The most momentous decade in London’s colourful history was one of huge contrasts. The war provided a heady brew of fear, bravery, stoicism, cowardice and crime, set to a background of popular music from Glenn Miller and Vera Lynn. To some, London was vibrant and exciting, but even during the war years it was still divided by class and wealth. While the privileged few enjoyed the relative comfort of the capital’s swankiest hotels, thousands of Londoners sheltered each night on the platforms of the underground.

London witnessed the effects of internment, shrugged off the Blitz and was overwhelmed by an invasion of GIs. And even when victory was in sight, the terrifying Buzz Bombs arrived.

After the war servicemen returned home as strangers, often to resentful wives and some to unexpected additions to the family. A royal wedding and the 1948 Olympics brought some cheer, but continued grinding austerity caused resentment, and the Labour government introduced radical social legislation. The first influx of West Indian immigrants was welcomed by graffiti demanding ‘Keep Britain White’.

With the help of people who lived through these traumatic times, Mike Hutton vividly recreates through stories and memories the atmosphere of a London that is so far removed from the London of today, but that points the way forward to a more prosperous future.

• ‘Wellresearched and well paced, this scrupulous account of the effects on London of

  World War II and the dire austerity that followed is occasionally hilarious,

  often touching, and all the better for the author’s personal recollections as a

  child. To a Londoner who grew from boy to man in this decade it is familiar and

  true’ BRIAN SEWELL

• Weaves

  into the narrative the voices of those who were there

• First

  book to cover this decade in London’s history

• Covers

  evacuation, the Blitz, US forces, rationing, as well as crime, entertainment

  and the 1948 Olympics

• 2015 will mark the 75th anniversary of the Blitz