Hewitt's History Files

WEST Sussex was very much a front-line county during the Second World War '“ both a bastion of defence in the dark days of 1940 and a springboard for the Normandy invasion four years later.

By The Newsroom

Published 19th May 2009, 15:47 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 04:32 BST

Gas masks and rationing, evacuees and the Home Guard, Land Girls and munitions work, Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain were all part of West Sussex life.

And all will be evoked by assistant county archivist Alan Readman in a special presentation West Sussex The Valiant Years at Edes House in Chichester at 7.30pm on Wednesday June 17.

The first of a series of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War, the evening will draw on photographs, cinefilms and sound recordings held by the County Record Office and will be part of the County Council's programme to promote Sussex Day.

Alan, who with Kim Leslie and the late Ian Greig co-wrote the best-selling book D-Day West Sussex, will be putting the focus firmly on the experiences of people on the Home Front.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette May 20

Home Guard Chichester