Second World War (1939–1945)
Get closer to stories from government, the home front and the armed forces through our extensive collection of Second World War records. Explore the stories of people whose lives were changed by conflict and learn how the country kept going through its darkest hour.
Second World War (1939–1945) highlights in pictures
Stories from the collection
The story of Judy, the only dog registered as a prisoner of war
Read about Judy, the only dog registered as a prisoner of war
Judy's remarkable story is one of capture, survival and courage, and offers a unique tale of internment during the war.
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The Bethnal Green Tube shelter disaster
NewOn one tragic night in March 1943 in Bethnal Green, East London, 173 people lost their lives taking shelter from German bombing as the air raid sirens sounded.
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A dramatic plea for Churchill’s help from Bletchley Park
In 1941, four Government Code and Cypher School cryptanalysts, including Alan Turing, made a stunning appeal directly to Winston Churchill.
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The double agent who hid D-Day from the Nazis: Elvira Chaudoir
A life of charm, high-stakes, and duplicity saw Elvira Chaudoir play a cunning role in the Allied victory at D-Day.
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The loss of SS Arandora Star
In July 1940 the Arandora Star was torpedoed by a German submarine. More than 800 people were killed, many of them Italian civilians being deported to Canada.
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Britain’s youngest prisoner of war: John Giles Hipkin
14-year-old cabin boy John Giles Hipkin became Britain's youngest Second World War prisoner of war in 1941 after he was captured at sea.
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Roger Bushell and the 'Great Escape'
Roger Bushell (1910–1944) was a pilot, prisoner of war (POW), and mastermind of the ‘Great Escape’ from Stalag Luft III in March 1944.
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The East River Column: the rebels who helped Second World War prisoners of war
Discover how this guerrilla group played a significant role in opposing Japan and aiding Allied prisoners of war around Hong Kong.
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Secret letter sent to British Secret Services
During the Second World War, some British prisoners of war were able to send secret messages and intelligence back home via creative and unusual ways.
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The Geneva Convention, 1949
This document sets out the laws its signatory nations agreed to follow around the treatment of prisoners of war, those in medical need, and civilians.
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Nancy Wake
Nancy Wake (1912–2011), an agent for the Special Operations Executive, was the most wanted woman in France during the Second World War.
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War diary from 1939 with posters and Christmas cards
War diaries were historical records created by units in the British Army during wartime. This one is unusual: it contains posters and Christmas cards.
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Virginia Hall
Virginia Hall (1906–1982) was an American who served with the British Special Operations Executive in France in 1941–1942 and built a career in espionage.
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Secret map of operations in North Burma
This map was provided to soldiers during the first operation by the Chindits, special forces serving in Japanese-occupied Burma during the Second World War.
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Christine Granville’s application to become a British citizen
Christine Granville, Special Operations Executive agent extraordinaire, was Churchill’s favourite spy. How did this document possibly save her life?