In September 1939, Britain was once again plunged into a deadly struggle with Germany and her allies. As the troops prepared to sail to France and confront the Wehrmacht, at home the British people faced a very different kind of struggle, one that would require everyone to do their part in the battle to defeat the evil of Nazism. From the creative ways people worked around strict rations to the courageous volunteers who signed up to defend their country from invasion, this is the story of a people who strived to keep calm and carry on through one of Britain's darkest chapters. It is a tale of bravery, sacrifice and ingenuity, one that continues to inspired to this day
LET US GO FORWARD TOGETHER
NO PEACE IN OUR TIME
THE DRUMS OF WAR • As efforts at diplomacy in Europe collapsed, Britain prepared for a deadly struggle with Germany
Appeasing a monster • AS HITLER’S PLANS EXPANDED IN 1938, CHAMBERLAIN STILL SOUGHT A DESPERATE PEACE
“WE WILL TAKE YOUR CHILDREN TO SAFETY!” • Operation Pied Piper and the forgotten evacuated teachers of WWII
“They were supposed to be sent to safety!” • MANY EVACUEES DIED IN THE SUPPOSEDLY ‘SAFE’ AREAS TO WHICH THEY WERE SENT
The poetry of wartime evacuation • HOW THE EVACUATED TEACHERS ENCOURAGED EVACUEES TO SHARE THEIR FEELINGS THROUGH POETRY
The president’s wife and the young evacuee • HOW ONE YOUNG GIRL BECAME A WARTIME PEN PAL TO MRS ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
HOME GUARD • Beginning as veteran volunteers in Britain’s darkest hour, the nation’s defence forces grew to take on a range of dangerous and secretive roles
A CABINET IN CRISIS • With the threat of a German invasion looming, Churchill had to win the war within his own government before he could confront the Nazis
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood • THE FIRST EARL OF HALIFAX WAS A DIPLOMAT AT HEART
ALONE IN THE DARKNESS
LITTLE SHIPS GREAT ESCAPE • How an armada of ferries, fishing boats and yachts captured the heart of a nation and transformed defeat into victory at Dunkirk
The spirit of Dunkirk • SOCIAL HISTORIAN HENRY BUCKTON SAYS THAT DUNKIRK HAS BEEN WOVEN INTO THE BRITISH IDENTITY, BUT EXPERTS VIEW IT DIFFERENTLY
Notable boats • AN ASSORTMENT OF VESSELS TOOK UP THE CALL, FROM A GERMAN WWI BARGE TO A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S YACHT
Fighting on the beaches • JOURNALIST HUGH SEBAG-MONTEFIORE THINKS THE SOLDIERS WHO KEPT THE GERMANS AT BAY DURING THE RESCUE MISSION DESERVE MORE CREDIT
BRITAIN’S SECRET ARMY • In the summer of 1940, invasion seemed inevitable, with Britain on its knees. However, a highly secret guerrilla force was being created to confront any Nazi offensive
Coleshill House – training HQ • EARLY TRAINING WAS UNDERTAKEN BY EACH INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, SUPPORTED BY DISGUISED TRAINING MANUALS, WHICH AT FIRST SIGHT APPEARED TO BE INNOCENT CALENDARS OR FARMING HANDBOOKS
DEFENDING BRITAIN • In the event of a German invasion, Britain would have deployed a deadly network of defences to impede the enemy at every turn
The defence of Folkestone • THIS MAP SHOWS THE DEEP LAYERS OF COORDINATED DEFENCE IN PLACE IN THE SUMMER OF 1940
CHANNEL ISLANDS: LIFE UNDER THE NAZIS • For five long years, the Channel Islands were under Nazi occupation. This is the story of that time
THE DOGFIGHT BEGINS • Master of Europe, only one thing stood between Hitler and total control of the continent: the RAF
‘Sailor’ in the sky • RAF ACE ‘SAILOR’ MALAN TRANSFORMED THE RAF’S TACTICS DURING AND AFTER THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The Battle of the Channel • THE FIRST PHASE OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN TOOK PLACE OVER THE COLD WATERS OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY AIR FORCE • The women who risked their lives, protected the nation and...