This book skilfully brings together cutting-edge historical research by leading and emerging researchers in the field to investigate the utilisation of British humour both during the Second World War and its legacy in British popular culture. Lindsey Robb and Juliette Pattinson lead a cast of esteemed academics and early career scholars to address a wide variety of situations in which humour was generated and a diverse range of groups for whom it was important.

By addressing the overarching topic of humour from a breadth of different perspectives (naval, intelligence, Conscientious Objectors, disfigured patients) and by adopting an original interpretative framework of home front sites (including the Channel Islands), this books opens up the possibility for a more variegated, richer analysis of Britain during the Second World War. By using the lens of humour to scrutinise the social and cultural history of Britain during the Second World War, it promises to add critical nuance to our understanding of the functioning of British wartime society. The result is a rich addition to existing literature of use to students and scholars studying the cultural history of war.

First published: Thursday 4th May 2023