The battle of London 1939-45 : endurance, heroism and frailty under fire

The definitive, meticulously researched social history of London in the Second World War, which transformed the capital, and life within it, beyond recognition. Britain and Germany were at war for almost six long years. For Londoners these were years of intermittent anxiety, disruption, deprivation and sacrifice. For prolonged periods of time - from September 1940 to May 1941, and again from December 1943 to March 1945 - London was under sustained, sometimes unrelenting, aerial bombardment by night and by day. By the end of the war, one in two of the nation's civilian war dead had been Londoners, nearly 30,000 people. Throughout the war, London was the nation's front line, and the capital and its people bore the brunt of the nation's suffering. Yet if the bombing defined the era for those who lived through it, the months of terror were outnumbered by those spent knitting together the skein of daily life at work, in the home, on the allotment, in the cinema or theatre and, not least, standing in those interminable queues for daily necessities that were such a feature of London's war. Much has been written about 'the Myth of the Blitz', but Jerry White has unearthed what actually happened during those years, getting close up to the daily lives of ordinary people, telling the story through their own voices. And despite the terror and the hardship, for every Londoner who stayed in the capital it was the time of their lives: 'I would rather have been in London under siege between 1940 and 1945 than anywhere else,' recalled the literary critic John Lehmann some years later, 'except perhaps Troy in the time that Homer celebrated.' London and the nation were at war with Germany from 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945. These were almost six years of intermittent anxiety, disruption, deprivation and sacrifice. While the moments of agony were not continuous, for eight months from September 1940 to May 1941, and again for much of the period from December 1943 to March 1945, London was under sustained, sometimes unrelenting, aerial bombardment by night and by day. By the end of the war, one in two of the nation's civilian war dead had been Londoners, nearly 30,000 people. Throughout the war, London was the nation's front line, and the capital and its people bore the brunt of the nation's suffering. No Londoner would ever forget the V-rockets, the 'weapons of retaliation' fired onto the capital by the Germans even as they were losing the war. Yet if the bombing defined the era for those who lived through it, the months of terror were outnumbered by those spent knitting together the skein of daily life at work, in the home, on the allotment, in the cinema or theatre and, not least, standing in those interminable queues for daily necessities that were such a feature of London's war. Much has been written about 'the Myth of the Blitz', but Jerry White has unearthed what actually happened during those years, getting close up to the daily lives of ordinary people, telling the story through their own voices The Definitive Social History Of London In The Blitz, Which Transformed Life In The Capital Beyond Recognition. For Londoners The Six Long Years Of The Second World War Were A Time Of Almost Constant Anxiety, Disruption, Deprivation And Sacrifice. The Blitz Began In Earnest In September 1940 And From Then On, For Prolonged Periods, London Was Under Sustained Aerial Bombardment By Night And By Day. Throughout The War, The Capital Was The Nation's Front Line; By Its End, 30,000 Londoners Had Lost Their Lives. Yet If The Bombing Defined The Era For Those Who Lived Through It, The Months Of Terror Were Outnumbered By Those Spent Knitting Together The Fabric Of Daily Life At Work, In The Home, On The Allotment, In The Cinema Or Theatre And, Not Least, Standing In Those Interminable Queues For Daily Necessities That Were Such A Feature Of London's War. Much Has Been Written About 'the Myth Of The Blitz' But In This Riveting Social History, Jerry White Has Unearthed What Actually Happened During Those Tempestuous Years, Getting Close Up To The Daily Lives Of Ordinary People, Telling The Story Through Their Own Voices. At The End Of It All, The Battle Of London Was Won Not On The Playing Fields Of Eton But In The Playgrounds Of A Thousand Council Elementary Schools Across The Capital. 'Endlessly fascinating. . . White is such a brilliant historian' Mail on Sunday Lasting for six long years, the Blitz transformed life in the capital beyond recognition, marking a time of almost constant anxiety, disruption, deprivation and sacrifice for Londoners. With the capital the nation's frontline during the Second World War, by its end, 30,000 inhabitants had lost their lives. While much has been written about 'the Myth of the Blitz', its riveting social history has often been overlooked. Unearthing what it was actually like for those living through those tempestuous years, Jerry White paints a fascinating portrait of the daily lives of ordinary Londoners, telling the story through their own voices. 'As a history of the capital in wartime, it is probably unsurpassable' Sunday Telegraph 'An impressive history of the capital at war. . . White, an accomplished chronicler of London's history, tells it with brio and a confident mastery of the sources' Literary Review