Listening to Britain

the long version

From May to September 1940, during a period that saw some of the most dramatic events of the war the Ministry of Information compiled daily reports on the morale of the nation for circulation within Whitehall. Drawing on a wide range of informants, from the Mass-Observation social survey organisation to a network of contacts including chief constables, postal censors, doctors, parsons, publicans and trade unionists, the reports pieced together from these sources at great speed were by their very nature impressionistic, but provide us nevertheless with a unique record of contemporary feelings and perceptions at this historic juncture. They include a wealth of curious and idiosyncratic information about the lighter and the darker aspects of life in Britain at the time, illuminating the prevalence of rumours and gossip about the threat of invasion--as well as the importance of the introduction of tea rationing for daily life. --from publisher description.