Follow these news bulletins based on contemporary media reports* - with war news in amongst more domestic stories - for a flavour of what people in Britain were thinking about, in the week before World War Two was declared.
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Countdown to World War Two: Thursday 31 August 1939
By Mark Fielder
Last updated 2009-11-05
On this page
- Plan for Poland
- Reaction to plan
- Polish reaction
- Mass evacuation
- Other stories
- Audio archive: The countdown to war
- Find out more
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Plan for Poland
Headline: Germany has just announced a 16-point plan for a settlement with Poland - one of the proposals is to make Danzig part of the Reich.
Within the last hour a 16-point plan for a settlement between Germany and Poland has been broadcast over German radio. The radio broadcast also outlined the details of the diplomatic correspondence that has been taking place during the last week.
... Germany has told the world her version of the events.
The German announcement has come as a complete surprise to everyone involved in the international negotiations of the last few days. All that the outside world has known until recently was that Britain and Germany have been exchanging notes. But now Germany has told the world her version of the events.
Apparently the reply Herr Hitler sent to the British Government two days ago contained a demand that Poland should send an envoy to Berlin within 24 hours to discuss a settlement between the two countries. The envoy never arrived, instead the German Government drew up it's own settlement, which Sir Neville Henderson, our Ambassador in Berlin, was told about very briefly yesterday evening.
This settlement consists of a series of demands made by Germany, namely: the immediate return of Danzig to the German Reich; a plebiscite, which will be held in a year's time to decide the future of the Polish corridor; though meanwhile the area should be evacuated by the Polish authorities, except for the port of Gdynia, which would remain Polish. Then, once agreement had been reached between the two countries, they would both demobilise their armies.
As far as we know, Poland has not yet received any official details of this plan from Germany. However, the German Government is now saying that, as no Polish envoy ever arrived in Berlin, Poland has therefore rejected these proposals.
[For audio clips of the reports of Germany's 16-Point Plan, see the last page of this article.]
[*Reports taken from BBC news bulletins, and a range of daily newspapers]
Reaction to plan
Headline: German surprise
The news of the German plan for a settlement has taken Germany as much by surprise as everyone else. On the whole the German people are hopeful that a peaceful settlement will be found to the dispute between their country and Poland.
Many people here feel that it is only right that Danzig and the former German territories should be returned to the Reich, as this would only be righting the wrong that was caused when the Treaty of Versailles set up the new frontiers after the Great War.
... Poland is preparing for a war against Germany ...
The authorities have inflamed these feelings with many stories in the press about the dreadful atrocities suffered by the German minority living in Poland. Even today there are reports of how Poland is preparing for a war against Germany - these reports are based on the allegation that Poland has ordered a general mobilisation.
Of course there is a certain righteous feeling here now, that Germany did try to set up direct negotiations with Poland when they asked for an envoy to be sent to Berlin, but the Poles didn't respond.
Polish reaction
Headline: Poland taken unawares
The plan has taken the Polish Government completely unawares and there was no official response tonight from the Polish Government to the German proposals. This is not surprising, perhaps since the list of demands only reached Poland this evening in a German broadcast from Berlin.
No official communication has yet been received. Prior to this surprise broadcast, Polish officials were refusing to accept the German invitation to send a delegation to Berlin to discuss the crisis, since they felt that Germany had artificially created that crisis and had made one more unjustified demand after another.
... many visible signs of military preparations.
On the streets of Warsaw in the last two days there have been many visible signs of military preparations. Camouflaged lorries, buses and military cars have begun to appear and lorry loads of steel-helmeted troops and plain clothes police watch for unusual activities.
The four recruiting depots have been busy all day, air raid warning tests have been heard across the city this evening, and posters are calling for volunteers for first aid. The railways and telegraph services have now been taken over by military authorities.
With the military machine in an advanced state of readiness, the feeling in Warsaw is that any German settlement will be resisted.
Mass evacuation
Headline: The Government has decided on the evacuation of over three million children as from tomorrow.
The Government has decided on the evacuation of over three million children as from tomorrow.
Plans for the evacuation of children and other priority classes will be out into operation as from tomorrow although in a Ministerial broadcast earlier this evening the Minster of Health, Mr Walter Elliot, explained that the evacuation was only a precaution.
