It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Voices of World War Two

Voices of World War Two

Memories of the Last Survivors

Summary

In association with the flagship BBC2 series.

This is the story of the men and women of a truly remarkable generation. Born into a world still reeling from the earth-shattering events of the Great War, they grew up during the appalling economic depression of the 1930s, witnessed the globe tear itself apart again during the Second World War, and emerged from post-war austerity determined to create a new society for their children.

It is the story of people who raised their families during the immense social upheaval of the Fifties and Sixties, as the world in which they had grown up changed inexorably. It is the story of the people who shaped the way we live now.

Britain's Greatest Generation tells this multi-faceted story through the eye-witness accounts of those who were there, from Japanese prisoner of war Fergus Anckorn to Dame Vera Lynn, from Bletchley Park veteran Jean Valentine to Dad's Army creator Jimmy Perry, and from fighter pilot Tom Neil to the Queen's cousin Margaret Rhodes. Together their testimony creates a vivid, often deeply moving picture of an extraordinary epoch – and the extraordinary people who lived through it.

Reviews

  • Wonderful... Each account is colourful, touching and unique, each individual shining a fresh light on our shared past. This is a rich, heart-warming record of a generation to whom we owe so much, and a physical reminder of the importance of talking to our relatives about their lives, for the benefit of those who come after us.
    Family Tree

About the authors

Sue Elliott

Learn More

Steve Humphries

Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more