A special compilation from Eyewitness, a unique history of Britain in the 20th century, written by Joanna Bourke and narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith. Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen.
A wealth of BBC archive recordings is interwoven with an illuminating commentary by the historian Joanna Burke. Published in 10 volumes, Eyewitness examines the life of the British people in each decade of the century.
This special BBC History Magazine compilation draws mainly upon the Eyewitness volumes for the 1930s and 1940s, as the BBC faced the challenges of the Second World War.
In the first global conflict of the age of broadcasting, the BBC not only reported the war, but served as a vital means of conveying official announcements and lifting morale.
These extracts, together with subsequent reminiscences, cover such episodes as the Munich Agreement and the drift to war; Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, D-Day, and victory both in Europe and in the Far East. But they also reveal life on the home front, as the BBC became the voice of a nation in some of the darkest days of the century.
Thought-provoking and moving, these are the voices of the past, speaking to the present.