Britain at War

Britain went to war on September 3rd, 1931, and the mood was foreboding. The British people were now aware that German dictator Adolf Hitler had to be stopped by force. The British were the most mobilized of all the major countries. There was a great and genuine community of spirit in wartime Britain which often transcended class and other barriers. After a period of ‘phoney war’, the fall of France in June 1940 was a shock to the country. Mothers waved goodbye to their children, many of whom had never been away from home before, let alone under such circumstances. But in wartime Britain, extraordinary circumstances became the cornerstone of everyday life. Rationing of food began in January 1940 and clothes in June 1941. By 1943, virtually every household item was either in short supply and had to be queued for or was unobtainable. For the next five years, the British had to endure the bombing of their towns and cities in the Blitz, as well as attacks from flying bombs and rockets.