_ The mood in London in May of 1940 was very defeatist. Ladies talk about putting sand in the hallways and filling their bathtubs with water. They also were careful to remove photos from the walls. They were preparing to be bombed by the Germans. One lady went to get her hair done and said if she had to be bombed she was at least going to do it with hair nicely arranged. Nobody knew the peril of the troops at Dunkirk or they would have been even more concerned. You can consider it a pre-Blitz sentiment.