Roof Over Britain

Title: Roof Over Britain
Subtitle: The Official Story of Britain’s Anti-Aircraft Defences 1939-1942
Genre: History, War & Politics
Author: “Prepared for The War Office and The Air Ministry by The Ministry of Information”
Graphic Design and Illustration: Abram Games (1914-1996)
Publisher: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, England.
Year: 1943
Pages: 88
Format: Paperback, perfect-bound.
Provenance: “B3.50” written in pencil on first page.
Chapter Title Examples: The Building of the Roof; The Men Who Also Serve; The Blitzes on the Humber; The Great London Barrage; Anti-Aircraft Women; Stockade to Barrage; “A Jerry Went Smack into My Cable”; Balloons at Sea.
From the Foreword: “This book supplements and continues the story of how the R.A.F. defeated the attack of the German Air Force during the autumn of 1940. Much of the air fighting has already been described in ‘The Battle of Britain.’ But the fighter squadrons never constituted the whole of our defensive system.”
Random Passage: “Searchlight sites were often bombed during this period, but nothing suffered much except crockery, rations and the cook’s temper. One attack scored a direct hit on a searchlight in action, the bulk of which was later recognised with difficulty some 80 yards away. No. 4 and No. 5 were in the emplacement and were buried, but miraculously were alive when dug out.” (from The Blitzes of the Humber)
Notes: Roof Over Britain’s front cover is an excellent example of the streamlined work of British graphic designer Abram Games. In 2019, the Rochester Institute of Technology hosted an exhibit of Games’ posters, book covers, sketches and more. Many of the pieces were showcased in this Print magazine weblog post.