what was life like for children under 5 in the world war 2?

Answer 1

It depends on whether the country was affected by WW2. Those affected suffered severe malnutrition. Est out of 5 children, if 2 can survive, then considered lucky.(For countries actually invaded by aggressor like malaya, singapore). However, for those countries at war but not actually invaded( like usa, britain), the kids were sent to the countryside as it were way safer, compared to major cities.

From there, they suffered less comparably to their counterparts invaded as the enemy soldiers actually took away most food to feed their army,Leaving little or no food for the locals.Thus, they need to grow their own food like sweet potato,yam or tapioca. As it contains calories, it is unable to provide the essential nutrients needed.

Answer 2

I'm American. I don't recall being that aware of war at that age. Little girls wore dresses not pants except in the north in winter cold or toddler overalls. Somehow as a toddler I'd learned a little Dutch, then after a move to Texas began learning some Spanish, and to read & write. I was taught to treat books gently. Army Air Corp father took me to see the secret fighter jets, I had NO use for the NOISE. We all learned to recognize aircraft in flight by sound and silhouette. While in Texas I was wakened briefly during one night brighter than day then went back to sleep. Guess that was the A-bomb test. I don't recall what we ate and we definitely were not consumer oriented. I may have played dominoes but am unsure if I played cards yet as coordination evolved.

Answer 3

Well, as I was born in the middle of WW2, in England, I guess I'm as well qualified as anyone to answer this question. We had very few toys. I was given (I am told) a soft toy elephant for my first Christmas present which my father saw by chance in a Co-op store. He had to rush in to buy it before anyone else saw it. I think we received a lot of love because people saw children as the future - and, of course, with so many young men being away in the services, the birthrate fell and that weren't so many babies anyway. (My father didn't serve in the forces as he was medically unfit). We didn't have things that today we think nothing about - tropical fruit like bananas and oranges were just not available. I must have been 6 or 7 before I saw my first banana shown to me by a friend 'what is that' I had to ask. I remember being scared of the dark for a long time after the war. 'Are there Germans hiding in the cupboard' I remember asking my parents. I'm not sure if I had things like free milk and orange juice. or rose hip juice. I do remember going to the local 'clinic' with my mother to get those things for my brother, but he wasn't born until the war was over.

Answer 4

Mixed. On the one hand, many of them were actually better fed than they had been beforehand because of rationing, and there was quite a lot of attention paid to keeping them healthy even though of course they lacked treats. On the other hand - being fatherless; many of them evacuated to families who weren't always loving; mothers overworked and worried.

You might like to read some books about the experience of evacuees; or get hold of some of the Mass-Observation work that's recently been published by the archive at the University of Sussex; and there's a fair few memoirs written by people who were children at the time.

Answer 5

We live in Southeast Asia. My Mom, who died just last January at the age of 82, used to tell us that she was a young teen in WWII. When the Japanese invaded our country, things were bad because whole families had to abandon their comfortable houses in the towns and hide in the remote mountains. Clothing was scarce and food was scarcer.

Since she was a pretty lass, when a signal went that the Japanese soldiers were coming, my Grandma had to smear charcoal on her face and arms, and she had to wear dirty, large, ugly clothes. Her three female cousins, aged four to ten, were whisked to foxholes to hide -- children first, my Mom then my great Grandma in wheelchair. Although there was not much for sale, food was not scarce for the kids and Mom because the tilled land of my Grandma abound with fruits, corn and live chicken. Their life was okay compared with those in big cities because children and young men were killed, just because no one would talk whether there are Americans or guerillas in their localities.

Answer 6

in spite of everything going on around us it was exciting and even thrilling, but don't forget we were brought up totally different to modern day children, our expectations were far less consumer led and we behaved with restraint. the world was like a big adventure playground, we could go away from home all day with no danger and our parents never worried so
in spite of the deprivations it was wonderful.

Answer 7

Can't do under 5 but how is 7. Go to the link and read a personal account.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/24/a4288124.shtml

Answer 8

Mostly very frightening. I was born in November 1941 and grew up in my pre-school years during the War [WW2]. I do remember air-raids. My main memory is of the wonderful colours of the explositions and my screaming my head off most of the time while all of this was happening.

