Members will be interested in BRITAIN AT WAR 1939 to 1945 what was life like during the war? By James Lingard (ISBN 9781434359339) which brings alive the harsh realities of life in Britain during the war - life full of uncertainty and the danger of impending death. It also provides 'a concise history of the salient campaigns in World War 2 ideal for anyone who lacks the time or inclination to study the larger works.

UCL People March 2009 - a University College London magazine - describes the work as a 'short but powerful book which brings together personal reflections with the historical and political context.'

A typical reader commented: 'I enjoyed this book very much. Being reasonably familiar with the published history, I was nevertheless greatly impressed by the books success in compressing the history of the war and its antecedents to such a modest length without apparently sacrificing any important theatre of conflict. It gives a highly digestible overview of an important sector of modern history.'

Extracts from the book available on myebook.com have now been read over thirteen thousand times. More information is available here...

Published reviews include:-

History Direct and History Times (May 2009)

'James Lingard's Britain at War 1939-1945 presents the reader with an excellent easy to digest overview of the key events that affected Britain during World War two. He has skillfully weaved personal accounts and his own experiences as a boy into the book to deliver a fascinating insight into the trials of civilian life in Britain at this key juncture in our nation's history.'

Practical Family History (April 2009)

'Written from the standpoint of the people who were involved, Britain at War brings the period alive with accurate facts and figures to illuminate the personal experiences described in their fascinating stories.'

The History Magazine (Spring Issue 2009)

For many older people the Second World War was the major event in their lives, but for the rest of us it is just history and it is hard to imagine what life was really like for them. In his book James Lingard tries to give us a picture of how a small boy saw life in the war interspersed with a potted history of the war to put things in context. This book gives historically accurate facts and figures and cuts through the propaganda which was fed to the wartime public. I enjoyed this book giving as it does an insight into one person's war. I would have liked to find out what happened to the young James and his parents after the war.'

Family Tree Magazine

At the outbreak of war, the author was a young boy living in south London who later evacuated with his mother to her parents' house in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, while his father joined the Army. The author's personal recollections and stories are deftly interwoven with historical facts and figures to bring the period vividly to life.'

About the author:

James Lingard - educated at Dulwich College and University College London - became a leading City of London solicitor with a lifetime's interest in history. He is the original author of Lingard's Bank Security Documents (Butterworths) now in its 4th edition. A former Council Member of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals and of the European Association of Insolvency Practitioners, he became a Judicial Chairman of the Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal.