Morale
Keeping up morale was one of the most important jobs of the people on the Home Front. Canadians at home supported the troops abroad through salvaging and manufacturing war materiel. However, people on the Home Front also contributed to the emotional morale of people abroad.
Women and children sent items to soldiers overseas to keep spirits up. People on the Home Front put together care packages that contained items like hand-knitted socks and mittens, cigarettes, and sweet treats like chocolate. Letter writing also contributed to the morale of soldiers abroad. The Post Office was even called the Morale Department. Mail was censored by the Canadian government after September 5, 1939. Nevertheless, sending and receiving letters provided essential emotional support for those overseas and those at home. Letters sent from sweethearts to soldiers were called “sugar reports” and women received “behaviour reports” in return.
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Those at home also had to keep their own morale up. War affected all Canadians, and many were concerned about their friends and family in danger overseas. One of the best ways to maintain the morale at home was to keep people busy and make people feel like they were contributing to the war effort; by supporting those overseas, those on the Home Front kept up their own spirits high. One example of this was victory gardens. People felt like they were able to contribute to the war effort by growing their own food, and gardening kept people busy.
A major part of the Second World War on the Home Front was communication between the government and Canadians at home. The Canadian government was producing propaganda and other types of public messaging throughout the war to keep Canadians informed at home and abroad. This blog series will look at different types of propaganda and public messaging, mediums of communication, and home front organizations.