If you see film of the shock and awe by the USAF and RAF over Baghdad some years ago - you're looking at very much the same thing I remember from WW2 here in London.

A great aunt of mine used to take her deckchair up onto Hampstead Heath during the Blitz 1940 and watch it all from there - the bombing of the East End - shame. Heartless auntie. Actually no. There was nowhere else to go. The government did not want us Londoners hiding down the Tube. They relented eventually and let us use the Tube stations at night. There's plenty of film and stills of this too.

Rashioning is the thing I remember most and I guess other people too. Although there were shortages of such as sweets, tobacco etc. the main items were usually in plentiful supply. Bread was not rashioned nor were fruit and vegetables. The rashioning system was so well organised it actually meant that working class families could actually afford bacon for the first time. Not much mind but at least the occasional rasher. Butter and margerine were measured in teaspoons, well not a lot of that. I think people were a lot healthier in some ways because the diet was so low in fat. Chips were right off the menu most of the time.

When rashioning came off after the war my Gt .Aunt dashed to the dairy and got a whole packet of hand made butter. She invited us round for Sunday tea and toasted lots of crumpets in front of her fire. These were served oozing with butter which dripped down our chins onto our shirt fronts. Yummmm!

As WW2 progressed, there were fewer and fewer raids. The Luftwaffe simply did not have sufficient aircraft to carry out big air raids on UK cities from c1943/44. What we got instead, in typical English understatement were, "nuisance raids". A couple of bombers would arrive low over the houses shooting their machine guns at people below in the street. "I ask you, is this a way to fight a bloomin war?" Usually the RAF would arrive and chase them off or shoot them down...rat-at-at-at etc...I can still remember running the full length of Waterloo Station pretending to be a Spitfire.

We started then to get the flying bombs. The first variety, a pilotless aeroplane really, was the VI - otherwise known as the "Doodle Bug". It made a sort of roaring sound and as the engin cut out it would stutter a bit then drop to the ground below and cause considerable damage. The next type of flying bomb which came towards the end of the war, from c1944 onwards, was the V2. This rocket flew high up almost to space then dropped down. Since it travelled faster than the speed of sound what usually happened was we heard the explosion and immediately after that the whooshing sound of the arrival of the rocket. Strange. No warning. Again very big damage.
You can see pictures of these rockets the VI and 2 at the Imp War museum.

One more thing - we all started school at around age 2 nursery school that is. Reason being that mothers were conscripted into the factories to do war work - my mum made bombs. She told me once that she and her mates used to chalk rude words on the sides of their bombs. "Here's another one for you Adolf you c.u.n.t." Sorry about that but "don't you know there's a war on?"

There are simply thousands of miles of archieve footage of the war years. Most particularly you need to watch movies of the stars of the day. The most famous and most highly paid movie star of the 1930s-1940s was Gracie Fields. She was absolutely fabulous a really big Hollywood Movie star - yet she started life amongst the working class of Rochdale in Lancashire where she was a mill girl [cotton mills that is]. Our Gracie sadly died back in c1980s in here 80th year or thereabouts.

Anther very famous star to look out for of the period is Bob Hope. An American movie star and standup comedian who was born in Eltham SE London. Brilliant one liners. He was still entertaining the US Army troops until he was 90. Sadly he died aged 100.

The best immediate post war movie to watch is "Passport to Pimlico" it's an early Ealing Comedy set in Pimlico London. There's plenty footage of bombed out London and the usual crowd of Londoners arguing and going about their business. We are a mad lot and this film explains it all.

The best source of anything to do with WW2 is the Imperial War Museum and also the BBC.

The BBC callsign to France was the V for victory sign. They used a Roman kettle drump to make the sound and then opened up on air with the opening bar of Bethoven's 5th ...- di di di daaah...etc.

Please do try and watch the Remembrance Parade at the Cenotaph here in London come November. The number of surviving WW2 Veterans is getting less each year. In my childhood I knew men who had fought in the Boer War [South Africa], WW-One as well as WW-2 then Korea etc. All gone. There are now only an estimated six World War One Veterans alive, all around c106-108.

We will remember them.

Chin up and put that light out....

Answer 9

Quite exciting actually. But the shortage of sweets was annoying.

Answer 10

second priority to children above 5