Primary Sources: World War II: England/U.K.

"Richard Crossman, a Coventry Member of Parliament between 1945-1974 and Cabinet Minister between 1964-1970, was a regular broadcaster from the 1930s onwards.

More than 300 transcripts of Crossman's radio broadcasts have been digitised, including his early BBC programmes on Nazi Germany during the 1930s, his 'International Commentary' programmes for the BBC Hebrew Service, and a selection of other broadcasts on British politics up to the 1960s."

"This site presents film as a historical source and considers its advantages and disadvantages as evidence for the past. Like all historical sources films must be investigated and evaluated carefully. How far do they present an accurate record of an event and how far do they reflect the views of the film-maker, or indeed, the sponsor of the film?" Click the Film Archives for clips. From the British National Archives

This video features five critical speeches: Winston Churchill's two wartime speeches; Adlai Stevenson's Cuban Missile Crisis speech to the UN; Richard Nixon's "Checkers" speech; Barbara Jordan's statement on impeachment; and Golda Meir's "Peace in the Middle East" speech.

"William Joyce, aka Lord Haw-Haw, was a notorious broadcaster of Nazi propaganda to the UK during World War II. His announcement 'Germany calling, Germany calling' was a familiar sound across the airwaves, introducing threats and misinformation that he broadcast from his Hamburg base.

In 1945, Joyce was captured and returned to Britain, where he was later hanged for treason. This collection features some of his broadcasts and interviews with those who knew him. Wartime documents reveal the fear caused by Lord Haw-Haw and how the BBC worked to counteract his propaganda. "
Provided by the BBC

"This collection includes personal accounts from some of those who took part in the mass evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo, that exemplify the 'Dunkirk spirit' and documents showing the government's control over which stories reached the airwaves."
Provided by the BBC

On 3 September 1939, Neville Chamberlain broadcast to the nation that Britain was at war with Germany. Only a year before, it seemed a peaceful solution had been achieved with the Munich Agreement.Experience British life on the brink of war through original news broadcasts, eyewitness accounts and commentaries on some of the key events, including the evacuation of children and the distribution of gas masks. The beginning of the BBC's wartime role, which involved a massive change to programming, is also explored through documents and photographs dating back to 1935. Description from site

"In this collection of programmes and documents, we hear from some of the battle's heroes, see the Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighter planes in action and discover why the Battle of Britain should always be remembered. "
Provided by the BBC

"This collection reveals some of the pressures on the BBC as it sought to balance the wartime need for propaganda with unrestricted reporting of the news. "
Provided by the BBC