Churchill And The Comedian

His radio shows played to audiences bigger that the viewing audience of Eastenders, Churchill once described him as being ‘as common as dirt’, and Adolph Hitler had him listed on his notorious Sonderfahndungsliste or Death List. Victor Oliver von Samek was born in Vienna on the 8th August, 1898 to Jewish parents and went on to become Winston Churchill’s son in law.

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Soviet Russia & Propaganda

Propaganda is often thought of in negative terms, although simply put it’s the manipulation of public opinion carried out by using the media to reach as many people as possible and persuading them to be either ‘for’ or ‘against’ something. This makes it an important tool in any war and the Second World War was no exception. In fact in many ways propaganda was at the height of its power during World War II. Propaganda was everywhere – on the radio and newsreels, in papers and magazines, distributed as leaflets, and of course on every street corner in the form of posters. Read more

The White Mouse

With her film star looks she started the war a frivolous rebel; the young fiancée of a wealthy French industrialist and ended it one of the most decorated women of the Second World War with the George Cross, the Croix de Guerre, and the Medal of Freedom to her name. She was even awarded the Médaille de la Résistance an honour hardly ever bestowed on a foreigner.

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What Did You Do In The War Mum?

Before the outbreak of the Second World War most women, particularly married women, spent their days cooking, cleaning and looking after the children. There was no expectation that they would go out to work and it was even considered shameful in some circles if a married woman took up employment. From an early age girls were taught to sew and knit, cook and clean, whilst boys were thrust into education in the sure knowledge that one day they would have to be the sole provider for their future wives and families. Read more