The Battle of Britain

The battle begins, summer 1940
The battle begins, summer 1940

After defeating France in June 1940, Hitler assumed Britain would sue for peace but ordered his armed forces to prepare for invasion. Hermann Goering assured him that a sustained air assault would destroy the RAF, winning the air superiority needed.
A Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over London, September 1940
A Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over London, September 1940

July 1940 saw German planes target shipping in the Channel, drawing the RAF into combat, before radar stations, communications centres and airfields faced round-the-clock bombing in August. The battle reached a climax with attacks on London in September.
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)

Joan 'Elizabeth' Mortimer, Elspeth Henderson and Helen Turner of the WAAF. All three received the Military Medal for courageous conduct during attacks on Biggin Hill airfield. Biggin Hill suffered a total of ten major attacks between 30 Aug and 5 Sept.
Non-British personnel in the RAF
Non-British personnel in the RAF

A group of pilots of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF return from a sortie. The first Polish squadrons were formed in the summer of 1940. Pilots came from several other countries, including Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and the USA.
Sector 'G' Operations Room at RAF Duxford
Sector 'G' Operations Room at RAF Duxford

RAF Duxford was a Sector Station in 12 Group, responsible for defending the Midlands and East Anglia. As the fighting intensified, Duxford's squadrons were called on to support 11 Group's defence of London and the south-east.
Hawker Hurricane Mk Is of No. 85 Squadron RAF
Hawker Hurricane Mk Is of No. 85 Squadron RAF

Despite incessant attacks, the RAF's defences held. The Luftwaffe could not continue, and in the autumn switched to 'nuisance' raids and night operations. The failure to defeat the RAF convinced Hitler to postpone his invasion plans indefinitely.

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Collections search

UTILITY UNDERWEAR: CLOTHING RESTRICTIONS ON THE BRITISH HOME FRONT, 1943
part of "MINISTRY OF INFORMATION SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION" (photographs) Made by: Joysmith Eric?
A full-length portrait of a man and boy as they model Utility underwear: 12 year old boy's wool and cotton vest (costing 5/8 and 2 coupons), wool and cotton trunks (costing 4/10 and 5 coupons) and wool and cotton socks (costing 2/7 and 1 coupon); man's...
UTILITY UNDERWEAR: CLOTHING RESTRICTIONS ON THE BRITISH HOME FRONT, 1943
part of "MINISTRY OF INFORMATION SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION" (photographs) Made by: Joysmith Eric?
A three-quarter length view of a 12-year-old boy playing with a toy aircraft as he models a printed cotton shirt (costing 6/- and 4 coupons) and union flannel shorts (costing 10/3 and 3 coupons).
Private Papers of Miss J W West
(private papers) Made by: West, J W
Extracts (pp 72-94 only) from an undated ts memoir written by the daughter, aged nineteen in 1939, of a GP in a Nottinghamshire village describing her family's preparations for the outbreak of war (August - September 1939), her continuing employment as...
Private Papers of Mrs B MacDonald
(private papers) Made by: MacDonald, B
Well written ts memoir (39pp), written in 2002, describing her experiences as an evacuee in Northampton (August 1939 - February 1941) and then for the remainder of the war as a schoolgirl and teenager in Willesden, North London, with brief descriptions...
Private Papers of Miss V Bawtree
(private papers) Made by: Bawtree, V
Ts transcription of extracts from her diary (7pp), 1916 - 1919, containing interesting observations on Zeppelin raids on various parts of the country, Conscientious Objectors, wartime restrictions and her thoughts on the progress of the war, concluding...
Private Papers of R A Child
(private papers) Made by: Child, R A
Ms letter (1p) written by him as a schoolboy (February 1940) to his mother in Hull during his evacuation to Withernsea, East Yorkshire asking her for a pair of gloves and assuring her of his good health; together with a brief ts account (1p, written in...
Private Papers of Mrs R E Uttin
(private papers) Made by: Uttin, R E
Ms journal (96pp) kept by a Wembley housewife mainly between January 1941 and December 1945 but with a few later entries (1947 - 1956) and beginning with a retrospective account of her experiences during the first months of the London Blitz; the journal...
Private Papers of Miss D I Fisher
(private papers) Made by: Fisher, D I
A collection of 67ms letters and postcards (110 folios), many undated and a few incomplete, together with a full ts transcript (35pp) written to a girl (aged 13 in 1942) living as an evacuee in Petersfield, Hampshire by her parents and younger brother,...
Private Papers of Mrs D V Webb
(private papers) Made by: Webb, D V
Ts memoir (26pp including 3pp photocopies) of her experiences during the Second World War with useful details of her family background and life as a teenager in Portsmouth, 1939 - 1943 including interesting references to rationing, civilian conditions,...
Private Papers of Reverend R G Smith
(private papers) Made by: Smith, R G
1 ms letter (1p) written to his parents by him as a small boy during his distressing evacuation to Wales (November 1944) telling them of the harsh billets in which he and his brother found themselves and the shortage of food due to rations being kept...