Few historical events have resonated as much in modern British culture as the Second World War. It has left a rich legacy in a range of media that continue to attract a wide audience: film, TV and radio, photography and the visual arts, journalism and propaganda, architecture, museums, music and literature. The enduring presence of the war in the public world is echoed in its ongoing centrality in many personal and family memories, with stories of the Second World War being recounted through the generations. This collection brings together recent historical work on the cultural memory of the war, examining its presence in family stories, in popular and material culture and in acts of commemoration in Britain between 1945 and the present.

Scholars of cultural memory may productively encounter unfamiliar approaches amongst the breadth employed in this much-needed collection of thought-provoking scholarship. It is essential reading for historians of the cultural memory of the Second World War ... Its format renders this high-quality scholarship particularly accessible, making this an extremely useful text for introducing students to the topic. * Twentieth Century British History *

Lucy Noakes is Principal Lecturer in History at the University of Brighton, UK.

Juliette Pattinson is Reader in History, University of Kent, UK.