City’s remarkable recovery from war

MOMENTOUS OCCASION: Crowds in Queen Victoria Square, 11th May, 1945

The Way it Was

In partnership with Hull History Centre

By Neil Chadwick, librarian and archivist

The 8th of May 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, celebrating the end of the war in Europe.

Despite the celebrations, the country had suffered immensely, particularly Hull.

Speaking in the city shortly after the declaration of peace in Europe, the Archbishop of York said: “Other than Malta, Hull was the most bomb place in the [then] British Empire”. A strong statement.

Hull was certainly one of, if not the most bombed town or city in Great Britain outside of London.

At the close of the war, life did not return to normal overnight. Instead, a gradual stand down of wartime services took place. Wartime activities and responsibilities reduced or decreased over time.

The devastation

Out of the 90,000 dwelling houses in the city, it was estimated that 84,000 were damaged in some form or another.

At the end of the war, the city’s life was at an extremely low ebb, with desolation everywhere and morale dangerously low.

Civil defence

As the Civil Defence Service wound down, surplus equipment and emergency vehicles were sold or disposed of.

Surplus equipment included uniforms, respirators, microphone attachments, bleaching powder and sandbags.

In many cases, government owned civil defence vehicles were retained by Hull Corporation and purchased by various departments.

Homecoming

Prior to the war, the population of Hull had been 318,000, but during the war years this dropped significantly to about 200,000.

Those who left the city for military service or as evacuees made a gradual return home.

During the war almost 38,000 children were evacuated from Hull.

By February 1946, almost 1,900 prisoners of war; men and women from German, Italian and Japanese camps, returned to Hull.

To celebrate their safe return, three functions were held at Madeley Street Baths on the 13th, 20th and 27th of February 1946.

Rationing

Due to difficulties importing food to Britain during the war, rationing was introduced to the nation in January 1940.

To ensure everyone received an equal amount of food, every person received a ration book, which they had to take with them to the shops and get the items they bought crossed off by the shopkeeper.

Rationing was not limited only to food. Restrictions were also placed on fuel and clothing and continued for a number of years after the war. In some cases, rationing became stricter during the early post-war years.

The Ministry of Food controlled the distribution of food during and in the immediate years after the war. It was responsible for providing information on food rationing as well as giving advice on the use of all food stuffs, and helped people make the most of the restricted foods available.

However, a year or so after the war had ended, people began to feel disenchanted and wanted restrictions to be lifted and rationing to end as quickly as possible.

Did you know?

During the war John Nathaniel Mackman, founder of Hull’s Mackmans bakery, was frequently consulted by the Ministry of Food on the baking of bread, and received recognition from Lord Woolton, the Minister of Food at that time.  

HOME AT LAST: Rear view of properties on Prospect Street, 27 Jun 1945

From shelters to sheds

During the war, air raid shelters had served their purpose by providing protection during enemy air raids and saving lives in the process. Without the threat of air raids once the war had ended, the air raid shelters were no longer needed to fulfil their original function.

The Home Office produced a leaflet for peace time use for shelters. Instructions were given on how to transform Anderson and Morrison shelters and other civil defence materials for peace time use.

A total of 1,788 people in Hull Corporation properties applied to retain their domestic air raid shelter.

Rebuilding Hull after the war

At the end of the war, Hull’s Corporation formulated two major points of policy. These were to provide homes for the people and to assist in every way the rehabilitation of industry to provide work for its citizens

Following the widespread destruction in Hull, the services of town planners Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Patrick Abercrombie were secured to draw up a reconstruction plan for the city.

A Plan for the City and County of Kingston upon Hull, better known as the Abercrombie Plan, held community planning at the heart of its proposals, putting forward the concept of creating subdivided communities with the intention to reduce the population in the centre of the city by moving 54,000 from the inner-city to modern estates, complete with local amenities.

The plan also proposed to build new industrial and green belts, a new railway station in Wright Street, specialised pedestrian only shopping precincts, and among the more radical ideas was the proposed building of a satellite town for 60,000 people at Burton Constable as well as flattening (what already wasn't done by the Luftwaffe) large parts of the city centre and Old Town.

URGENT HOUSING SOLUTION: Arcon and Tarran prefabs, White City, Anlaby Road, c.1960

Prefabs

Like other heavily bombed cities, Hull was desperately short of housing and labour to build permanent homes. As a result, an urgent solution had to be found.

