Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.This study is available via the UK Data Service QualiBank, an online tool for browsing, searching and citing the content of selected qualitative data collections held at the UK Data Service. This is a qualitative data collection. It is comprised mainly of two different types of reports: quarterly morale reports for military personnel abroad and weekly home intelligence reports about UK civilians (only English civilian reports are held at the UK Data Archive). The Morale Committee for the Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) sent out a directive in 1940 to (AFHQ) requesting quarterly morale reports. The goals of the reports were to study morale of soldiers in its broadest aspect and to coordinate and prepare quarterly morale reports for the War Office. The reports covered a variety of topics, including factors affecting morale, such as discipline of military personnel, confidence in leaders and equipment, mail censorship, living conditions, recreation, education, relationships, and personal finance. The reports are mainly written from a narrative voice, typically of a commanding officer, of the overall feeling of the military base. Sometimes these reports include quotations and extracts from mail correspondence. The home intelligence reports aimed to present an impartial assessment of public feelings about the war efforts. Information was collated through a variety of sources: regional intelligence officers compiled weekly reports based on interviews with UK residents, postal censorship prepared weekly reports based on correspondence, and police officers were asked to produce reports based on their observations.Main Topics:War, military service, morale, social attitudes, hierarchical relationships within the military, mail censorship, soldier's leisure and entertainment, relations with Allies, personal finance of soldiers, British public opinion, public confidence in the government and war...