Wartime Britain

What was life like in Britain during the Second World War (1939–45)? Here we explore rationing, evacuation measures, the Blitz, crime, and the role of women

Vintage illustration of a family gathered around a wooden table assembling and painting a blue model airplane together.

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"We were small people, our parents grateful to have survived": my memories of a 1950s childhood. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of a ship being tossed in a stormy sea, overlaid with weather map symbols showing a low-pressure system and isobars

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D-Day could have ended in disaster – but one Scottish hero changed everything. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A pair of World War II‑era Supermarine Spitfire fighter planes fly in formation along a bright coastline. Below them, tall white chalk cliffs drop to turquoise water, with green fields stretching inland above the cliffs. The aircraft have elliptical wings, camouflage paint, and Royal Air Force roundels. The scene is clear and sunlit, evoking the historic defence of Britain.

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Did the Spitfire really save Britain in WW2?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two large battleships sit in coastal waters while tall plumes of water rise between them, suggesting incoming fire. Smoke drifts from the ship on the right, and hazy landforms appear in the distance under a muted sky.

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In 1940, Winston Churchill made a decision that may have won WW2. So why did it make him cry?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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"We shall never surrender": 14 quotes that have defined the past century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A photo collage featuring three images. On the top left is a black and white photograph of a group of men and women pulling an aeroplane. On the bottom left is a black and white photograph of five men, three in military uniform, standing outside a hut that is advertising fish and chips. On the right is an image of a large group of soldiers walking through a city, holding large flags.

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Fascism? No thanks! Why Britain rejected extremism in the 1930s. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The SAS played a vital role in defeating Hitler – so why did Britain disband them?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of a man and a woman close together. The man has his arms around the woman and they are both in stage dress: her in a long dress and him with a ruff and feathered hat

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Keep calm and carry on singing: why Britons fell in love with opera during World War Two. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph showing a young boy playing with two girls in the sand

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"Imagine starting a life with so little": the stories of South Asians in Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photo of a line of young people doing the conga around a bonfire

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"We sang, we danced and we all held hands": celebrating VE Day. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

VE Day revellers blowing party trumpets

Second World War

"The best day of my life"A history of VE Day street parties

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"I felt very alone in a world gone horribly mad": the experiences of evacuees in WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

General History

War and military history podcast episodes

Diners watch a waitress chalk up the dishes offered on the day's menu at a British Restaurant in Gillingham, 1941. (Photo by Reuben Saidman/ Popperfoto via Getty Images)

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Eat for victory: the British Restaurants of WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

circa 1923: A Remembrance Day poster issued by the British Legion after World War One, reminding people to wear a Flanders poppy on November 11th. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

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Why we should remember...When the paper poppy became a symbol of remembrance. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Winston Churchill delivering his famous 'iron curtain' speech at Westminster College

Second World War

8 of Churchill’s greatest speeches

Women queue for potatoes in a greengrocer's shop in London, c1945. (Photo by Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer/IWM via Getty Images)

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Saving food, saving lives: rationing in the Second World War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Krystyna Skarbeck, also called Christine Granville

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History heroMichael Morpurgo chooses Krystyna Skarbek (1908–1952). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

AFS firemen tackle a blitz fire amidst the rubble surrounding St Paul's Cathedral, London. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Second World War

Your guide to the Blitz, plus 9 places affected by the bombings

Expelled Germans leaving Poland's western territories

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"The war without an end": what happened in Europe after VE Day?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Crowds in Piccadilly Circus in London celebrate VE Day

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Countdown to VE Day: the week World War 2 ended in Europe. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman is carried away on a stretcher following a German bombing raid on London, c1940. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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The dangers of the Blitz spirit. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Sir Nicholas Winton

Second World War

The 'British Schindler' who saved 669 children from the Nazis

Members of the Home Guard train racing pigeons as messengers in Blackburn, July 1940. Soon, carrier birds like this would be supplying vital intelligence on German arms factories and troop movements in occupied Europe. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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The pigeons’ war on Hitler. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A colour illustration of First World War allies, the German Reich and Austria-Hungary, featuring soldiers shaking hands, their troops and national flags, c1915. (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

First World War

Q&AWho was involved in the First World War? Who was on each side?

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Why Churchill’s reputation is still on the line. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Winston Churchill. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Did Churchill’s postwar speeches save the world?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Four young members of the largest group of Kindertransport refugees arrive at Southampton, England, in March 1939. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

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Remembering the Kindertransport. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Ghent Altarpiece. (Image by Getty Images)

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Who were the real monuments men of the Second World War?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Members of the Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill LNER (London and North Eastern Railway) LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) dressed in their civilian clothes march along a platform passing a steam locomotive on 1 July 1940 in London. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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The Dad’s Army guide to defending Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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