Keep Smiling Through: Home Front, 1939-45 [Paperback]

I read this book in the British Fontana edition, subtitled "The Home Front 1939- 45". I assume this Collins edition is the same book because the Fontana edition wasn't for sale in the US, presumably because of the availability of the US edition. Most US books about the home front in the second world war mean by that phrase the US home front. This book differs in starting far before that, in 1939, when it was Britain alone to fight the Axis, and no Allies in sight. For American readers it will be a revelation, for the text, but moreso for the graphics; this book is drenched in black and white photos, drawings and ad reproductions, and as well includes a few color plates of art prints. This is to say that it gives a good sense of how the war effort affected popular culture in England, which most other books do not treat.

Susan Briggs assumes a great many things for her British mates that may puzzle American readers. The introduction and beginning may seem almost quizzical to the uninitiated. However, most things get explained in context along the way, and the few that don't are easily researched. One unique thing is her extensive use of song lyrics to give a sense of the times. She also gives interesting contrasts between the first world war and the second, which became apparent as the war shifted from a false war, waiting for bombs that never came, to a false peace, which actually ended in the bombing of London.

The high point of the book is America's entry into the war, suitably introduced with lines from "Over There". There had already been a few Yanks there since 1939, along with numerous Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and other soldiers from Commonwealth countries, as well as Poles, Dutch, Norweigan and other troops. But America began sending supplies as well as soldiers to replenish famished civilians as well as troops, replace worn out or blown up buses and lorries (trucks), and, of course, an ever increasing supply of soldiers.

Briggs also catches, as best one can, the moods of the day and thoughts on the street, as well as the different angles of propaganda between left-wing Lord Beaverbrook, a newspaper magnate, and right- wing Winston Churchhill. Britain also gave support to Russia, although many Brits were uneasy about supporting communism under Stalin, particularly when the Red Army invaded Finland. Theaters and dance halls were for the most part closed in London and other cities under fire, and the BBC came into its own not only as a source of news but entertainment.

There was also a good side to the war, in the view of many commentators. The class system had somewhat broken down, and some poor families actually ate better on the ration system than before. "I'm so glad we've been bombed!" exclaimed the Queen when enemy arsenal struck Buckingham Palace, "now I can look those East Enders in the face!" Another little known fact Briggs relates is that kids were early on evacuated during the false war, long before the later better- known evacuations of civilian adults. She also puts faces to the numerous acronyms of various government agencies in charge of coordinating civilian work forces, volunteers, guards, recycling, and the rationing of everything from fuel to food to clothes. All in all, an entertaining and engrossing read of six years that changed the world.