Oxford's War 1939–1945

Oxford's War 1939–1945 explores the unique role Oxford played in the national effort to defend Britain during the Second World War. Due to its proximity to London, during the Blitz and beyond, the city served as an alternative base for civil servants from the Ministry of Food, the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Home Security, the Ministry of Information, and the Ministry of Works. The Admiralty, the War Office, the Air Ministry, MI5, and Bletchley Park all had a presence in Oxford.

Colleges were transformed into military hospitals, evacuee centres, and training schools for cadets and senior officers. Students fit for active service took shortened degree courses while undergoing military training. Grassy quadrangles were converted into vegetable plots, and the New Bodleian Library provided underground storage for treasures from Parliament and national museums.

Drawing on first-hand narratives and material from University and college archives, this pioneering account reveals the essential role Oxford played in producing military intelligence, creating propaganda, and developing radar and the atomic bomb. It also explores the city's role in bringing penicillin to market and laying the foundations of the welfare state. The Cowley car works was heavily involved in arms production and the salvage of RAF fighter planes, while the University offered sanctuary to academics fleeing fascism, who in turn made significant contributions in their fields of expertise.

Together, these accounts paint an extraordinary picture of the war's profound impact on this ancient seat of learning.