1940 TIMELINE
1940 – 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 war had started the previous September what did 1940 have to bring. This was probably one of the busiest years of the war in terms of events for Britain & the Lake Family
January
1 Britain called up 2,000,000 men aged between 19 – 27 for military service
2 Margaret Lee (my grandmother) died of Acute Primary Pneumonia age 59 just 3 months
after her daughter Clara. Margaret is buried fairly close to Clara at Streatham Park Cemetery
but there is no headstone.
8 Rationing of Butter, Sugar and Bacon begins in Britain
15 Twice as many people killed on the roads in the UK due to the blackout restrictions than
are killed by enemy action.
17 Very cold weather affecting most of Europe caused the River Thame to freeze for the
first time since 1888
26 – 30 Sever winter weather across Britain
February
22 Two IRA bombs explode in London injuring 12 people.
March
3 – 9 RMS Queen Elizabeth makes her maiden voyage on delivery from Clydebank to New York
11 Meat rationing introduced
16 First British civilian casualty of bombing on Orkney islands in Scotland
April
1 Private Henry Lake begins his military service in the General Service Corps
at Tulse Hill, London
5 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain tells the British people that Hitler has “missed the boat”
meaning an invasion of the west was unlikely to succeed
9 Denmark invaded by Germany despite declaring neutrality
12 – 13 Britain invades the Faroe Islands to stop Germany having Atlantic port
(The Faroe islands being an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark)
May
1 Amalgamated Engineering Union agrees to allow women to work in
munitions factories
9 Conscription age in Britain now increased to 36
10 Neville Chamberlain resigned and is replaced by Winston Church who formed a coalition
from all three main parties.
Germany invades France.
Germany also invaded Belgium despite it’s declaration to remain neutral.
13 Queen Wilhelmina of Netherlands evacuated to London
14 Secretary of State for War Anthony Eden calls for volunteers to form a
Local Volunteer Defence Force, 250,000 volunteer in the first 24 hours
The name changed to the Home Guard from 23 July.
15 Butter ration reduced to 4oz per head a week in Britain
23 Alien Interment began for foreign nationals in Britain
26 Dunkirk evacuation began 300,000 troops evacuated from France to
Britain by an army of small boats, evacuation lasted until 6 June
27 Sugar ration reduced to 8oz per head a week in Britain
Evacuation at Dunkirk begins on the first day 7,669 troops were evacuated
By 4th June 338,226 allied troops had been evacuated by 800 boats
28 Belgium were forced to surrender to Germany after the King and his troops held out
for 18 days against overwhelming odds
June
1 All signposts that might be helpful to parachutists landing in Britain are taken down
Italy join the war with the Axis
4 Churchill makes his barnstorming speech which included “We shall fight on the beaches,
in the fields, in the hills and on the streets, we shall never surrender”
7 King Haakon VII of Norway and his government were evacuated to London
France capitulated when Marshall Petain (head of a new French Government) called for an
armistace with Germany.
General De Gaulle sets up a Free French Volunteer Legion in Britain established by 26 Jun.
The French Resistance became heroic in their battles with occupying forces and helping allied
soldiers escape capture
Despite his reluctance Winston Churchill agreed that, now France had fallen,
the Channel Islands were now un-defendable and were of no strategic importance and
withdrew all military from the islands.
16 - 18 Boats from Jersey Yacht Club helped in the evacuation of British Troops from St Malo France
17 RMS Lancastria while serving as a troop ship is sunk by the Luftwaffe with the loss of
4,000 lives, news of the event was suppressed in the British press
18 Churchill made his Battle of Britain speech – “The Battle for France is over the Battle of Britain
is about to begin”
22 France signed the armistice with Germany.
Terms of the armistace include the French army being disbanded, half of France to be
occupied by German forces (the Vichy French part not being occupied) and France had to
bear the cost of the German invasion
London County Council’s 2nd evacuation scheme completed with 100,000 children moved
from London to the West country and Wales.
23 The last official evacuation boat left Guernsey for the UK, on board were Lake family members
including Gertrude Knewstubb (nee Falla) (my 1st cousin once removed) and her daughter
Rosemary. Gertrude’s husband, Francis, had sent his family to Guernsey thinking it would
be safer there, than the UK mainland. Gertrude’s parents George Poat Falla & Alice Amelia Lake
should have got on the boat as well but changed their minds and stayed in Guernsey
saying that was their home.
BBC Forces programme Music While You Work began broadcasting
24 John William Lake met the party from Guernsey at Waterloo Station. He was very
disappointed that his sister Alice was not with them. Gertrude and family were on their
way home to Newcastle.Rosemary was unwell during the journey from Guernsey to
Newcastle and shortly after arriving home she died from flu aged 4.
28 The Channel Islands were now demilitarised by Britain but this was not known by the
German forces. On this day German bombers flew over the islands bombing the harbours
of St Helier in Jersey & St Peter Port in Guernsey because they thought tomato lorries were
troop carriers, 44 islanders were killed in the raids.
30 German forces landed on Guernsey when they realised that the islands were un-defended.
Guernsey officially surrendered on June 31st, Jersey officially surrendered in 1st July,
Alderney on the 2nd and Sark on the 4th.
The islands were the only part of Britain held by Germany during the war.
Islanders had to live under German occupation for five years, this included family members
Alice Amelia Lake, George Poat Falla, John Coombes, James L Travers and some of the Travers
family who all had to complete German Registration Forms
July
1 The Hutchinson Internment Camp opened in Douglas, Isle of Man for foreign nationals of
German & Italian descent who lived in Britain. It was also used for British fascists.
