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The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, during the early weeks of World War I. It gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war period, such as the power to requisition buildings or land needed for the war effort, or to make regulations creating criminal offences. Some of the things the British public were not allowed to do included flying a kite, lighting a bonfire, buying binoculars, feeding wild animals bread, discussing naval and military matters or buying alcohol on public transport. Alcoholic beverages were watered down and pub opening times were restricted to midday and 3PM and 6:30-9:30PM, which lasted until the Licensing Act 1988 was passed. The DORA ushered in a variety of authoritarian social control mechanisms, such as censorship. It also included some devices that are still in use today, such as British Summer Time, supported by Winston Churchill, which was enacted in May 1916 as a novel device for boosting wartime production.

The law was designed to help prevent invasion and to keep morale at home high. It imposed censorship of journalism and of letters coming home from the front line. The press was subject to controls on reporting troop movements, numbers or any other operational information that could be exploited by the enemy.

People who breached the regulations with intent to assist the enemy could be sentenced to death. 10 people were executed under the regulations.¹

Though some provisions of DORA may seem strange, they did have their purposes. Flying a kite or lighting a bonfire could attract Zeppelins, and after rationing was introduced in 1917, feeding wild animals was a waste of food. The first person to be arrested under DORA was John Maclean, a Marxist and Clydeside revolutionary, for uttering statements deemed prejudiced against recruiting. He was fined £5 but refused to pay and so spent five nights in prison.

References

External links

• Spartacus: DORA