Author Description
During The Second World War, People Arrived In Britain From All Over The World As Troops, War-workers, Nurses, Refugees, Exiles, And Prisoners-of-war-chiefly From Europe, America, And The British Empire. Between 1939 And 1945, The Population In Britain Became More Diverse Than It Had Ever Been Before. Through Diaries, Letters, And Interviews, Mixing It Tells Of Ordinary Lives Pushed To Extraordinary Lengths. Among The Stories Featured Are Those Of Zbigniew Siemaszko - Deported By The Soviet Union, Fleeing Kazakhstan On A Horse-drawn Sleigh, And Eventually Joining The Polish Army In Scotland Via Iran, Iraq, And South Africa - And 'johnny' Pohe - The First Maori Pilot To Serve In The Raf, Who Was Captured, And Eventually Murdered By The Gestapo For His Part In The 'great Escape'. This Is The First Book To Look At The Big Picture Of Large-scale Movements To Britain And The Rich Variety Of Relations Between Different Groups. When The War Ended, Awareness Of The Diversity Of Britain's Wartime Population Was Lost And Has Played Little Part In Public Memories Of The War. Mixing It Recovers This Forgotten History. It Illuminates The Place Of The Second World War In The Making Of Multinational, Multiethnic Britain And Resonates With Current Debates On Immigration.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the often-overlooked diversity of the British population during the Second World War and its role in shaping the nation's modern multiethnic identity. Wendy Webster, a historian specializing in British social history and identity, utilizes a vast array of primary source materials to challenge the traditional, homogenous narrative of wartime Britain. By synthesizing personal accounts with broader historical data, the author argues that the influx of troops, refugees, and workers from across the globe fundamentally altered the social fabric of the country during the 1939-1945 period.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed accounts of individuals from Europe, the British Empire, and America who resided in Britain during the war.
- Analysis of the interactions between diverse groups including refugees, exiles, and military personnel.
- Primary source evidence drawn from personal diaries, letters, and oral history interviews.
Scope Limits
- The book does not provide a comprehensive military history of the war's strategic campaigns.
- It does not focus on the post-war political legislation regarding immigration, but rather the wartime social reality.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and scholars frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the social history of the Second World War for its focus on marginalized narratives. Readers often note that the prose is accessible while maintaining a rigorous academic standard for historical documentation.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191054607
ISBN-13:
9780191054600
History
Military History
Social History
World War
British History