Bedfordshire during
the Second World War

All the books and articles listed are available for loan or consultation in the Local Studies Library at Bedford Central Library.

AIRFIELDS

BOWYER, M. Action Stations 1 : Wartime Military Airfields of East Anglia 1939-45. 1979. Reference Copy Only.
BOWYER, M. Action Stations 6 Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands. 1983.
CLARKE, Freddie. Agents by Moonlight : the Secret History of RAF Tempsford During World War 2. 1999.
Grundy, D. Tempsford : Abandoned But Not Forgotten. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol. 21 pp.36-38 1987.
O'CONNOR, B. Tempsford Airfield.1997
O'CONNOR, B. Everton and Tempsford Airfield.1997
POWELL, D. Diversion(Tempsford) In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.24 pp.103-105 1993.
SMITH, G. Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Airfields in the Second World War. 1999.
TIBBUTT, H.G. The Cloak and Dagger Squadrons of the RAF : Tempsford in the Second World War. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.12 pp.269-274 1970.
TIBBUTT, H.G. The Pathfinders VCs of the RAF : Little Staughton in World War 2. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.12 pp.227-232 1970.
TICKELL, J. Moon Squadron (Tempsford) 1956.

BEDFORDSHIRE

BEDFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL The Bedfordshire County Council in Peace and War 1938-45. 1946.
BEDFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL History of Civil Defence 1939-45. 1946.
BEDFORDSHIRE FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S INSTITUTES Bedfordshire Within Living Memory. 1992.
FRASER-NEWSTEAD, Barbara. Bedfordshire's Yesteryears Vol.4 War Times and Civil Matters. 1996.
LUTT, Nigel. Bedfordshire and the Phoney War 1939-40. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.22 pp.47-50 1989.
LUTT, Nigel. Bedfordshire at War. 1997.
RENDALL, J. A Lasting Memory(evacuees) In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.23 pp.311-313 1993.
TWINCH, C. Lend a Hand on the Land. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.25 pp.286-290 1996.
VICKERS, J. Telegram Boys 1942-45. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.25 pp.276-280 1976.

BEDFORD

BARKER, H. A Bedford Diary of Four War years. (1943)
Bedford Guide for U.S. Armed Forces in the U.K. (1943) Reference copy only
Bedford Victory Celebrations. 1946. Reference Copy only
KENYON, Nicholas. The BBC Symphony Orchestra 1930-1980. 1981.Contains a chapter on the Orchestra's stay in Bedford during the war years.
MITCHELL, Martin. Well Remembered Fields: the story of one school's evacuation 1939-45. 2003. In September 1939 Owen's School Islington was evacuated to Bedford.
TIPPING, Peter. The BBC in Bedford During World War 2. 2001.
WARNER, R. School Time Memories of Wartime Bedford. In The
Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.23 pp.26-3- 1991.
WESTAWAY, K. M. Old Girls in New Times: the story of some work done by old girls of Bedford High School during nearly six years of war 1939-45. 1945.

TOWNS AND VILLAGES

BIRD, Sylvia. Memories of Stagsden by a Wartime Refugee. 1996. Reference Copy only.
DAVIES, S. Riseley Our Village. 2000. contains a chapter on WW2.
DUNDROW, M. A. Lasting Impression : one boy's wartime in the country(Totternhoe) 1988.
ENEVER, J. Cockney Kid and Countrymen: the Second World War Remembered By the Children of Woburn Sands and Aspley Guise. 2001.
FORD, Jennifer. Journey into Turvey : millennium memories. 2000. contains a chapter on WW2.
THE LUTON NEWS. Luton at War. 1947 reprint edition 1982.
MACKAY BROWN, C.L.F. A Village at War (Dean) In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.24 pp.320-325 1995.
A Pictorial History of Odell 1940-1965. 1989.
PIKE, D. & R. Clifton Wartime Memories. 2004.
PORTER, R. VE Celebrations at Lidlington. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.25 pp.280-283 1996.
ROBERTS, M. Farm of My Childhood 1925-1947(Flitwick) 1991.
SHILLINGTON WOMENS INSTITUTE How We Got By : Shillington Life During WW2. 1999.
SMITH, Mary. Growing Up in Wartime Ampthill. 2001.
WILLINGTON WOMENS INSTITUTE. The War History of a Bedfordshire Village. 1946.

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

BOWMAN, Martin W. Wild Blue Yonder : glory days of the US Eighth Air Force in England. 1991. Reference copy only.
FOX, George H. 8th Air Force Remembered. 1991. Reference copy only.
FREEMAN, Roger A. Airfields of the Eighth Then and Now. 7th ed. 1997. Reference copy only.
FREEMAN, Roger A. The Mighty Eighth: the colour record. 2001. Reference copy only.
FREEMAN, Roger A. The Mighty Eighth in Colour. 1991. Reference copy only.
FREEMAN, Roger A. The Mighty Eighth : a history of the units, men and machines of the US 8th Air Force. 1989. Reference copy only.
FREEMAN, Roger A. The Mighty Eighth War Manual. 2001. Reference copy only.
SMITH, Graham. The Mighty Eighth in the Second World War. 2001.

GLENN MILLER

BARKER, Ralph. Twin Woods Farm and Glenn Miller. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.13 pp.194-196 1972
BUTCHER, Geoffrey. Next to a Letter From Home : Major Glenn Miller's Wartime Band. 1986.
NESBIT, Roy. What Did Happen to Glenn Miller? In Aeroplane January 1987 pp.4-7 & February 1987 pp.60-65
PARKINSON, N. The Glenn Miller Connection. In The Bedfordshire Magazine Vol.24 pp.20-23 1993.
WAY, Christopher. Glenn Miller in Britain : then and now. 1996.
WRIGHT, Wilbur. The Glenn Miller Burial File. 1993.
WRIGHT, Wilbur. Millergate : the Real Glenn Miller Story. 1990.

Page last updated: 6th May 2005