CITY OF LONDON AT WAR 1939-45

From the Pen & Sword Military Books (Your Towns and Cities in World War Two) series the book does in fact cover the Tower of London which not technically in the City but within Tower Hamlets, and we take a brief look inside its walls and read about the story of the last person to be executed there. The book looks at different areas of the City such as Guildhall, St Paul's Cathedral, St Bartholomew's Hospital, the Blitz and the devastating effect of that eight month period of time between 7th September 1940 and 21st May 1941. The worst raid took place on 29th December 1941 when the German Luftwaffe dropped hundreds of incendiary devices on the historic buildings and homes of the nation's capital. The book also looks at the London Underground and why initially the government refused to allow these train stations to be used as air raid shelters, and the devastating effect a direct hit had on one of them. The City of London was always going to be an obvious target for German bombers and a way to spread fear and panic among the British people. Although not vastly populated, there would still be enough people working there during the day for attacks on it to take their toll. The City's ancient and iconic buildings also bore the brunt of the German bombs including churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire in 1666. Read about the bravery of the staff at St Barts which was one of the medical facilities that remained open during the course of the war, and the sterling work carried out by the City's civilian population and the different voluntary roles including the Home Guard, and the Fire Watchers who spent their nights on the city's rooftops looking out for incendiary devices dropped by the German Luftwaffe. The book covers the regiments of the City of London, memorials and the London Clearing Banks. 170 large page paperback, well illus.