Wales in World War 2: Wales in World War II

The most comprehensive study to date of Wales’ role in the British response to World War II, and the impact of the war on Wales itself. Wales was vital to the war effort, from military training to public entertainment, from hosting several of Britain’s most secretive weapons programs to housing 110,000 child evacuees, from the war economy to food security. The devastating 1940 blitz in the cities of the south is well known, but the book covers every region comprehensively. Politicians, civil servants and civilian volunteers; miners, steelworkers, farmers, factory workers and entertainers; local children, host families and evacuees; new recruits, soldiers, prisoners of war and pacifists – the book looks at the experience of every part of the population present in Wales during the war. Long-standing tensions between the Welsh people and the English authorities meant for a sometimes strained relationship, affecting the role of film, radio and the arts in propaganda directed to audiences in the home. The book also looks at the legacy of the conflict on Wales after the war.

A well-researched, well-written account and analysis drawing on a wide range of sources. It provides international context but also the experiences of regions, communities and individuals. A major advance in writing on this still rather neglected topic. – Dr Neil Evans, Honorary Research Fellow, Bangor University

World War II was a defining moment in the history and the lives of many Welsh people. Yet it has been relatively neglected by historians of Wales. This book sets out to correct that omission with a well-researched account of a war that changed the very course of the history of the nation. – Professor Martin Johnes, Dept of History, Heritage and Classics, Swansea University

Comprehensively researched, with an eloquent yet easy-to-read narrative, this book is highly recommended for anyone wishing to learn about a neglected piece of twentieth-century history: the experiences of World War 2 in Wales. – Kate Sullivan, Project Coordinator, ‘People’s Voices in a People’s War: Aberystwyth, 1938-1945

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