The country has been divided up into evacuation and reception areas ...
The country has been divided up into evacuation and reception areas, the evacuation areas being those that are thought to be vulnerable to enemy attack, and the reception areas which are thought to be safe.
The majority of evacuees, as they are called, will be schoolchildren, and over 750,000 of them will be evacuated during the next few days. This colossal piece of organisation will involve most of the nation's transport system and as a result people are being urged not to travel by train during the next couple of days unless their journey is really necessary.
In London much of the public transport system will be used for the evacuation of schoolchildren between 9.00am tomorrow and 6.00pm tomorrow evening, so ordinary passengers are asked to co-operate by travelling outside of these hours.
The Stock Exchange and some other businesses won't be opening tomorrow so that their employees won't have to travel into work, and thus avoid congesting the trains and buses.
As well as schoolchildren, other categories will be evacuated over the next few days. These include expectant mothers, the blind, as well as other physically and mentally handicapped people. In his broadcast the Minister of Health, Mr Elliot was quite confident that the whole operation would run smoothly.
'The Prime Minister has asked me to make it quite clear that this does not mean that war is inevitable. The tension abroad has gone on for some time; it may go on for some time yet. This is an insurance, this is a thing which ought to be done now because it's a very big thing. It will mean, as you hear, moving nearly three million people.
'It will take nearly four days to carry through. It will make tremendous demands on the patience, skill, cheerfulness - yes especially the cheerfulness - of the whole nation. Of course, we can put this thing through and by Monday night, no later, we shall have given the world another example of what a free people can do that puts its back into the work and puts its heart into the job.'
[For audio clips describing what people experienced during the evacuation programme, see the last page of this article.]
Other stories
Air raid precautions
Air Raid Precautions are to be brought into force at once - that's the order that's gone out to Local Authorities who will run them. ARP Controllers were appointed locally, several months ago, on directions form the Lord Privy Seal's Department. An emergency committee of three local council members supports each controller. In this way, a system of communication and control comes into operation, based on regional organisation.
Conscientious objectors
If your conscience won't allow you to fight for your country you can now apply for permission not to perform military or combatant duties. But the Military Training Act passed earlier this year does make conscientious objectors face a tribunal to argue their case.
... reports of an attack on a radio station in Gleiwitz ...
Navy mobilises
The British Navy was fully mobilised today with the calling up of the remainder of the naval reservists. Many of the navy's vessels are in service, including one of the best known battleships, HMS Hood which, at just over 42,000 tons, is still the world's largest man of war.
Wireless incident
There have been reports of an attack on a radio station in Gleiwitz, which is just across the Polish border in Silesia. The German News Agency reports that the attack came at about 8.00pm this evening when the Poles forced their way into the studio and began broadcasting a statement in Polish. Within quarter of an hour, says reports, the Poles were overpowered by German police, who opened fire on them. Several of the Poles were reported killed, but the numbers are not yet known.
Bomber crash
A British Hudson bomber crashed this morning killing three. The crash occurred near Alegroe Island, which is just off the Norwegian coast. Witnesses say that they saw the plane fall, and as it hit the sea there was a loud explosion. Four motor launches rushed to the scene of the crash and found the three bodies floating among the wreckage. The dead men haven't yet been named.
Russia
In Moscow the Supreme Soviet has at last ratified the Soviet-German Non-aggression Pact. The Pact was signed a week ago in Moscow by Mr Molotov and Herr Von Ribbentrop, and stipulates that neither country will help the other should they be attacked by a third power. It will remain in force for ten years.
Audio archive: The countdown to war
[If you haven't listened to audio clips before, you may need the free Real Player plug-in. BBC's WebWise help has a step-by-step guide to help you download it.]
Find out more
Books
The conduct of the Air War in the Second World War edited by Horst Boog (1992)
Bomber Command by Max Hastings (1979)
The Bomber Command War Diaries by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt (1985)
Most Secret War by RV Jones (1978)
Links
Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum: Bomber Command
About the author
Mark Fielder is executive producer of the BBC Battlefields series. He has made many other series, including D-Day, Burma, War Walks, and Western Front.
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