LONDON IN 1940

During World War II, London suffered damage on a scale not witnessed there since the Great Fire of 1666. But, as it struggled to maintain the Allied war effort and to repel aerial bombardment, London became a symbol of courage and determination for English-speaking peoples around the globe. The following article London was originally printed in the 1941 Britannica Book of the Year (events of 1940). It was written by Lawrence Hawkins Dawson, editor of the guidebook Introductions to London (H.O. Quinn, 1926), the historical atlas The March of Man (Encyclopdia Britannica, Ltd., 1935), and Routledge's Universal Encyclopedia (1934). Dawson also wrote for the 1942 yearbook, describing London in 1941. London in 1940 See also classic Britannica Book of the Year articles covering the events of 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945. For excerpts from early editions of Encyclopdia Britannica, see BTW: London Classics. For general treatment, see the current Britannica articles on London, the Battle of Britain, and World War II.