Read more
One of the most frequently evoked national experiences is the Blitz of the Second World War. For five years - through the Phoney War, the Blitz proper, the Lull, and the Little Blitz - the civilians of London were in the front line. Hitler's bombs made no distinction between rich and poor: Westminster, Pimlico, Soho, Mayfair, Belgravia, and the royal residences, Marlborough House, the Palace of St James, and Buckingham Palace - nowhere escaped. Londoners were, as they said, 'in it together'. This eyewitness account written shortly after the war, not only chronicles the events of the period but also brings out the attitudes of the time, the courage in adversity, the impotence of not being able to fight back, and the jaunty, live-for-today attitude that existed at times of the worst bombing. William Sansom, a leading writer of his day, served during the war in the Auxiliary Fire Service, and his own experiences and his novelist's eye, gave him a unique insight into the spirit of the time. Originally published in 1947, the late Stephen Spender - who was also a fireman during the war - contributed a new foreword to this 1989 reissue, and Sansom's most famous story 'The Wall', set in the Blitz, is also included.
About the author
William Sansom (1912-1976) was a leading writer of his day, both for fiction and non-fiction. In 1946 and 1947 he was awarded two literary prizes by the Society of Authors, and in 1951 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. During the Second World War he became a full-time London firefighter, serving throughout the Blitz. His experiences during this time inspired much of his writing, including
The Blitz and many of the short stories in his celebrated collection
Fireman Flower. He also appeared as the fireman who plays the piano in Humphrey Jennings's famous film about the Blitz,
Fires Were Started.
Summary
One of the most frequently evoked national experiences is the Blitz of the Second World War. For five years - through the Phoney War, the Blitz proper, the Lull, and the Little Blitz - the civilians of London were in the front line. Hitler's bombs made no distinction between rich and poor: Westminster, Pimlico, Soho, Mayfair, Belgravia, and the royal residences, Marlborough House, the Palace of St James, and Buckingham Palace - nowhere escaped. Londoners were, as they said, 'in it together'.
This eyewitness account written shortly after the war, not only chronicles the events of the period but also brings out the attitudes of the time, the courage in adversity, the impotence of not being able to fight back, and the jaunty, live-for-today attitude that existed at times of the worst bombing.
William Sansom, a leading writer of his day, served during the war in the Auxiliary Fire Service, and his own experiences and his novelist's eye, gave him a unique insight into the spirit of the time. Originally published in 1947, the late Stephen Spender - who was also a fireman during the war - contributed a new foreword to this 1989 reissue, and Sansom's most famous story 'The Wall', set in the Blitz, is also included.
