The British are well known for their unique sense of humour - for the ability to see the funny side even in the most dire situation - and it was that humour that helped the nation through the dark days of the Second World War. In this heartwarming, often amusing and sometimes heartbreakingly sad book, Anton Rippon has gathered together stories from people all over the country that reveal the strange, incredible and downright funny things that happened to them between 1939 and 1945.

From the Blitz to the Home Guard, blackouts to unexploded bombs, service life at home and abroad, there are stories here from all walks of life and from men, women and children of the time. Their first-person stories stand testament to that indomitable spirit that 'kept us calm and carrying on' through those darkest days.