An Underworld at War: Spivs, Deserters, Racketeers and Civilians in the Second World War - Softcover

Thomas, Donald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0719563402 ISBN 13: 9780719563409

Publisher: John Murray, 2004

Synopsis

The Blitz of 1940 may have made a nation of heroes, but in the shadows the shelter gangs and looters prowled

The activities of the underworld, extending into a civilian black market and the armed forces, are one of the great untold stories of the Second World War. The profits of civilian racketeering dwarfed the rewards of smash-and-grab or safebreaking, though these continued apace. Professional gangs raided government offices for ration books and underground presses counterfeited petrol and clothing coupons in tens of thousands. The scale of theft in the army was also colossal, with whole consignments of cigarettes, razor-blades and NAAFI stores disappearing.

Donald Thomas draws on extensive archive material to tell the extraordinary tale of these less-heroic Britons. The facts he uncovers are often so preposterous that in a novel they would seem unbelievable.

About this title

About the Author

An Underworld at War follows Donald Thomas's widely-praised The Victorian Underworld, shortlisted for the Golden Dagger Award. He is the author of seven biographies including Cardigan of Balaclava and his best-selling life of Cochrane: Britannia's Sea Wolf. He is also a respected novelist and has won the Gregory Award for his poems Points of Contact. He was born in Somerset, educated at Queen's College, Taunton and Balliol College, Oxford. He holds a personal chair in the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Murray
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0719563402
• ISBN 13: 9780719563409
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448