We Can Take It!

In 1939 little Britain stood alone against the might of the Nazis, who had overran the whole of Europe already. During the next 6 years, assailed on all sides, Britain fought through, everyone pulling together, literally determining the future of the world. But was it really like this? Do we just remember what we want to about the Blitz and D-Day, happily ignoring the rest? `We Can Take it' sifts the truth from the fiction, showing just why the war to end all wars is so important to the memory of Britons

Explores how the memory of the Second World War continues to affect British contemporary life. This book explores the way in which the British memory of the Second World War was created during the war, and maintained after it through cultural artifacts such as films, comics, art, literature and toys.

`We Can Take It!' shows that the British remember the war in a peculiar way, thanks to a mix of particular images and evidence. Our memory has been shaped by material which is completely removed from historical reality. These images (including complete inventions) have combined to make a new history. The vision is mostly cosy and suits the way in which the Britons conceive of themselves: dogged, good humoured, occasionally bumbling, unified and enjoying diversity. In fact Britons load their memory towards the early part of the war (Dunkirk, Blitz, Battle of Britain) rather than when we were successful in the air or against Italy and Germany with invasions. This suits our love of being the underdog, fighting against the odds, and being in a crisis. Conversely, the periods of the war during which Britain was in the ascendant are, perversely, far more hazy in the public memory.