Author Description

Only twenty miles distant from German forces operating in France, Dover was in the nation's front line of war. From the first enemy action in 1940 the town and port had no respite from German hostility for over four years. This volume, presented mainly in the form of a journal, charts the course of the war in Dover in detail, with personal accounts and official notices drawn together by a thoroughly researched commentary.As well as descriptions of major incidents, such as Dover's important role in the Dunkirk evacuation, this is foremost a history of a civilian population at war. The author shows how local people adapted to rationing, intensive shelling, evacuation measures and their new roles in civil defence services such as the ARP, Auxiliary Fire Service and Home Guard. Ordinary life carried on as far as possible, however; there are many mentions, for example, of the thriving Dover Hippodrome which continued to put on performances throughout the war, and anecdotes such as the re-formed local cricket club playing quite happily on a bomb-cratered farmer's field.A full roll of honour is included, with the names of all civilians who are known to have lost their lives in Dover during the war, as are maps plotting shell damage, defence positions and both British and German artillery positions on either side of the Channel. The text is complemented throughout by a wide-ranging selection of photographs from private as well as public collections.Roy Humphreys has compiled an important record of Dover's war years which will evoke many memories for those who personally experienced the war, and provide fascinating reading for subsequent generations interested in the town's history.