Mass-Observation Archive: Topic Collections

About the
collection

WORK: UNEMPLOYMENT, REGISTRATION AND DEMOBILISATION 1939-46

TC 27: 3 boxes

Introductory note

This Topic Collection has been somewhat artificially created from boxes and files of material labelled 'Registration', 'Unemployment', and 'Demobilisation'. There is considerable overlap with other Topic Collections, especially TC 75: INDUSTRY, TC 29: FORCES, TC 32: WOMEN IN WARTIME and TC 6: CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS and researchers are advised to follow up the material in these other boxes in order to get a fuller picture of Mass-Observation's studies in these areas

DW, October 1980

BOX 1: UNEMPLOYMENT 1939: DEMONSTRATIONS; MILITARY REGISTRATION AT EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES 1940

27/1/A: Unemployed demonstrations as news

Notes and newspaper article: "40 million people say this to Mr Renton", Daily Mirror, 11.1.39 by TH. Criticisms of 'unemployed stunts' organised by Mr Renton and the unemployed workers, comparisons with the press attention given to a news story about Mr Grover who flies single-handed to Russia to bring back his wife, Jan 1939

27/1/B: Newspaper cuttings

Coverage of the 'unemployed stunts', eg delivery of a coffin, a 'lie-down' in the street, demonstrations before Chamberlain flies to Rome etc, Jan 1939

27/1/C: Survey of attitudes to 'unemployed stunts', 1939

Interviews with 'down and outs', London (LT)

Interviews with working class people in Fulham and Central London (LT)

Interviews asking about both the 'stunts' and the Mr and Mrs Grover news in Walworth (7.1.39), Newington Butts and Elephant and Castle (8.1.39) (AH) and in Lewisham among middle class people (PBS)

27/1/D: Effect of war on jobs

Informal interviews (DH) London 22.8.40

27/1/E: Attitudes to conscription 1939

Interviews about conscription carried out in a working class housing estate, by AH, 28.4.39

27/1/F: Registration Day for the 25s, April 1940

List of London Employment Exchanges (BW). Annotated copy

Memo: preliminary reaction to reports (TH)

Report: Registration Saturday, 6.4.40 summary of work (TH)

Report: For King and Country by Willy Goldman 15.4.40

Report: Registration of the 25s by Newman Turner with cutting from Peace News

Typed list : "Registrations", 2.4.40, (TH)

Two typed letters from Nicolas Bentley at the Ministry of Information. 5.4.40 and 6.4.40

Typed list : "Employment Exchanges in London", annotated in pencil, 5.4.40, (BW)

Eight typed sheets of instructions to individual Investigators concerning the day's work, 5.4.40, (TH)

Typed time-sheet giving details of telephone messages from Investigators

Typed memo from Tom Harrisson to Investigators containing guidelines for the Labour Exchange investigation : "Points for everyone", 6.4.40, (TH)

Typed report : "Attitudes of applicants to Ministry of Labour Employment Exchanges", 24.8.40, (HH)

Typed "remarks" on the Labour Exchanges investigation, 22.8.40, (CF)

Copy of standard letter to women from the Women's Employment Federation concerning the Emergency Register

News cutting from the London Evening News, containing article about registration at Croydon Labour Exchange, 6.4.40

Typed indirect outside/on Labour Exchanges (JS) 26.8.40

Copy of "Impression" outside Hendon Labour Exchange (JS) 27.8.40

27/1/G: Correspondence with Panel members 1940

Draft letter from Mass-Observation to Panel members asking for reports on Registration Day (6 April). Lists of people contacted with addresses; notes on which Panel members are conscientious objectors

Replies from Panel members

27/1/H: Registration observations from Panel

Detailed reports from Panel members on the military registration of 25 year olds at Employment Exchanges in England and Scotland

27/1/I: Registration observations from full-time Observers

Observations made chiefly in London but also in Bolton and Farnworth by full-time workers (HN, JA, BW, CP, AH, DH, BA, HP, SS, NM, GT)

