London at War by Philip Ziegler, 071269871X, Lowest Book Price Finder

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Absolutely riveting history

Ziegler's book is a triumph. While it details many examples of the extraordinary spirit that the privations of the Blitz brought out in London's inhabitants, it also pulls no punches in demythologising the "spirit of the Blitz". It is this that raises this work from being yet another description of Londoners' collective heroism and stoicism during the war years to a work of insightful genius. We are told shocking stories of indiscriminate looting after bombing raids; of racketeering; of profit made from others' hardship; of poor treatment of evacuee children. It is also shocking to read of the Government's cover-up of the Bethnal Green tube shelter disaster, when 178 people lost their lives as the crowd stampeded, for fear of eroding the morale of the populace. It was also distressing to hear how people "lost control simultaneously" and showed little of the spirit of the Blitz as they trampled mothers with babes in arms to death seeking safety for themselves. It wasn't even a very large raid. In fact it was a short, almost negligible raid. The panic swept out of control in minutes.

The stories of wealthy upper classes obdurately refusing to leave their Berkeley Square homes is fascinating, and of the heroism of so many firefighters, many of whom died, and many of whom, disgracefully, were given white feathers to symbolise their supposed "cowardice" at not being in the armed forces.

This is a story, not of jolly old cockneys singing "roll out the barrel" but of a collective humanity under huge pressure and the many remarkable examples of behaviour it inspired - shameful or admirable. Thankfully, at the conclusion, it is the admirable qualities that shine through, but they do all the more because we are told of the shameful.

A compelling story

Ziegler has managed to give a real sense of what it must have been like to be in London during the war years. Ziegler takes the tactic of examining history as the impact of events upon the people of London -- the growing clouds of war, the first alerts, the lulls, the bombing, the terror and the courage of a people determined to keep their community, their great city, alive. He describes the slow acclimatising toward austerity of which not all wanted to participate; particularly in the lull between the declaration of war (in which there seemed to be little impact on the London scene save rising prices and product scarcity) and the beginning of bombing (at which time the population rallied much more completely).

'On 24 August (1940) the first bombs fell on central London, starting fires in the East End. Probably the bombing was accidental, but retaliatory raids on Berlin made it inevitable that the process, once started, would escalate dramatically.' The rallying effort to build the community was great, such that 'by February 1941, it was estimated that 92 per cent of London's population could be accommodated in public or private shelters.'

At the end of the war, the preparations of the rationing ministries and the police to keep civil order were almost as detailed and daunting as D-Day; the demand for material (flags) and food for celebrations required a reaffirmation of ration regulations; London and the rest of Britain would still remain on rations for years after the war. Even ceremonies such as the State Opening of Parliament would be scaled down due to the unreadiness of transport or lack of men and material.

Ziegler regrets that human nature reverted back to norm and the community spirit built up during the war quickly disintegrated after the war. Grand plans for rebuilding were never carried out -- London incurred more than half the casualties of cities during the war (over 80,000 in London alone), and the community pulled together to survive, but this cohesion didn't last after the threat was gone; however, Ziegler states, 'there is much that Londoners can look back on with pride, remarkably little about which they need to feel ashamed.'

Picture plates complete the visual story of London at war (the photograph on the cover of men looking through the still-standing library shelves of a bombed-out building is fascinating), and the writing style of Ziegler is compelling and full. A journey into our recent past definitely to be taken.

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