Yesterdays. Our Finest Hours, 1939-1953

Yesterdays. Our Finest Hours, 1939-1953 Synopsis

This follow-up to Eric Midwinter's very well received Yesterdays: The Way We Were, which has already been reprinted three times, picks up the story in 1939, opening with Chamberlain's declaration of war on September 3rd. It is a fascinating portrait that shows how the direction and character of everyday life was transformed by the dramatic and terrible events of six long years of war. It also shows how the pattern of life formed during the War did not change abruptly in 1945. Rationing and shortages persisted, sometimes more acutely than before, while, because of National Service and the continuing presence of US forces, the country still resembled a uniformed nation at war. At the Festival of Britain in 1951, much of the same spirit was as alive and well as it had been at the Battle of Britain. It was only around 1953 that life began to change - with the consumer boom, the growing use of the car and much more personal freedom. With the New Look, too, femininity returned. The period ended on the ceremonial high note of the coronation of young Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.;It is the first grand, shared television event, when, suddenly, half the nation is crowded around five million tiny flickering screens. These never-to-be forgotten times are reflected in this wonderful collection of arresting and emotive images.