Book description
Richard Brown kept a personal diary throughout the whole of the
Second World War. He used it to record the course of the conflict as
he perceived it, gleaned from the newspapers, the wireless and
hearsay. As well as describing the development of the war, Brown
captured a vivid image of life in wartime Britain, with rationing,
blackout restrictions, interrupted sleep, the prospect of evacuation
and the enormous burden placed on civilians coping with a full-time
job as well as war work. Richard Brown was a well-informed man who
made his own judgements. His attitude to the war is fascinating, as he
never doubts ultimate victory, despite being impatient and critical of
the conduct of the war. His observations range from the pithy to the
humorous and scathing. Above all, his diaries reflect the moral and
social attitudes of the period, and teh desire to be fully involved in
the war effort. They also totally refute the argument that the British
public were kept in the dark.
