World War II
A Family in Wartime
How the Second World War Shaped the Lives of a Generation
A Family in Wartime explores the trials, tribulations, and jubilations collectively experienced by the British public from 1939-1945. Drawing on firsthand accounts and the personal archives of the Allpress family, the book chronicles the life of a typical London family during World War II--from the morale-boosting campaigns, films, and songs to air raids, evacuations, and rationing. Special attention is paid to the aftershocks of war: couples reunited after years of separation, the residual effects of female independence, and children becoming reacquainted with their long-absent combat-stricken fathers.
Maureen Waller is a writer and historian with a Master's at Queen Mary College, London. She is the author of 1700: Scenes from London Life and Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole their Father's Crown.