Genuine period items relating to the Battle of Britain can still be found today. We present a guide to some of the more unusual items that sell for affordable prices
Following the Allied withdrawal from Dunkirk in 1940, it was clear which nation was next in Hitler’s sights for invasion. On June 18, 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously announced in the House of Commons: “What General Weygand has called the Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
The story of the three-and-a-half months that saved Britain in 1940 is well-known, having been told repeatedly over the last 80 years in films and books. However, contemporary interpretations of the Battle of Britain also make fascinating reading. In March 1941, less than six months aft er the Luftwaffe had been repelled, the Air Ministry/Ministry of Information published its official history of the combat. Written by Hilary Aiden St George Saunders (1898–1951), The Battle of Britain was one of around 65 such official histories that would be published by His Majesty’s Stationery Office. Initially available as a plain, text-only booklet, due to popular demand it was hurriedly reissued with ph…
