After his London studio is bombed, Henry Moore moves to Much Hadham, where he works and lives for the rest of his life

The ration book is introduced in Britain, at first just for bacon, butter and sugar, but soon also for meat, eggs, tea, milk, cheese, jam, and clothing

Inactivity during the Phoney War prompts Neville Chamberlain to assure the House of Commons that Hitler has 'missed the bus'

After the German invasion of the Netherlands and Belgium, Winston Churchill replaces Chamberlain as the British prime minister

Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch government escape just in time to Britain

Winston Churchill, in his first speech to the House of Commons as prime minister, offers the nation nothing but 'blood, toil, tears and sweat'

Fishing smacks and private launches are enlisted from southern England's coasts and rivers for a rescue mission across the Channel

Evacuation begins from Dunkirk, and over the next ten days some 860 vessels ferry troops across the Channel

Some 340,000 British and French troops have by now been rescued from Dunkirk, but a million Allied soldiers are now prisoners of the Germans

Charles de Gaulle broadcasts to the French nation from London, declaring himself the leader of the Free French

The British government gives recognition to Charles de Gaulle as official leader of the Free French

Increased German U-boat activity after the fall of France launches the crucial Battle of the Atlantic

Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of England, under the codename Operation Sea Lion

The Battle of Britain reaches its most intense phase, with 1500 German planes involved in a single day's assault

The first German night-time bombing raid on London signals the start of the Blitz on British cities

The US government provides 50 destroyers to boost the British escort of convoys in the Atlantic

After the summer's losses in the air, Hitler orders the effective cancellation of operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of Britain

Coventry suffers a raid of such intensity that the new technique becomes known as carpet bombing

The de Havilland Mosquito, a multi-purpose wooden aeroplane widely used by the RAF in World War II, makes its first flight

Radnor House is completely destroyed by a bomb, and the site later becomes open to the public as Radnor Gardens.

British aviator Amy Johnson is reported missing over the Thames estuary when flying on a mission for the Air Ministry

English composer Michael Tippett completes his oratorio A Child of our Time (not performed until 1944)

British author Rebecca West publishes an account of Yugoslavia, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon

Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy in the Nazi party, flies to Britain on a bizarre secret mission

A Gloster E.28/39 air frame becomes the first craft to fly with a Whittle jet engine