When the bombs were falling and there were deprivations in every day life, keeping up morale became as important as winning battles. The strength to carry on and never give up was all well and good. Once in a while though, humans being human, a relief was needed. The public needed a release from the non-stop tension of waiting for the “other shoe to drop”, The men and women who feature in this book were every bit the heroes as those on the front lines. They kept the British smiling through whatever Hitler sent their way. And they did a fantastic job.

The book looks at the various forms of entertainment that maintained spirits from those of the live stage to radio, film and sporting events. They all played a part but it was a delicate balance that had to be maintained. Events where masses of people gathered were easy pickings for the Luftwaffe. There needed to be controls on who many congregated and what safety features were available should the worst happen.

There were many instances of failure to protect but most of the public decided any place was as dangerous as the rest and they took their chances. I am not sure if the people alive today would have shown such grit and courage. They were people who rose to the challenges. They helped to make the horrors more tolerable. Four purrs and two paws up.

Wartime Entertainment by Anton and Nicola Rippon covers the impact different forms of entertainment had on those who lived through World War II, and is definitely worth picking up for anyone who is interested in WWII.

A lot of us have the image of a World War II where a famous beautiful young starlet travels overseas to entertain despondent young male soldiers, who whoop and holler when she appears. While this did also happen, and not always with young female stars, there were other forms of entertainment for all that made impacts on the public in regards to the war.

Films became popular, and helped keep morale up at home and abroad. It allowed an escape from what was truly happening. Theatre was also something that, even though it was more an outlet for those who had money, contributed to the war effort. And of course, the always popular radio, with songs and radio shows that encouraged war time efforts.

This book is an interesting glance into something that most people don't consider with war; how it affects even what we consider the most banal of topics; entertainment. I highly recommend for readers of World War II history.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Anton Rippon and Nicola Rippon’s Wartime Entertainment: How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War is an excellent example of how to write a popular history book. There are lots of short chapters, each focussing upon a different star or an aspect of entertainment, e.g. radio, cinema, etc. Each chapter offers some specific documentary evidence such as historical newspaper cuttings, oral history or quotes from interviews; followed by the authors’ analysis, expanding from the specific to the general. And, as well as this technical expertise, what the authors (father and daughter) write is highly interesting.

A few statistics are slipped in, such as mentioning that, in 1938, more people in the UK listened to the commercial station, Radio Luxembourg, on a Sunday than to the BBC, but a lot of the information has a human side: George Formby felt so strongly about salvaging paper, he made rounds in his own car to collect paper in Lancashire. Formby also upset a lot of fellow entertainers by claiming, while on an ENSA tour in North Africa, that “most of the stars are in the West End.” This is a tricky one and I’m not sure I agree with George. I think he exaggerated when he said “West End” but if we accept he meant “back in the UK” (or possibly even London), then he was probably right: there were more performers in London than on tour with ENSA. However, who would do more for morale: Tommy Trinder making millions of people laugh with his radio show, or George Formby appearing in front of a few thousand people, but in person? I don’t have an answer, but George’s remark was, at best, thoughtless and, at worst, seeking self-publicity at the expense of others.

This really good book has nineteen chapters, covering the BBC news, the Forces programme, ITMA, George Formby, Vera Lynn, communal singing, dancing, football and many other aspects. It does take a wide view of entertainment – if you’re interested in what people did outside work during WWII, I do recommend this book.

Any quibbles? Yes: the review copy I have contains several typos. This is unusual for the excellent Pen & Sword, so these errors may well have been corrected for the final printed version.

#WartimeEntertainment #NetGalley

“In *Wartime Entertainment*, the Rippons masterfully transport readers to a pivotal era in British history, offering an insightful exploration of how ordinary people found solace and joy amid the chaos of war. This meticulously researched book sheds light on the resilience and creativity of civilians, who transformed wartime Britain into a landscape of unexpected diversions—from cinemas and dance halls to concerts and theater. With vivid anecdotes and a keen understanding of the human spirit, this work reminds us that even in the darkest times, entertainment was not merely a distraction, but a vital lifeline to normalcy and hope. A must-read for history buffs and anyone interested in the power of culture to uplift a nation in crisis.

My father served in the Pacific Theater in World War II. He was in the Ferrying Division of the Air Transport Command, which meant he moved around a lot, going from one airport or landing base to another. He used to enjoy telling me about the many entertainers he saw at USO shows at these spots. In all the hardships of war, these were bright spots he loved and never forgot. Entertaining of the troops is only a part of this book’s lively history of how British civilians and those in the services were entertained during the war.

Upon the declaration of war between the UK and Germany at the beginning of September, 1939, the government’s first inclination was to shut down all dance halls, movie theaters, and other places of public entertainment. That ban lasted about two weeks. A good thing, too, since 1939 and 1940 were banner years for the movies, including The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind. The jitterbug was introduced, and the British couldn’t get enough of it in their dance halls. Any kind of music was welcome, and the government was surprised how popular classical music was. With its art sent off to the country for safekeeping, the National Gallery had lunchtime concerts every day for four years.

