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Greetings Recruit! We heard you are trying to learn more about the Second World War and how the Battle of the Atlantic played out. You’re in the right place! We have created these lessons and films for anyone who wants to learn more about WWII and the history of Western Approaches.

We also offer educational tours of the Bunker for home school and small education groups.
Please contact us via our enquiry form to learn more.

All lessons are designed for 8+ but are interesting for all.

A Virtual Tour of the Bunker

Before you begin your lessons – Just in from Admiral Max Horton –

“Attention all history enthusiasts! Embark on a journey to explore the iconic Western Approaches, a crucial command centre during the Battle of the Atlantic. As a commanding officer, I invite you to join our virtual tour and witness the bravery and sacrifices made by the Allied forces during World War II.”

Lesson 1 – The Road to War

Why did the Second World War start? What were the events leading up to it? How did Hitler come to power? How did the British government prepare for war? Just some of the questions we’ll hopefully answer in this short introduction to The Second World War.

Lesson 2 – Rations and Wartime Cooking

Are you a binge eater? Well tough luck, rationing was introduced in January 1940 and it limited how much food anyone could buy. It guaranteed you enough to survive, but nowhere near enough to be happy! Learn here how we tried to cope .

Lesson 3 – Codebreaking & Cypher cracking

Do we have any master spies in the room? This is where we will see just how good you could be at cracking the German codes. I hope you pay attention to your Morse code lessons because you’ll need them!

Lesson 4 – The life of an Evacuee

School, Chores, mum & dad… Kids have a lot on their plate. Even more so during the war. Almost everyone under the age of 12 who was able, was evacuated all around the country, and even the world. Some even went as far as Australia! 6 years on, these people returned to a world so different from when they left.

Lesson 5 – Wartime Entertainment

It wasn’t all doom and gloom throughout the War. We needed some entertainment and the main form of that was music! Liverpool was actually home to more cinemas than any other European city at the time!

Lesson 6 – Back to School!

The war is over! It’s time to hang up your Naval uniform and switch it out with your school uniform. Find out what happened to the children who didn’t evacuate, and what it was like to return to the city for those that did.

Extra Activities

A Virtual Tour

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Just in from Admiral Max Horton – “Attention all history enthusiasts! Embark on a journey to explore the iconic Western Approaches, a crucial command centre during the Battle of the Atlantic.
As a commanding officer, I invite you to join our virtual tour and witness the bravery and sacrifices made by the Allied forces during World War II.”

Identity Cards

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There is Important information from Lieutenant Commander Roberts who has news from the Government that all recruits under 16 must create their own Identity Card – Instructions for the white card are here and instructions for the coloured card are here

Evacuee Labels

Every child evacuated was required to wear their evacuee label at all times during their journey. We need to know where to send you if you get lost! Create your own evacuation label now using this template!

Paper Soldiers

We’ve made paper dolls to represent various women who worked within Western Approaches. They have specific outfits which correlate to their time here. We are starting off by sharing one based on Joyce Miles WRNS. You can print and cut them out to create your own doll. Click here