London 1945

Life in the Debris of War

London at the outset of war in 1939 was the greatest city in the world, the heart of the British Empire. The defiant capital had always been Adolf Hitler's prime target and 1945, the last year of the war, saw the final phase of the battle of London.

Capital city of the United Kingdom

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom, and is one of the world's major business, political and cultural centres. It is a leader in international finance, politics, communications, entertainment, fashion and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide.

London during the war

The Blitz and other bombing by the German airforce during World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners and flattened large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. The first air raids on London were mainly aimed at the Port of London in the East End. The damage was severe. The strategic bombing by the Germans destroyed over a million houses, but failed to achieve the Germans' strategic objectives of knocking Britain out of the war or rendering it unable to resist an invasion.

Home front

The contribution by women to the war effort in the United Kingdom was acknowledged with the use of the words 'home front' to describe the battles that were being fought on a domestic level with rationing, recycling, and war work, such as in munitions factories.
This necessity to use the skills and the time of women was heightened by the nature of the war itself. During World War II, women were called on, by this necessity, to do work and to take on roles that were outside their traditional gender expectations. In Great Britain this was known as a process of Dilution and it was strongly contested by the Trade Unions, particularly in the engineering and ship building trades. Women did, for the duration the World Wars, take on jobs that were traditionally regarded as skilled men's work.

How London coped in crisis

The Civil Defence could not have succeeded without the spirit, courage, resilience and co-operation of the people. London 1945 describes how a great city coped in crisis, how morale was sustained, shelter provided, food and clothing rationed, and work and entertainment carried on. Then, as the joy of VE Day and VJ Day passed into memory, Londoners faced severe shortages and all the problems of post-war adjustment. Women lost the independence the war had lent them, husbands and wives had to learn to live together again, and children had a lot of catching up to do. The year of victory, 1945, represents an important chapter in London's - and Britain's - long history.