27/1/J: Leaflets relating to Registration 1940

Printed leaflets collected during observations at Employment Exchanges. Includes pacifist and anti-war material

27/1/K: Further registration observations from full-time Observers

27/1/L: Juvenile employment: interviews at Labour Exchange Feb 40

BOX 2: ATTITUDES TO DEMOBILISATION DURING THE WAR 1941-43

27/2/A: Attitudes to the postwar situation 1941

Summary of investigation carried out in five London boroughs, Sept 1941 (TH): expectations of postwar employment prospects

Collection of indirect comments about demobilisation policy postwar (JS) 23.7.41 in Mill Hill and Willesden. Indirect comments also collected by GD 23.7.41

27/2/B: The Demobilisation Study 1943

Pamphlet: Looking Ahead, Conservative Party Policy on a points system for demobilisation, Sept 1943

Report: Demobilisation, proposals for the study of the subject, 24.5.43 (with note scribbled on 'for EJ')

Summary of work on indirects (NW)

Report on postwar world (mostly conversation about Germany after the war) 27.8.43 (CG)

Report on Demobilisation questionnaire from AE Rodway in Manchester Area, 5.8.43

Typed manuscript on demobilisation, 1943

Miscellaneous papers and notes

27/2/C: Demobilisation: indirect comments 1943

Attitudes to demobilisation collected by LB, VT, PB, GB, GST, FM, ALS and others including comments on the early demobilisation of women, the points system, the demobilisation of Civil Defence workers and so on. Mostly carried out in London but also in Lancashire towns and Basingstoke villages

27/2/E: Press: demobilisation 1943

Discusses priority demobilisation, women and the Conservative Party policy on a points system

27/2/D: Panel attitudes to demobilisation 1943

Opinions sent in by Panel members, Nov 1943 based on their own feelings and those of their friends and colleagues. Many of the replies are from people in the Forces

27/2/F: University students' attitudes to demobilisation 1943

Notes on their personal opinions written by students in Manchester

27/2/G: Discussions in War Factories

Report (duplicated): An experiment with discussion groups in war factories, July and August 1943 by Amabel Williams-Ellis, Alan Jarvis and Michael Young

Reprint from the Spectator: Factory discussions by Amabel Williams-Ellis, 29.10.43

27/2/H: Osrams Survey 1943

Correspondence between Mass-Observation and Mr Chelioti of Osrams-GEC Lamp Works in Hammersmith Nov 1943 with three duplicated memoranda:

• "Recruitment of women workers to factories", Aug 1942
• "Labour recruitment in the lamp, valve and glass industries" Aug 1943
• "Part-time women workers" June 1943

27/2/I: Osrams Survey 1943

Attitudes of women workers towards demobilisation, Aug-Sept 1943. (indirect comments)

27/2/J: Postwar employment 1943

7 questions asked about hopes and fears for postwar employment prospects, collected mainly in London but also in Lancashire (Bolton and Manchester), Bishop Auckland and Newark (LB, FM, AC, GST, EG, GB, GM)

27/2/K: Results of demobilisation study 1943

Tabulation sheets of results and notes (JF)

27/2/L: Opinions of schoolgirls 1943

Attitudes to demobilisation collected from a small group of secondary schoolgirls aged 16-18

BOX 3: THE JOURNEY HOME 1944; ATTITUDES TO DEMOBILISATION 1945-46

27/3/A-C: Draft manuscripts of The Journey Home

Final version with various annotated and revised sections (notes by TH and BW). Mass-Observation publication on visions of a postwar world

27/3/D: Discussion Groups reports

27/3/E: Forces' attitudes: demobilisation 1945

Reports sent in by Panel members in the Forces, Oct 1945

27/3/F: Opinions on demobilisation 1945-46

Comment collected by GST and LB in London, 11.9.45

Various assorted reports on demobilisation 1945-46