Author: Michael H.C. Baker
Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing
Format: Hardback
Pages: 144
Up until the 20th century warfare was fought on the battlefield; it rarely impacted on the civilian population, unless as with Paris in 1870/71 a major city was under siege. All this changed with the development of aircraft; suddenly there was an additional dimension to warfare. World War 1 saw the first limited raids on urban areas but it was World War 2 that was to force Britain's towns and cities into the front-line.
Whilst many town and cities - such as Coventry and Plymouth - suffered severe damage, it was the Greater London area that sustained the longest and most damaging onslaught, from the early bombing raids of 1940 through to the V1s and V2s of the later years of the war. Central to the viability of the city during the war was London Transport; not only did its Underground stations provide essential additional air raid shelters but its buses, trains, trams and trolleybuses had to continue to operate throughout the period, despite sustaining vast damage to vehicles and infrastructure. As with the Metropolis more generally, London Transport battled through the war to emerge victorious at the end.
This readable book provides an anecdotal rather than detailed history of London Transport during the period between 1939 and 1945. Michael Baker, who was born just before the war and grew up in London during the period, is a master of narrating a good story interweaved with hard facts. This book will be based around a series of themes - eg dealing with bomb damage, air raids, make do and mend, etc - that will be drawn from personal reminiscences and stories from local newspapers.