Auntie's War

"e;An engaging, balanced and thoroughly researched history. It is often a moving and amusing tale containing plenty of mavericks and colourful episodes."e; (Lawrence James, The Times)Auntie's War is a love letter to radio. The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British institution unlike any other, and its story during the Second World War is also our story. This was Britain s first total war, engaging the whole nation, and the wireless played a crucial role in it. For the first time, news of the conflict reached every living room sometimes almost as it happened; and at key moments:- Chamberlain s announcement of war- The Blitz- The D-Day landings - De Gaulle's broadcasts from exile- Churchill's fighting speechesRadio offered an incomparable tool for propaganda; it was how coded messages, both political and personal, were sent across Europe, and it was a means of sending less than truthful information to the enemy. Edward Stourton is a sharp-eyed, wry and affectionate companion on the BBC s wartime journey, investigating archives, diaries, letters and memoirs to examine what the BBC was and what it stood for. Auntie s War is an incomparable insight into why we have the broadcast culture we do today.A BBC RADIO 4: BOOK OF THE WEEK