Gas masks were just one of a host of ‘new normals’ that Brits on the home front had to get used to
When Britain went to war with Germany in 1939, millions of British men marched off into the unknown to fight for king and country, not knowing if they would ever return. But what was life like for those left behind in Blighty? It’s a question we consider in this month’s essential guide, which explores World War II from the perspective of British civilians on the home front – from rationing and shortages, to the terrors of aerial bombings and the evacuation of millions of children and vulnerable people. Turn to page 26 to find out more.
More than 450 years earlier, another bitter conflict was tearing Britain apart: the Wars of the Roses, fought between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne. Ultimately, King Richard III lost his crown, and life, at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, paving the way for the Tudor dynasty. But what might England have looked like had the much-maligned monarch emerged victorious on the battlefield? Find out on page 70.