January

1                      Slovak Republic declared war with Russia

 

3                      Luftwaffe accidentally bombed Dublin, Eire killing 40 people

 

4                      John William Lake’s probate was granted in Llandudno Wales to his son John William Lake

                        a monumental mason.   Effects £848 3s 3d (in 2013=£37,060)

 

5                      Aviator Amy Johnson was killed

 

8                      Lord Baden Powell founder of the Boy Scout Movement died

February

1                      Air Training Corps is formed

 

11                    RMS Queen Mary begins her first voyage as a troop ship from Singapore

 

19                    First of a 3 night blitz on Swansea, South Wales saw 230 killed and 409 injured

March

1                      Jam & Marmalade became rationed in Britain

 

1                      Bulgaria signed the Tripartite agreement with Germany

 

11                    President Roosevelt signs the land lease act into USA law allowing the USA to supply

                        Britain with Mlitary equipment

 

13                    Blitz on Clydebank, Scotland resulted in 528 killed, 617 injured and 35,000 people

                        made homeless.

                    

20                    Blitz on Plymouth started, 59 bombing raids over the next 3 months saw,

                        the birthplace of many of the Lake family, reduced to rubble. The main target was

                        the naval dockyard at Devonport but civilian casualties were very high. During the

                        raids a total of 1,178 people were killed and 4,448 injured. The Charles Church

                        destroyed by incendiary bombs has been preserved in its ruined state as a

                        memorial to the civilian victims of the blitz

         

28                    Writer Virginia Woolf committed suicide

 

                        During March the Lake family home at 22 De Laune St Lambeth was damaged by

                        bombing and the family members had to leave. They stayed in a church hall with

                        evacuated local residents for a couple of nights until they found somewhere else to live.

                        They moved to 20 Burlington Avenue, Kew, Surrey

                        William & Emily Lake along with a small child and a baby were still at 57 De Laune St.

April

                       Shortly after the family moved to Burlington Ave, Kew, Herbert left and moved into

                       lodgings in East London

                                               

10                    Croatia signed the Tripartite agreement with Germany

 

15                    Belfast, Northern Ireland, blitzed killing 900 and injuring 1,500 civilians

 

16                    The first American “Land Lease” food shipments arrive in Britain

 

18                    Heaviest air raid of the year on London

 

21                    Greece capitulates and British troops withdraw to Crete

May

2 – 8                Heavy bombing on Merseyside resulted in 1,700 deaths and 1,000 injured

                    

6 – 7                Greenock, Scotland bombed resulted in 280 killed and 1,200 injured

 

10                    House of Commons was damaged in an air raid

 

                       Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland to try and persuade anti Churchill politicians

                       that the UK should stop the war with Germany and allow it to stop the Balshevik menace

                       in the east. He was held until the end of the war and charged with war crimes at Nuremburg.

                       

15                   The first British jet aircraft was flown in Lincolnshire the Gloster E28/39

 

21                   It is announced that the women’s Land Army now has 11,000 members

                       

31                   Since 7th September 1940 the blitz of London had caused 22,000 civilian deaths

                       and 1 million homes destroyed or damaged.

 

                        Also in May Cheese was rationed in Britain

 

                        The meatless “Woolton Pie” was introduced due to the meat shortage

                        recipe involved dicing and cooking: potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower,

                        swede, carrots, turnip, spring onions and rolled oats which were then

                        had thickened vegetable water poured over them and then topped with potato

                        pastry and grated cheese. Recipe could be varied to account for

                        seasonable vegetables.  It was noted that these type of austerity dishes

                        were forgotten as soon as possible after the war.

June

1                      Clothes and Egg rationing introduced in Britain

 

4                      Britain invaded Iraq

 

22                    Germany invades Russia

 

24                    House of Commons learns that the war expenditure now exceeds

                        £10,250,000 per day. 

July

12                    Britain & Russia signed a mutual assistance agreement

 

August

9                      Famous RAF pilot Douglas Bader was taken prisoner

 

15                    Josef Jakobs became the last person to be executed in the Tower of London

                        He faced a firing squad for charges under the Treachery Act                  

 

27                    The Government takes over control of the railways for the duration of the war paying

                        £43 million a year in compensation to private operators

 

30                    The first official “Shetland Bus” these were clandestine missions by

                        Norwegian fishing boats between occupied Norway and Shetland

September

6                      Herbert Lake married Vera Phyllis Newman  in East Ham London. About this time Herbert

                              joined the RAF as an Electrical Technician and spent 9 months training in Hereford

                       

20                    Henry Lake married Flora Thornborough at the Congregational Church Whetstone

                        Hendon London, he was living at 136 Longland Drive Totteridge

 

November

                        Milk rationing was introduced in Britain

December

                       William & Emily Lake moved into 20 Burlington Ave Kew (Exact date unknown)

 

5                      Britain declared war on Finland, Hungary & Rumania

 

7                      Japanese forces mounted an air attack on Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, which led to the USA

                        entering the war. 353 Japanese fighters & bombers attacked taking off from 6 aircraft

                        carriers in the Pacific.  2,403 American were killed and 1,178 wounded. 8 US Navy

                        battleships were sunk or damaged, plus 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers and a training ship.

 

                        Following the attack on Pearl Harbour Columbia broke off relations with the axis nations

                        and supported the allies with Nestle goods such as chocolate, cocoa and baby food

           

8                      Japan attacks Hong Kong & Malaya less than 8 hours after Pearl Harbour

                        Britain declared war on Japan

                        Costa Rica declared war on Japan joining the allies

                        Cuba declared war on Japan joining the allies

                        El Salvador declared war on Japan

                        Nicaragua declared war on Japan

                        John HH Coombes command of 330 Artillery Battalion 137 Field Regiment

                        sent to join the 11th Indian Division in Jitra, Malasia

 

9                      China (parts of) declares war on Germany – it had been fighting Japan intermittently

                        since 1931.

                        Honduras declared war on Japan

 

10                    Royal Navy vessels HMS Prince of Wales & HMS Repulse are sunk by Japanese aircraft

 

11                    Nicaragua declared war on Germany & Italy

 

                        John HH Coombes involved in the Battle of Jitra which resulted in the Japanese army

                        capturing the town after allied forces were forced to withdraw after 3 days of fierce

                        fighting and suffering heavy losses.

 

12                    Britain declared war on Bulgaria

                        El Salvador declared war on Germany

 

13/14               John HH Coombes taken prisoner by Japanese Army

                              (see JHH Coombes personal story page)

 

18                    National Service Act No 2 comes into force. All men and women aged 18 - 60 could

                        be liable to some form of national service, including military service for men under

                        51 and single women between 20-30. The schedule of reserved occupations was abandoned

 

20                    Telegram sent from Alice in Guernsey to 22 De Laune St Lambeth

 

25                    Honk Kong surrenders to the Japanese army

 

27                    Winston Churchill became the first British Prime Minister to address a joint session

                        of the US Congress.

 

                        Finally during this year the British Red Cross in London began to open wartime

                        Charity Shops