The Second World War, often described as a "People's War", was the first
time civilians played a major part in Britain's war effort. New
emergency services created before the war to help those suffering loss
and damage were joined by the Home Guard as Britain faced invasion in
the summer of 1940 and new organizations formed to deal with unexploded
bombs and the homeless caused by nightly air raids in 1940. Major air
attacks ceased in 1941 but food was rationed, daily essentials scarce
and Britons of all ages expected to do wartime duty in addition to their
day job. Many essential war workers on the Home Front lacked a uniform
but wore a lapel or pin back-badge to show they were doing their bit for
the war effort. Treasured as souvenirs of six momentous years in
Britain's history, they were rediscovered years later, often by someone
to whom their significance and meaning was unknown. Whilst military
badges are well recorded, no attempt to identify Home Front items was
made until the first edition of this book was published privately in
1996. Extensively updated Doing Their Bit is illustrated with over 700
wartime lapel badges and ephemera, records the wartime history of over
200 organizations which wore them and shows how Thomas Fattorini Ltd
became a major manufacturer of Home Front badges. This invaluable guide
should be on the shelves of anyone with an interest in the history of
wartime Britain.
