London 1945; life in the debris of war

Product features

London at the outset of war in 1939 was the greatest city in the world, but by 1945 it was a drab and exhausted city. London, had always been Hitler's prime target. The last months of the war saw the final phase of the battle of London as the enemy unleashed its new vengeance weapons, which brought destruction on a vast scale. By the end of the war thousands were homeless, living in the Underground and deep shelters. As the victory celebrations passed into memory, there were severe hardships and all the problems of post-war adjustment. Yet London's loss has often been its opportunity. Londoners eagerly embraced plans for a modern metropolis and an end to poverty, and voted overwhelmingly for a Labour government and the new, fairer, social order that was their reward for all they had endured.