What happened on Black Saturday, 7 September 1940?

Hundreds of German bombers attacked the docks and the East End in daylight and again that night, beginning the sustained bombardment of the capital.

Roughly how many people were killed and seriously hurt in that first night of heavy bombing?

About 430 were killed and around 1,600 seriously injured.

For how many nights in a row was the capital bombed after 7 September 1940?

For fifty-seven consecutive nights.

Why were incendiary bombs so difficult for civil defence to cope with?

Each was a small magnesium stick weighing about a kilogram, and they were released by the thousand from containers, so hundreds of fires started at once and each had to be smothered with sand or a stirrup pump within minutes.

Edexcel GCSE History 1HI0

Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88British depth

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Topic overview Developments in colonial society Slavery in North America Problems within the colonies The impact of cultural developments War in the colonies The aftermath of the French and Indian war American colonist relations with Britain: growing opposition, 1765-75 The War of Independence 1775-83 Consequences of the war in America

Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95Period study

Topic overview The British withdrawal and the creation of Israel Aftermath of the 1948–49 war Increased tension, 1955–63 The Six Day War, 1967 Aftermath of the 1967 war Israel and Egypt, 1967–73 Diplomatic negotiations, 1974–95 The Palestinian issue, 1974–95 Attempts at a solution

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Henry VIII and His Ministers, 1509–40British depth

Topic overview Henry VIII, Renaissance Prince The rise of Wolsey and his policies Wolsey’s foreign policy, 1509–29 Wolsey, Catherine, the succession and annulment Cromwell’s rise to power, 1529–34 The king’s marriages, 1529–40 Cromwell and government, 1534–40 The fall of Cromwell The break with Rome Opposition to, and impact of, Reformation, 1534–40 The dissolution of the monasteries The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536

London and the Second World War, 1939–45Paper 1 option

Topic overview London at the outbreak of the Second World War The nature of attacks on London The impact of the Blitz on civilian life London’s response to the war Britain and the Second World War: the wider context Sources for a London Blitz enquiry

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Topic overview The Civil War, 1945–49 Communist rule, 1945–59 Consolidating the CCP’s hold on power, 1951–52 The Hundred Flowers campaign, 1956–57 Early changes in agriculture, 1949–57 Industry and the Five-Year Plan, 1953–57 The Great Leap Forward Economic reform, 1962–65 Reasons for the Cultural Revolution The Red Guards and the Red Terror The effects of the Cultural Revolution The end of the Cultural Revolution, 1968–76 Communist control, 1949–76 Family life and the role of women Education and health, 1949–76 Cultural change, 1949–76

Medicine in Britain, c1250–presentPaper 1 option

Topic overview Factors driving change in medicine, c1250–present Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1250–c1500 Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1250–c1500 Case study: the Black Death, 1348–49 Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1500–c1700 Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1500–c1700 Case studies: William Harvey and the Great Plague of 1665 Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1700–c1900 Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1700–c1900 Case studies: Jenner’s vaccination and the 1854 cholera outbreak Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1900–present Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1900–present Case studies: penicillin and the fight against lung cancer

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Topic overview Factors driving change in migration to Britain, c800–present The context for migration, c800–c1500 The experience and impact of migrants, c800–c1500 Case study: York under the Vikings The context for migration, c1500–c1700 The experience and impact of migrants, c1500–c1700 Case studies: Flemish and Walloon migrants, and the Huguenots The context for migration, c1700–c1900 The experience and impact of migrants, c1700–c1900 Case studies: Liverpool, and Jewish migrants in the East End The context for migration, c1900–present The experience and impact of migrants, c1900–present Case studies: Bristol, and Asian migrants in Leicester

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Topic overview The local context of Notting Hill The influence of Caribbean cultures on the area Racism and policing Black activism in the Notting Hill area Migration, race relations and the national context Sources for a Notting Hill enquiry

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Topic overview Spanish exploration, c1490–1512 Columbus reaches the Americas Spanish claims in the Caribbean The start of an empire The conquest of Mexico Impact of Spain in the Americas Pizarro and the conquest of the Incas Expansion of empire, c1528–c1555 Impact of the 'New World' on Spain

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Topic overview The position of Black Americans in the early 1950s Developments in education, 1954–60 The Montgomery Bus Boycott and its impact, 1955–60 Opposition to the civil rights movement Developments, 1960–62 Peaceful protests and their impact, 1963–65 Malcolm X and Black Power, 1963–70 The civil rights movement, 1965–75 Reasons for US involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, 1954–63 Escalation of the conflict under Johnson The nature of the conflict in Vietnam, 1964–68 Changes under Nixon, 1969–73 Opposition to the war Support for the war The peace process and end of the war Reasons for the failure of the USA in Vietnam

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London and the Second World War, 1939–45

The nature of attacks on London

3 things to know
Paper 1

Overview

Black Saturday, the burning Surrey Docks, fifty-seven nights of raids, the Second Great Fire, incendiaries and high explosives, unexploded bombs, the raid of 10 May 1941, the V1 and V2, and the toll by 1945.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Which dock burned most fiercely on the afternoon of 7 September 1940?

Numbers

Roughly how many people were killed and seriously hurt in the first night of heavy bombing on 7 September 1940?

Key term

Which raid of 29 December 1940 became known as the Second Great Fire?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What happened on Black Saturday, 7 September 1940?
Model answer
Hundreds of German bombers attacked the docks and the East End in daylight and again that night, beginning the sustained bombardment of the capital.
2
Which dock burned most fiercely on the afternoon of 7 September 1940?
Model answer
The Surrey Commercial Docks, where stacks of imported timber caught alight and sent up a blaze visible for miles.
3
Roughly how many people were killed and seriously hurt in that first night of heavy bombing?
Model answer
About 430 were killed and around 1,600 seriously injured.
4
For how many nights in a row was the capital bombed after 7 September 1940?
Model answer
For fifty-seven consecutive nights.
5
Which raid of 29 December 1940 became known as the Second Great Fire?
Model answer
A concentrated incendiary attack on the City that burned out whole streets of offices and warehouses around St Paul's Cathedral.
6
Why were incendiary bombs so difficult for civil defence to cope with?
Model answer
Each was a small magnesium stick weighing about a kilogram, and they were released by the thousand from containers, so hundreds of fires started at once and each had to be smothered with sand or a stirrup pump within minutes.

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Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88

British America, 1713–83: Empire and Revolution

Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95

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AThe huge loss of life left England short of workers.

BForeign craftsmen and labourers were wanted.

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