Second World War 1939-1945

Our records cover the history of the Second World War including the roles of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. Find out more about the Holocaust and life on the Home Front.

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Adolf Hitler

Was Hitler a 'passionate lunatic'?

Animals in the Archives

What jobs have animals done in times of war and peace?
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Belsen concentration camp 1945

What did the British find when they entered Belsen concentration camp?
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British Response to V1 and V2

How did Britain respond to the threat of attack by missiles in 1943?

Codes and Secret Messages

What do the documents reveal about codes and secret messages?

Dear Herbert

What can personal documents reveal about people’s lives?
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Empire Windrush: Life for Migrants in the 1940s and 50s

What do these documents reveal about life for Caribbean migrants to Britain in the 1940s and 1950s?
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Evacuation to Shropshire

What happened to children who were sent away?
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From Outbreak to Archive: Tales of Public Health

What do the documents reveal about how government and society dealt with public health in the past?
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Gordon Ford’s story

What was it like to be an airman in the Second World War?
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Government posters

How did Britain encourage people at home to help win the war?
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Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives

What can documents reveal about how people held captive ‘escaped’ during the Second World War?
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Hitler assassination plan

How did the British plan to kill Hitler?

Holidays are Here!

What can our documents reveal about how families enjoyed summer holidays during the Second World War?

Propaganda

How can art be used to convey a message?
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Propaganda: the art of persuasion

How did the British government encourage people to support the war?
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The Chinese Civil War

Why did the fighting between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party happen?
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The Holocaust

What can British government documents tell us about what happened in the Holocaust?
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The Holocaust

Key documents from The National Archives
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The Home Front

How did people prepare for the war at home?
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Travel smart through time (SEND)

How and why have people travelled around in the past and how have they done it safely?
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Wartime Propaganda

How did Britain try to keep the support of West African peoples?
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Who was Noor Khan?

What can documents reveal about her role during the Second World War?