Britain’s War: A New World, 1942-1947
£13.60£16.10 (-16%)
WINNER OF THE TEMPLER MEDAL BOOK PRIZE 2020
A SPECTATOR, FINANCIAL TIMES AND DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020
‘A stunning achievement’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times
Part Two of Daniel Todman’s epic history of the Second World War opens with one of the greatest disasters in British military history – the fall of Singapore in February 1942. Unlike the aftermath of Dunkirk, there was no redeeming narrative available here – Britain had been defeated by a far smaller Japanese force in her grandly proclaimed, invincible Asian ‘fortress’.
The unique skill of Daniel Todman’s history lies in its never losing sight of the inter-connectedness of the British experience. The agony of Singapore, for example, is seen through the eyes of its inhabitants, of its defenders, of Churchill’s Cabinet and of ordinary people at home. Each stage of the war, from the nadir of early 1942 to the great series of victories in 1944-5 and on to Indian independence, is described both as it was understood at the time and in the light of the very latest historical research.
Britain’s War is a triumph of narrative, empathy and research, as gripping in its handling of individual witnesses to the war – those doomed to struggle with bombing, rationing, exhausting work and above all the absence of millions of family members – as of the gigantic military, social, technological and economic forces that swept the conflict along. It is the definitive account of a drama which reshaped our country.
‘I cannot recommend this history highly enough’ Keith Lowe, Literary Review
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin (25 Mar. 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 976 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0141982829 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0141982823 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 4.1 x 19.8 cm |
by G A Goldstone
This is a very good book for anyone who wants to get to grips with what the Second World War was really like for Britain and Britons. Through short, subdivided chapters, Todman weaves a coherent narrative that combines different aspects of the war – political, military, economic, social and cultural – and brings in the experiences of a whole range of people. He shows how these aspects related to each other and how they affected – and sometimes were affected by – the individuals. The world-wide context is given in just enough detail to make sense of the British thread. The range and depth of knowledge shown is truly impressive. For almost every person mentioned in the text, Todman gives some personal detail that makes them more interesting, more human. The book is full of facts but is never dull. On every issue he offers a carefully-weighed judgment, or adds a wry observation.
This is not a retelling of nostalgic stories of past glories, nor a revisionist, de-bunking view of events. It is not polemical in any way, though the account will challenge many widely-accepted views. Rather it is a clear-sighted, balanced, nuanced and fresh examination of events in an extraordinary period in the nation’s history. I have now read every page of this and the preceding volume (“Into Battle” and strongly recommend them.
by WiltshireBob
Other reviewers have covered this book extremely well. It is a fascinating and exhaustive insight into aspects of the war not described in other histories of the conflict which tend to focus on the battles. These books – both volume one and two – avoid the detail of the individual conflicts and concentrate on the strategic outcomes and the implications.
Two minor criticisms. Whereas there is a detailed analysis of the war’s statistics and the formation and work of the auxiliary and voluntary services such as the ARP, WVS and many others during the war, there is no mention at all of the Fire Services. It is not even listed in the index under Fire or AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) in either volume. Particularly disappointing for me as my father served in his local AFS and was injured and indeed many firemen were killed fighting fires during the war, but not a single mention. It would have been interesting to learn more about the Fires Services and AFS during the war particularly since every other service is thoroughly explored and explained. The only en passant reference to the AFS is a quotation from a Mass Observation report of “goings on in a Bristol pub! involving 3 AFS girls”!
The other very minor critique is the paucity of the index itself. It could be better.
by Gazzarian
I see that every other reviewer has given this book (and I would include the first volume) five stars, and there is not much point in my repeating their insightful views.
Except that, to add to them….Todman is excellent. If you want to know the bombs and bullets stuff of WW2, maybe Overy or Beevor. If you want to know the geopolitics, Fenby is probably better. Todman does write about the diplomatic and military events, but I think he includes those topics (I mostly skipped those bits) to give context to what he really cares about, which is the social history. And what a huge volume of truly great work he has produced.
He combines an impressive volume of research with a highly readable, humanistic and sensitive style. This is a writer who cares about the human condition, and has produced a valuable piece of work to share that. If, like me, you’re a social history geek then you can’t miss this one.
by TH UK
Having just finished this excellent book, I am not sure what the “stunning achievement in” noted on the front cover refers to. The quality of the work? No doubt. Or the sense of achievement or sheer exhaustion as the reader collapses across the finishing sentence?
Having read Book 1 of this two part work, I approached part 2 with unalloyed excitement – book 1 is brilliant. Book 2 is equally as good a text. But I am left with the impression that book 2 is just too long. No doubt the author had good reason to choose this format.
For anyone with an interest in the social, economic and political situation as the UK diminished from world power during the 1940’s, this work must be hard to beat. But be prepared for a long haul – with short “holidays” away from the task in hand!
by A bookworm
Simply a sublime book – the first book (which I re-read prior to reading this) was perfect but this somehow adds to it. Todman has managed to convey, and summarise, every aspect of the the British war; military, political, social & economic without becoming dry or losing focus on the wider picture. It really did feel as though each sentence was written in attempt to tie it in elsewhere.
It is possibly the most balanced book on the war I’ve read. This isn’t a criticism, instead it is one of the books strengths in that it doesn’t subscribe to the ‘declinist’ view or the war but it also doesn’t try and argue that England won the war singlehandedly without any help from the Empire, USA or Russia. Instead it frames the success and limitations of the British war effort within that framework.
Both books are faultless with one minor exception. Having bought both books in hardback, I’ve found that the white cover is easily faded, torn or stained. However, it still does the job. Perhaps the cover of the book is a metaphor for the British war effort. Either way, just read this book (and the first volume) if you have any interest in the British involvement in World War Two
by DiveDoc
Both excellent as a description of the reality behind the wartime fantasies that are still invoked, and intriguing in that it places the real Winston Churchill much closer to his successor, Alexander Boris Johnson. Except that Churchill strove for an Empire and a British role in Europe, where Johnson strove for Johnson.