Fascinating look at life in post war Britain,An in depth look at the lives of the people recovering from the war and a personal look at their daily lives.#netgalley #pennandsword.

The book covers 7 years in post war Britain. The period from 1946 to 1953 seems very short but it's full of promising events including the coronation of Elizabeth II. A must read for all enthusiast of history of England.

This book is packed full of information about life in England. Great for research or just those wanting to learn more about this time.

I'm always interested in reading social history book and this one was good as it relies on papers. The timeframe is between the end of WWII and the coronation of Elizabeth II
A good read recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This covers a wide variety of topics on British life between 1946 to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. Political as well as social aspects of this era were equally covered.
For me, it relied heavily on contemporary newspaper commentary to illustrate its key points. Many times on a page you could find a phrase “so and so newspaper reported” followed by a paragraph or two. I would have liked more narrative from the author to tie things together. A great overview of the postwar era.

Life in Post-War Britain by Anton Rippon and Nicola Rippon covers the short period of 1946-1953, illustrating its several themes with well-chosen excerpts from newspapers of the day, both national and local. It covers the aspects of the period that one might expect: rationing; the harsh winter of 1947; nationalisation; the NHS; the 1944 Education Act and its introduction of grammar and secondary modern schools; the 1948 Olympics; the Festival of Britain; and the wedding and coronation of the late Queen.

It also covers the hit and miss quality of housing offered to bombed-out families; the GI brides who returned, disillusioned and husbandless, to the UK; and various aspects of crime, such as black-market activities, smuggling and murder. I was unaware of the strikes that took place in the armed forces – obviously a court-martial offence, but most offenders were treated fairly and lightly. The Rippons are good on the German POWs and the allied troops, such as the Polish, who were in the UK after the war. The assimilation of foreign citizens was, as one might expect, mixed. The arrival of the ship Empire Windrush added to the already existing melange of nationalities.

I enjoyed the chapters on entertainment and fashion. The former has a nice balance covering radio (ITMA, of course); television; films; and holiday camps such as Butlins and Pontins. The latter has a good explanation of how clothes rationing worked and its impact, as well as discussing the post-war fashions such as Dior’s New Look.

The book is very well structured, with lots of short, compartmentalised, chapters. That makes it easy to pick up and cover, say, entertainment, if you only have a short period available for reading. However, that means the Rippons pack a lot of information into those few pages. The trade-off between space and detail is very well judged indeed, but I enjoyed it all so much, I wish the book had been twice as long. The review copy I saw had some pictures (some of which were new to me) but not that many. That means the book is that rare item these days: it contains a lot of narrative rather than trying to rely upon pictures with captions. Perhaps the text is a little biased towards contemporary newspaper commentary, rather than a modern narrative, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed getting a feel for the period through the eyes of newspaper reporters of the 1940s and ‘50s. If you want to understand what the 1940s were like and how Government policy really impacted everyday life, this is an excellent place to start.

#LifeinPostWarBritain #NetGalley

As a North American with roots in England, and whose grandfather fought in WWII but never spoke of his service with his family, I really appreciated and enjoyed learning about the personal side of life in post-war Britain. Too many history books gloss over this entirely or don’t give enough word space for better comprehension on the reader’s part.

Life in Post-War Britain is very well researched and presented, this one is fascinating and more engaging than many history books I’ve read.


** Homeschoolers and educators - this would be excellent for a living history unit study curriculum or self-study for teens.




Thank you to Pen & Sword History and NetGalley for the DRC!

Excellent look at the after effects of a war on the average person and their daily life. History books often focus on the war itself, and then move on to the next exciting topic. It's important however, to always analyze the effects that war has on a population. 4/5 stars.

This fascinating book gives a true insight into life in post-war Britain. The 24 chapters cover diverse topics that include education, housing, nationalisation, immigration and racial tensions, the dawn of the NHS and the welfare state, crime, entertainment, sport. The book ends with the coronation of Elizabeth II.
The book is well-researched and draws on a wide range of newspapers. The index with page references make it easy to navigate through the book.
This is a book that has something for everyone.. It is so well-written that it can be read from cover-to-cover or dipped into at will.
Highly recommended for historians and general readers with an interest in the post-war period.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword History for an e-ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Absolutely fascinating. My parents grew up in post-war Britain and this book explains so much about why they were the way they were. Political, social and economic observations give powerful context and the authors have shone a light on inter generational impacts of war.