“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” So said US President, Franklin D Roosevelt in an address to a joint session of the US Congress the day following the …
While it is not often highlighted, men and women from the Commonwealth of Nations made a significant contribution to the war effort during World War Two – in terms of people, materials and food, interest-free loans and money raised to support the allies. In 1939 the Commonwealth fell into two parts – countries such as …
After Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, demanded help and Britain and its allies provided supplies. The most direct route was by sea, around northern Norway to the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Archangel. The first convoy sailed in September 1941. The convoys were coded depending on their route – …
Operation Dynamo was the code name given to the evacuation from Dunkirk, which involved the rescue of more than 338,000 British and French soldiers from the French port of Dunkirk between 26th May and 4th June 1940. The evacuation, sometimes referred to as the “Miracle of Dunkirk”, was a big boost for British morale at …
The year 2020 saw the 80th anniversary of one the most pivotal conflicts in British history, The Battle of Britain. It takes its name from the speech given by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the House of Commons on 18th June 1940 when he said: “What General Weygand called the ‘Battle of France’ is over. I expect that the Battle of …
On the 14th May 1940, as the people of Britain settled down for an evening with their families, the Secretary of State for War gave a radio broadcast appealing for people to join the force of Local Defence Volunteers, otherwise known as the Home Guard. In this broadcast Anthony Eden called for men between the …