Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

History World War Ii

London Was Ours

Diaries and Memoirs of the London Blitz

by (author) Amy Helen Bell

Publisher
I.B. Tauris
Initial publish date
Jun 2011
Category
World War II
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781848858497
    Publish Date
    Jun 2011
    List Price
    $30
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781845115920
    Publish Date
    Apr 2008
    List Price
    $175.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

For the nine months of the Blitz, London was subjected to a brutal and indiscriminate bombing campaign, aimed for the first time in history at shattering the resolve of a nation. The Nazi raids on night-time London provide some of the defining narratives of World War II: the "blitz spirit," air raid shelters in Underground stations and all the horrifying reality of one of the world's most powerful and historic cities under violent attack. This book tells the epic story of a London under siege through the voices of those that lived it. Amy Helen Bell here uncovers the personal stories of hundreds of Londoners from all walks of life, who scribbled in diaries and notebooks from inside air raid shelters and bombed-out houses to record their experiences of the Blitz. Expertly weaving these together, drawing out themes of loss, courage and love, what emerges is a thoughtfully argued and beautifully composed commentary on Britain's collective memory of one of the great conflicts of modern times. By letting the warmth, despair and hope of these personal recollections speak, London Was Ours becomes a collective testament to the resilience of a people and a meditation on the nature of a nation's history.

About the author

Contributor Notes

Amy Helen Bell is an Associate Professor of British and European History at Huron University College, University of Western Ontario. She was born in New Brunswick and received her PhD from Queen's University, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

"Original, insightful and engagingly written...this enlightening and frequently moving book is a truly popular history of 'The People's War'" -- Andrew Davies, Journal of Urban History