Imperial War Museum: 1940: Britain's Finest Hour

As Eric's blog continues to relate the increased war activity of 1940, readers of Eric's blog may be interested to learn that the Imperial War Museum (IWM) is undertaking a number of events to mark the 70th anniversary of 1940 this summer and autumn.

Kristina Weber has kindly contacted me with details of the website that has been created to publicise these events entitled: 1940: Britain's Finest Hour. The site outlines the key events of 1940, featuring archive photographs and film to tell the story of this momentous year and includes up-to-date information on the events and exhibitions that are happening to mark the anniversary. I am sure this will provide useful comparative material with the events Eric Rudsdale describes in his blog or with those described in the other wartime diaries linked to Eric's journals such as those by George Orwell or J W N Broom.

Key events at the Imperial War Museum this year include:

The Battle of Britain Air Show at IWM Duxford (4 & 5 September 2010)

A re-enactment of Winston Churchill's famous 'The Few' speech, followed by a fly-past (20 August 2010)

There’s also a chance to explore the personal histories of the men and women who were involved in the events of 1940. The new Explore History Centre at IWM London gives unprecedented access to the Museum’s Collections, allowing visitors of all ages to delve into the digitised archives and find films, photos, audio clips, documents and art at the touch of a button. Explore History 1940, a special display alongside the new space, exhibits objects from 1940 and tells the untold stories associated with them.

Readers might be especially interested in reviewing the recently added stories by WWII veterans Vic Veiner, Tom Cooke and Eric Roderick whose videos which can be viewed on the site. Latest information on the IWM's 1940 activities will also appear on the IWM Twitter, Facebook and Flickr accounts and these channels also offer the opportunity to interact and to get in touch with the IWM directly.

Hope this is of interest and do keep following Eric Rudsdale's blog for regular updates on wartime events as they happened. CP