Existing Timeline

BRITAIN SINCE 1930



Whittle patents jet	1930

Johnson flies solo to Australia	1930

National Government in UK	1931

Chaplin visits the prime minister	c. 1931	Charlie Chaplin with Ramsay MacDonald at Chequers in 1931 National Archives, Kew

Unemployment in Britain tops 25%	1932

George V broadcasts at Christmas	1932

Scottish National Party	1934

Hitler openly rearms Germany	1935

Baldwin UK prime minister again	1935

Edward VIII is British king	1936

Edward VIII plans to wed	1936

Edward gives up crown for love	1936	Edward VIII's letter of abdication in 1936 National Archives, Kew

George VI inherits brother's throne	1936

Chamberlain is prime minister	1937

Munich agreement appeases Hitler	1938

Bletchley tackles Enigma code	1939

World War II begins	1939	Call-up poster for the British Empire in World War II National Archives, Kew

U-boat sinks liner on day one of war	1939

Hitler invades Poland	1939

Britain and France declare war on Germany	1939

Ration book enters British life	1940

Churchill replaces Chamberlain	1940

Blood, toil, tears and sweat	1940

Small craft needed for Channel rescue	1940

Home Guard in Britain	1940

340,000 rescued from Dunkirk	1940

Hitler plans invasion of England	1940

Battle of Britain	1940

Churchill praises the Few	1940

Blitz on British cities	1940

Agnes Toward receives leaflet about economy soups	c. 1940	Easy to make Soups and Broths National Trust for Scotland

Carpet bombing of Coventry	1940

Cameron Brodie acquires uniforms for his wartime duties	1941	Dolls depicting Mr Brodie, 1941 Museum of Richmond

Beveridge Report	1942

Colossus is first computer	1943	The Colossus computer used at Bletchley Park in 1943 National Archives, Kew

Dam Busters raid Ruhr valleys	1943	Record book of the Dam Busters raid in 1943 National Archives, Kew

D-day	1944

V-1 and V-2 target Britain	1944

V-E day	1945

Labour wins UK election	1945

V-J Day	1945

Death toll twice that of World War I	1945

National Insurance in Britain	1946