As a historical record, We Are at War succeeds only in demonstrating the extent to which the diarists and their friends had precious little idea what was going on. However, it may be of interest that when Chamberlain resigns as prime minister they all assume (mostly with relief) that Churchill will replace him. The possibility of Lord Halifax is not even discussed. Yet, as we know from the diaries of political insiders, Churchill’s ascendancy over the foreign secretary was by no means a certainty. It is also noteworthy how many references there are to listening to English-language broadcasts from foreign radio stations. The BBC was assumed to pump out propaganda. If these diaries are anything to go by, Lord Haw-Haw had a large audience, even if most were drawn by curiosity or scorn. This is particularly evident during the period of the ‘phoney war’ when people, finding the conflict insufficiently exciting, were looking for a cheap thrill. Listening to foreign broadcasts seemingly drops off when the war takes a turn for the worse, gets closer to home, and loses its entertainment value.
What would the five diarists have felt if they had known that 65 years later their thoughts and fears would see the light of day in what promises to be a bestselling book? Poignantly, one of them wanted to be a writer. Almost certainly, they would wish to erase some of their more off-target opinions and reactions. Yet it is part of the pleasure of We Are at War, as with its even better post-war companion, Our Hidden Lives, that we enter their world as they really lived it, with all the incomprehension and inconsequentiality.
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