Bristol's experience in the front line of World War Two could not match the sufferings of Leningrad under siege. But Bristolians could empathise with the inhabitants of the great Russian city, for Bristol itself was effectively under siege from persistent aerial attack for almost a year. This book tells the story of the fears and hopes, despair and bravery, of Bristolians in those days and nights.
As in Leningrad, though on a much smaller scale, Bristol suffered shortages, power-cuts, hunger and sickness, and lowered morale. Both cities kept their civic pride and defended their home town, sometimes to the death. In both, citizens performed acts of amazing bravery and endurance, while watching a much loved historic city being systematically destroyed.