Mr Brown’s War

Richard Brown kept a personal war diary throughout the whole of World War II. In it he recorded the war news as he perceived it, gleaned from newspapers, the wireless and hearsay. Along with describing the development of the war, he has captured an 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. Mr 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 scathing about 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 the desire to be fully involved in the war effort. They also totally refute the argument that the British public were kept in ignorance of the bad news.