By December 1940, the “Western Allies” of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa were into the second year of the war with Germany. Starting in July of that year, the German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) began a series of air raids in southern, central, and northern England.
In response, the Royal Air Force of Great Britain launched a defensive military strategy and this campaign had a direct impact on ordinary British citizens. More than 23,000 women, men, and children were killed in their homes, their workplaces, their schools, and the streets of their communities.
To try and protect citizens from these air attacks, the British government provided air raid shelters that could be installed at home, such as the Anderson and Morrison air raid shelters. Citizens could also retreat to community shelters that were opened in spaces such as underground or in public buildings such as libraries.
Making the decision to either stay at home or go to a community shelter is a “high stakes” (i.e., life or death) decision that individuals and families faced on a regular basis during the war. And these decisions were complicated by the information (or lack of information) to which people had access.
In this game, you will play either a household or community member living in Manchester, England on December 23, 1940. Your city has been badly bombed overnight and you have to decide if another air raid is coming and, if so, whether you will stay home or not. This decision is a matter of “life or death”—what will you do?
Step 1
Listen to War is coming
Ernest Fletcher and Sheila Bailey: Ham (amateur) radio operators talk about the threat of war.
Download this transcript to follow along.
Step 2
Read the Gamer Handbook
Open and read the Gamer Handbook before the game begins. The handbook contains the instructions you need to prepare for the game.
In particular:
- identify your household or community role;
- review your role sheet(s), and do the assigned readings on the reading list, which is found in Part II Game prep: Roles and readings of the gamer handbook;
- fill in your National Registration Identity Card, based on the information in your role sheet(s) and the pre-game materials;
- learn the four criteria you will use to evaluate information: currency, authority, truthfulness, and bias, which are defined in Part III Evaluate information: a framework of the gamer handbook.
Step 3
Engage with the Interactive map of Manchester, England.
Use this interactive map before and during the game to identify the location of many of the key buildings in the game and answer questions such as:
- How far is Cheetham Hill from the city centre?
- How far do you have to walk to Greenep’s Tobacco and Sweet Shop?
- Where is the community air raid shelter?