9 The Luftwaffe started bombing the UK, the start of what became known as the Battle of Britain.
17 To celebrate Bastille day General De Gaulle and the Free French layed wreaths at the
Cenotaph in London.
19 Adolf Hitler made a peace proposal to Britain who flatly rejected the terms of the proposal.
Also in July Tea became rationed in Britain
August
6 Estonia became part of the Soviet Union
8 A British soldiers pay increased by 6d a day. Privates pay now 17s 6d a week
(In 2013=£41.50p)
9 Birmingham blitz started, by the end of the year 800 civilians of the city had been killed,
2,345 injured and 20,000 made homeless.
12 Wasting food became illegal in Britain
19 Luftwaffe bombers attacked aircraft factories
23 RAF airfields attacked as well as locations in Aberdeen, Bristol & South Wales.
This night saw an accidental bombing at Harrow on the outskirts of London.
Strict orders were, that London was not to be bombed, unless by direct instructions of Hitler
24 100 killed during bombing at Portsmouth
25 British bombers set out to destroy industrial areas near Berlin
September
4 Hitler speech directed that British cities including London would be obliterated if
British bombing runs of Germany did not stop
5 Hitler directs bombing runs on UK cities including London
7 400 German bombers and 600 German fighter planes launch a raid on
the east end of London. This heavy blitz of London continued for 57 consecutive nights.
The basement of 22 De Laune Street was used partly as an office for John William's work
as a Trade Union Representative but also a games room with Table Tennis, Bagatelle
Bar Billiards Table, Shovehappeny and small tables for Cards and Beetle Drives.
During the blitz this was used as a shelter and half the street used to go in there
8 Following the tragic events of his daughter, his wife and his niece dying and his sister being
under German occupation in Guernsey all happening within 12 months John William Lake
became frail and suffered a breakdown and was taken into Lambeth Hospital.
15 During two massive German air raids Lambeth Hospital was hit and John William Lake
along with many other patients had to be moved to Horton Emergency Hospital, Epsom
Surrey. This was usually just a Psychiatric hospital but for the duration of the war it was used
as an general emergency hospital due to the bombing of London
23 King George VI announces the creation of the George Cross the second highest decoration
after the Victoria Cross for Military and the highest decoratiom for civilians
24 To date 444,000 children had been evacuated from London to the countryside.
New plans now were to evacuate mothers with children under school age from blitz areas
26 Some family members went to visit John Lake in Epsom and they said it was a very long walk
from the station
27 Tripartite pact signed between Germany, Italy & Japan
28 John William Lake died at Horton Emergency Hospital Esher of Cardiac Failure &
Arterio Sclerosis and senility John is also buried at Streatham Park Cemetery but in a
different area to his wife and daughter, there is no headstone.
October
7 Another baby born to William & Emily Lake this time in Bedfordshire away from the London
bombing
28 It was announced that 489,000 more children would be evacuated from London
November
6 14 children were killed when a German bomb hit the Southampton Civic Centre
9 Former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain died
11 Royal Navy launched the first Aircraft Carrier strike in history on the Italian naval fleet
at Taranto.
14 The City of Coventry suffered a devastating attack when 515 German bombers blitzed the city
150,000 incendiary devices, 503 tons of explosives and 130 parachute mines were dropped on
the city. On this one night 568 civilians were killed and 868 badly injured, 60,000 buildings
were destroyed or damaged including the famous Cathedral.
19 Air raids across central England in Birmingham, West Bromwich, Dudley & Tipton.
900 civilians were killed and 2,000 injured
20 Hungary signed the Tripartite Agreement with Germany
23 & 30 Southampton Blitz saw 2,300 bombs drop on the city. 470 tons of explosives and 30,000
incendiary devices destroyed or damaged 45,000 buildings. Much of the city centre was
destroyed. Among the casualties was Edgar L Perry who had survived the sinking of the
Titanic but was killed with his wife while trying to take shelter from the bombing
27 Bombing at Plymouth an oil depot set alight
December
12 - 15 Sheffield Blitz 660 civilians killed, 1,500 injured and 40,000 made homeless,
with 78,000 homes damaged by the bombing. King George VI, Queen Elizabeth
and Winston Churchill all toured the city as they did in other cities.
20 – 22 Air raids started over Liverpool with 365 killed.
The raids saw several instances of direct hits on air raid shelters 42 in one shelter were
killed, 74 in another and 40 were killed whilst standing under railway arches
The raids continued into 1941
22- 24 Manchester blitz 684 killed and 2,364 injured. On the first night 272 tons of explosives
and 1.032 incendiary devices were dropped. On the second night 195 tons of
explosives and 893 incendiary devices
29 The Second Great Fire of London as it is referred to after 24,000 tons of explosives and
100,000 incendiary devices were dropped on the city. The area affected was from
Islington to St Pauls Cathedral making it bigger than that of the original Great Fire in 1666.
1,500 fires were burning which joined up to form three major conflagrations.
Winston Churchill urged that St Pauls be saved at any cost. Firewatchers were putting out
incendiary bombs on the roof of St Pauls. 14 firemen died that night with 250 being injured
Buildings destroyed included 19 churches and Paternoster Row the centre of the
publishing trade during which 5 million books were lost
Members of the Lake Family lived just 3 miles from St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral stood proud whilst London burned