The Second World War transformed British society. Men, women and
children inhabited the war in every area of their lives, from their
clothing and food to schools, workplaces and wartime service. This
transformation affected the landscapes, towns and cities as factories
turned to war work, beaches were prepared as battlefields and
agricultural land became airfields and army camps. Some of these changes
were violent: houses were blasted into bombsites, burning aircraft
tumbled out of the sky and the seas around Britain became a graveyard
for sunken ships. Many physical signs of the war have survived - a vast
array of sites and artifacts that archaeologists can explore - and
Gabriel Moshenska's new book is an essential introduction to them.
He shows how archaeology can bring the ruins, relics and historic sites
of the war to life, especially when it is combined with interviews and
archival research in order to build up a clear picture of Britain and
its people during the conflict. His work provides for the first time a
broad and inclusive overview of the main themes of Second World War
archaeology and a guide to many of the different types of sites in
Britain. It will open up the subject for readers who have a general
interest in the war and it will be necessary reading and reference for
those who are already fascinated by wartime archaeology - they will find
something new and unexpected within the wide range of sites featured in
the book.
