Looting during the 1st and 2nd World Wars, Topsham, 13 Feb

Looting took Britain by surprise in the summer of 1940 and it continued through to the end of the war.  The shock was replaced by anger and outrage as accompanied the German bombing of cities across the country.  It intensified as many looters were revealed to be in positions of trust - hundreds of air raid wardens, demolition workers, firemen, sailors, soldiers and policemen were all convicted.  As the war wore on it became apparent that there were diverse reasons why looting took place.  Some of it was officially sanctioned.  While looting was realised to be an unfortunate part of the Home Front it has been all but fogotten today. This history is an uncomfortable aspect of the past but to ignore it is to diminish a generation's valliant struggle against fascism.