Unit 3 Britain 1931-1951 Exam Revision-Chronological Timeline

Key Topic 1: The Impact of the Depression

1911-National Insurance Benefit set up
November 1918-Out-of-work Donation Scheme (‘the dole’) set up for soldiers + war workers
1921-NUWM set up
1929-Ramsey Macdonald’s Labour Party comes to power
1930-Unemployment Insurance Act
August 1931-Means test set up
August 1931-Benefit rate cut by 15%
October 1931-Ramsey Macdonald’s National Government comes to power
1934-Unemployment Act
1934-Special Areas Act
1934-Palmer’s Shipyard closed by the National Shipbuilders’ Society
October 1936-Jarrow March begins
31^st October 1936-Jarrow March reaches London
1937-Special Areas (Amendment) Act
December 1937-Sir John Jarvis’ steel works open in Jarrow

1 of 5

From 1935-Local councils told to build air raid shelters and radar invented
1937-Air Raid Precaution (ARP) Service set up
From 1938-People encouraged to consider evacuation
1^st September 1939-WWII BEGINS
1^st September 1939-Real evacuation begins
December 1939-Many evacuees return home
9^th April 1940-Germany invades Norway and Denmark
10^th April 1940-Germany begins Western Europe invasion (Operation Yellow)
10^th May 1940-Germany invades France
10^th May 1940-Churchill made Prime Minister
14^th May 1940-Anthony Eden asks for Local Defence Force volunteers
21^st May 1940-First retreating Allied troops reach Dunkirk
26^th May 1940-Operation Dynamo starts-Small boat owners asked to take troops to big ones
29^th May 1940-300 boats ferrying troops to bigger boats
4^th June 1940-Last boats take soldiers from Dunkirk to Britain
22^nd June 1940-France surrenders

2 of 5

3 of 5

(1941-Law to raise income of those who could claim free healthcare from £250-£420)
1^st December 1942-Beveridge Report published
1944-Education Act of 1944
8th May 1945-VE Day
23^rd May 1945-Churchill resigns, new election set for 5^th July
5^th July 1945-General election
26^th July 1945-Results publicised, delayed to allow for postal votes-Labour win a landslide
1945-Family Allowances Act
From 1945-Government building schemes to provide work
1945-Aneurin Bevan becomes Health Minister
1946-National Insurance Act
1946-National Assistance Act
1946-1946 NHS Act-Free medical, dental and optical care for all
1947-1947 NHS Act-Charges on prescriptions
1947-1947 NHS Act-Charges on some services
1948-NHS Act forced through despite delays caused by the BMA

4 of 5

10^th July 1940-Battle of Britain begins
August 1940-LDF reaches 1,000,000 (renamed the Home Guard)
10^th July – 7^th August 1940-Luftwaffe attacks on British coast especially radar stations
8^th August – 6^th September 1940-Luftwaffe attacks on RAF airfields
7^th September – 15^th September 1940-Luftwaffe begin to bomb London (Blitz begins)
15^th September 1940- Luftwaffe defeated (now called Battle of Britain day)
17^th September 1940-Hitler calls off Operation Sealion
8^th November 1940-RAF bombs Munich
14^th November 1940-Luftwaffe begins retaliatory bombing on Coventry
May 1941-Blitz ends
April 1942-German Baedeker raids
June 1942-RAF bombs Cologne
June 1942-Luftwaffe bombs Canterbury in retaliation
August 1942-Last Luftwaffe raid on Coventry
January 1943-Last big Luftwaffe raids
12^th June 1944-First V1 (Vergeltung 1) rockets launched
September 1944-First V2 (Vergeltung 2) rockets launched

5 of 5