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WWII Diary Writing

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WWII Diary Writing

Imagine you are a child in Britain during the Second World War. Read the diary extract, solve the clues, then plan and write your own entry. This is an imaginative writing activity, not a real diary.

Read the diary extract

Tuesday, 15 October 1940 Dear Diary, This evening the siren began its long, wailing cry. Mum helped us hurry to the Anderson shelter at the end of our garden. I took my blanket and the small torch. Outside, the sky was dark and the street looked quiet. In the shelter, I sat close to my little brother and listened. I felt frightened at first, but Mum’s calm voice helped me feel safer. When the all-clear sounded, we went back indoors. I was tired, but thankful we were together.

Notice the diary clues

Use details from the extract to answer. Think about what happened, what the writer noticed and how the writer felt.

1.Which date did the writer put at the top of the diary entry?

2.What sound told the family to go to the shelter?

A church bell
An air-raid siren
A knock at the door

3.Name two things the child took to the shelter.

4.Choose the two words that best describe how the writer felt at different moments.

Frightened, then safer
Cross, then bored
Excited, then angry

5.True or false? The family went back indoors after they heard the all-clear.

TrueFalse

6.A diary tells about a person’s own day. Fill in the missing words: “I felt at first, but Mum’s calm voice helped me feel .”

Plan your own entry

Imagine it is another day in wartime Britain. Choose a believable event, such as hearing a siren, packing a small bag, helping at home or waiting for the all-clear. Make up your own details.

7.Write one thing your imaginary child might hear, see or do that day. Add a detail to make it clear.

8.Choose a feeling your child might have and explain what caused it.

9.Complete a diary sentence with your own idea: “Dear Diary, today I felt because .”

Include a date, something that happened, a feeling and a reason for that feeling. Use “I” because the writer is telling about their own day. Remember capital letters and full stops.

10.Write a short diary entry as an imaginary child in wartime Britain. Use your plan and add details to help the reader picture the day.

Draw one moment from your imaginary diary entry.