Day, 1945
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SxMOA1/2/49/1/C: Victory in Europe Day, 1945
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SxMOA1/2/49/1/C: Victory in Europe Day, 1945
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SxMOA1/2/49/1/E: Victory in Japan Day, 1945
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SxMOA1/2/49/1/E: Victory in Japan Day, 1945
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