Neville Chamberlain’s diary from September 1939 is to be the highlight of a major new exhibition at London’s Imperial Museum marking the outbreak of World War II.
Outbreak 1939 will also feature a letter from Chamberlain to his sister describing the events that led to the eventual declaration of war and the declaration of war from Lord Halifax to Germany on 3 September.
Visitors will also be able to see the jacket belonging to King George VI which he wore during his famous broadcast to the nation.
The free exhibition will be supported by a book, Outbreak 1939 – The World Goes To War, published by Virgin Books on 27 August 2009.
A companion documentary on ITV1 will feature contributions from relatives of major wartime figures no longer with us including Churchill’s daughter Lady Soames, and his grandson Winston Churchill; Neville Chamberlain’s grandson Francis; Charles de Gaulle’s nephew Bernard: and the Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
For more information about how the Imperial War Museum is marking the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War across the UK visit: www.iwm.org.uk/wardeclared