When the Blitz began, questions arose again about whether places of public entertainment should be closed. But it became obvious that death could come anywhere, and theaters, clubs, and halls stayed open. Yes, there were some cases of bombings of these places, like the famous Café de Paris bombing, but the public didn’t want to sit around at home doing nothing. They wanted to be entertained, to be together.

There were questions about whether sentimental songs were good or bad for morale. Some thought songs like “We’ll Meet Again,” “The White Cliffs of Dover,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” would make people sad, but soldiers and civilians alike loved those songs. A very sentimental German song, Lili Marlene, was even coopted by the British 8th Army. Variety songs about the war were popular. I particularly liked reading about The Thing-ummy-bob, which was about women working in munitions factories, and Noël Coward’s satirical Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans.

Rationing, especially food rationing, made life challenging. The Ministry of Information put out many pamphlets and had a radio show called The Kitchen Front to help out. (There is an excellent recent novel about the Kitchen Front.) I laughed at the story of a clever group of football fans who piled into a van with a piano in it to travel to watch football matches, so that they could claim to be furniture movers if they were questioned about wasting fuel.

There are several entertaining stories about football during the war, including matches in which spectators had to come down from the stands to fill in as players.

As the war drew to a close, the BBC’s daily following of the invasion of Europe from D-Day gave way to the introduction of the Light Programme. Television service, which had begun in 1937, returned in 1946. Rationing, however, didn’t leave until 1954.

As the subtitle makes clear, this is a Britain-focused book, and might be of less interest to Americans, though this American history lover found it entertaining and informative.

As life on the Home Front became less tedious and instead much, so Entertainment was important in providing escape from the difficult and dangerous times of war. Radio, cinema, and dancing were increasingly seen as ways to improve morale.
The British came up with clever means of boosting morale. Music While You Work was broadcast twice daily, halfway through shifts when production might be flagging. The choice of music encouraged workers to whistle or sing along.
There was plenty of controversy over what was acceptable. Most requests sent in by soldiers were for sentimental tunes, with recordings by Miss Vera Lynn specifically and predominantly asked for. But the argument by those who wanted her off the air that her sentimental songs were bad for morale.
If one song were to perfectly encapsulate the overriding wartime experiences of the heartbreak of parting and the enduring hope of eventual reunion, it was ‘We’ll Meet Again’.
The closing of places of entertainment was bad for morale, but the loss of life at a crowded dance hall or cinema always raised the question of the wisdom of allowing such events to go ahead in areas most likely to be targeted by the Luftwaffe.
Also touched on are rationing—Britain relied heavily on imports for its food, especially meat and fruit. The authorities came down hard on the ‘abuse’ of petrol. A man was fined for wasting it because he was caught driving to watch a derby.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Wartime Entertainment How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War is so much more than a nostalgic trip amongst the entertainers of the time, the familiar films, and the impact of food rationing. All these topics are covered, and include material that is not well known, but where this book shines is in the information about less well-known aspects of Second World War entertainment. The material is enhanced with the occasional comment from the authors – tart, humorous or poignant and anecdotal evidence from conversations recorded at the time or recalled by those were war time adults and children. This, together with the immense amount of research that must have gone into Anton Rippon’s and Nicola Rippon’s book, makes it a tome of testimony to the range of entertainment, ideas, government responses and community acceptance, together with the thrill of finding f new aspects of entertainment on offer at the time. Written in the familiar Pen & Sword style of accessible and lively language, this work stands out as one to devour.

The debates in parliament, the media and amongst interest groups are a fascinating insight into the way in which concern for human life, concern for maintaining the human spirit, clinging to familiarity and the economics of reducing large scale entertainment battled to gain precedence. Sporting and cultural activities became sources of conflict off the field and stage because the large numbers in a confined space were seen as a likely focus for bombing. The arguments and solutions make interesting reading, reminiscent of those that have recently occurred around the Covid 19 pandemic – what are the relative merits of high-level risk to life when considered against the need for social activity? Other debates were more practical – should petrol and public transport be used when both were essential to the war effort? Debates around all the entertainment options are well articulated in this book and are valuable sources of the way in which the war was approached as well as providing information about entertainment.

Wartime Entertainment How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War is a splendid source of information, with details of sources, an index, and photographs.

War! Hah! What is it good for?
Actually, as this book reminds us, it can be pretty good for generating entertainment as in the Second World War, musicians, actors, comedians and broadcasters alike rallied in an effort to keep morale levels high.
Whether it was George Formby playing on his little ukulele, radio comedians delivering popular but now meaningless catchphrases or Vera Lynn belting out emotionally charged classics, this book serves as a useful reminder of the vital role entertainment played in defeating Hitler.