The Temporary Accommodation Act of 1944 aimed to provide a large number of houses quickly and economically. The Ministry of Works designed a prototype, and invited designs based upon it.

Eleven manufacturers eventually received official approval, including Tarran Industries of Hull

A return to peacetime activities 

As Hull emerged from the war there was a recognition to re-introduce sports, recreation and entertainment activities back to their peace time levels.

This morale boost for the city saw repairs to damaged buildings, including the City Hall, while in sport the Football League also returned.

As a final peace in the jigsaw, the government organised the Festival of Britain in the summer of 1951, which was to give the British people a feeling of recovery after the war.

May 7th, 1945

On May 7th, 1945, the allies accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender and the surrender of Germany’s military operations.

Ninety minutes after the Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that hostiles had ceased, Hull’s Lord Mayor, John Nicholson (1944-45) and Sherriff Kenneth Percival (1944-45) accompanied by a civic party, addressed Hull’s public from a specially prepared stand on the roof of an air raid shelter in Guildhall Road, facing Queen’s Gardens.

The Lord Mayor and Sheriff addressed the public, congratulating them on their courage and devotion to duty.

“The big shadow has departed”, said the Lord Mayor... “driven away by the courage, endurance, the daring of our men backed by the determination and sacrifice of those at home... dance and be happy”. 

And dance they did.  

VICTORY PARADE: Crowds passing the Ferens Art Gallery and Monument Buildings, 11th May, 1945

VE Day

VE Day was declared a public holiday. The May 8th parade was headed by Hull’s City Police Band, followed by 3,000 children in fancy dress paraded along the city’s throughfares.

Despite shortages of simple pocket handkerchiefs, it was noted that 1945 mothers gathered draws of old bits of cloth, and with quick brains and nimble fingers they made something for their ‘bairns’ to ‘bedeck them for such a parade’.

Also participating in the parade was the Band of the Hesslewood Orphan Homes, whilst children of Marist College were also present.  

Headed by the Lord Mayor and Sheriff, the civic party visited those who were sick and unwell, together with those who cared for them to ensure they were not forgotten.

Nurses at the City Hospital strung up decorations, bunting and flags, and provided toys for the children who were ill.

Saturday May 11th, 1945

On the Saturday a Victory Parade passed through the city. Crowds lined the streets to see and cheer the procession of the services who were marshalled by the Guildhall.

Men and women from all branches of the services, military and civilian were present, as too were youths from services such as the Messenger Corps, all having earned their honour in this place of company.

Among those who participated in the VE Day celebration parade were the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS). The WVS had played a vital role during the war.

At the end of the war, it was predicted that the WVS would continue to be necessary for about two years during the transitional period from war to peace. However, at the end of this period it was found that there were still many tasks for which the help of the WVS were of high value to government departments and local authorities.

On Saturday evening, victory sports and tea parties were held. Children held races, whilst ordinary rations were sacrificed to make sponges, jams and blancmange. 

RADICAL IDEAS: Drawing of the proposed inner ring-road close to Wilberforce House

Sunday May 12th, 1945

The Sunday saw a National Thanksgiving service take place at Hull’s Holy Trinity Church.

From there, the civic party and guests returned to the Guildhall.

The full civic procession saw representatives from across various sectors including the military, education and medical who were all in attendance.

Sunday May 19th, 1945

The following Sunday, services were held to remember the sons and daughters of Hull who lost their lives in the war.

Not only those in the fighting services but also those who lost their lives in the city as a result of enemy action.

A wreath was placed at the cenotaph and people from across the city paid their tributes.

Post-war years

During the post-war years, Hull not only survived but made solid progress.

Repairs to damaged dwellings, temporary housing and a vigorous post-war building programme made up for wartime losses, and new housing demands were steadily met.

As the population returned to the city, the Corporation encouraged the reconstruction of public buildings and places of recreation and entertainment.

The Rivers Hull and Humber, which had contributed to the city’s vulnerability and weakness during wartime, proved to be its strength in times of peace, as its geographical location ensured that Hull remained one of Britain’s great ports, and aided the city’s industrial and commercial endeavours.

All this enabled Hull’s remarkable post-war recovery.