On the eve of the Second World War, Watford was a growing centre for light industry with close connections to London. These two facts would play an important role in how the ensuing conflict impacted on the lives of the people of the town and its neighbours in South-west Hertfordshire.

Dr Eugenia Russell is an author and Lecturer in History at St Marys University, Twickenham. She has lectured on the history of empires, Renaissance learning and exploration, the Ancient World, art history and political philosophy.