1941 TIMELINE
1941 – The WAR, The UK, & LAKE FAMILY TIMELINE
In this section I will attempt to give a timeline of events from all perspectives. What was happening on the war front, what was happening in Britain and what was happening to Lake family members. I will highlight the
Lake Family events in Yellow and the Axis and Allies events in their colours.
The previous year had been a difficult year what did 1941 have to bring, certainly more changes for the
Lake Family and not a Happy Christmas for anyone.
Iraq 1941
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
