1943 in the United Kingdom
 1943 in the United Kingdom: |
| Other years |
| 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
| Individual countries of the United Kingdom |
| England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales |
| Sport, Television and music |
Events from the year 1943 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.
Incumbents
- Monarch – George VI
- Prime Minister – Winston Churchill (wartime coalition)
Events
- 1 January
- Total ban on civilians travelling to the Isle of Wight (continues until 25 August 1944).
- Utility furniture first becomes available.[1]
- 14 January – To counter a "serious increase" in U-boat operations the Royal Air Force switches its bombing campaign from industrial targets to U-boat bases in France attacking Lorient and Cherbourg-Octeville.
- 17 January – Anti-aircraft shrapnel shells kill 23 people and injure 60 during a raid on London by 118 planes; six are reported losses.
- 20 January – Sandhurst Road School Disaster: A bomb kills 38 children and 6 teachers at a school in Catford, south-east London.
- 23 January – World War II: British forces capture Tripoli from the Nazis.[2]
- 11 February – In the Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, the radical socialist Common Wealth Party candidate Tom Wintringham comes close to winning the seat.
- 13 February – Nuffield Foundation established by William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield.[2]
- 3 March – Panic at the sound of new anti-aircraft rockets leads to a crush at Bethnal Green tube station, killing 183 people.[3]
- 4–12 March – "Exercise Spartan", a major rehearsal for next year's Allied Invasion of Normandy, is staged across southern England.
- 5 March – The Gloster Meteor, the first operational military jet aircraft for the Allies, has its first test flight, at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
- 14 March – Submarine HMS Thunderbolt sunk off Sicily by an Italian corvette, the second time this vessel has been lost with all hands.[4][5]
- 17 March – Last church service in the village of Derwent, Derbyshire, before it is demolished (together with Ashopton) for construction of Ladybower Reservoir.[6]
- 27 March – Royal Navy escort carrier HMS Dasher (D37) is destroyed by an accidental explosion in the Firth of Clyde, killing 379 of the crew of 528.
- 13 April – Release of the Ministry of Information film Desert Victory, which will win this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
- 7 May – Capture of Tunis ends the campaign in North Africa.[3]
- 16–17 May – Operation Chastise (the 'Dambuster Raid') takes place: No. 617 Squadron RAF use bouncing bombs to breach German dams in the Ruhr Valley.
- 19 May – Winston Churchill addresses a joint session of the United States Congress.
- 21 April – Worst bombing of Aberdeen.
- 23/24 June – The "Battle" of Bamber Bridge: Trouble flares between black American soldiers and white military police stationed in the Lancashire town; one black soldier is killed.[7][8][9]
- 9 July–17 August – World War II: Allied invasion of Sicily.
- 5 August – North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board established by Act of Parliament.[10]
- 3–16 September – World War II: Allied invasion of Italy: Allied forces under General Sir Bernard Montgomery land in mainland Italy. On 16 September, the Salerno Mutiny occurs when soldiers of the British Army's X Corps refuse postings to new units.
- 11 November
- Regency Act is passed allowing Counsellors of State absent during the Sovereign's absence not to be listed among the appointments; and that the heir-apparent or presumptive to the Throne need only to be eighteen to be a Counsellor.[11]
- Total evacuation of an area near Portmahomack in Scotland begins, to make way for rehearsal of the Normandy Landings.[12]
- 16 November – Total evacuation of the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain concludes, to make way for U.S. troop training; total evacuation of part of the South Hams of Devon begins, to make way for rehearsal of the Normandy Landings.[13]
- 22–26 November – Cairo Conference ("Sextant"): Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and Chairman of the National Government of China Chiang Kai-shek meet at Cairo in Egypt to discuss ways to defeat Japan in the Pacific War.
- 2 December
- First "Bevin Boys" selected from conscripts to work in the coal mines.[14]
- Pigeons White Vision, Winkie and Tyke become the first recipients of the Dickin Medal, instituted to honour the work of animals in war.[15]
- December – Construction of prototype Mark I Colossus computer, the world's first totally electronic programmable computing device, at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill, to assist in cryptanalysis at Bletchley Park, is completed.[16]
- undated – Anne Loughlin becomes the first trades unionist appointed DBE and the first female President of the Trades Union Congress.
Publications
- Nigel Balchin's novel The Small Back Room.
- T. S. Eliot's poetry Four Quartets.
- C. S. Lewis' novel Perelandra.
- Nikolaus Pevsner's book An Outline of European Architecture.
- Malcolm Saville's children's novel Mystery at Witchend, first in The Lone Pine series.
Births
January – February
- 6 January – Terry Venables, English football manager
- 9 January – Freddie Starr, English comedian and singer
- 15 January – Margaret Beckett, politician
- 16 January – Brian Ferneyhough, British composer
- 20 January – Mel Hague, English singer and author
- 29 January – Tony Blackburn, British radio disc jockey
- 7 February – Gareth Hunt, English actor (died 2007)
- 16 February – Anthony Dowell, ballet dancer and artistic director of the Royal Ballet
- 18 February – Graeme Garden, Scottish writer, comedian, and actor
- 19 February – Tim Hunt, British biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 20 February – Mike Leigh, British film director
- 24 February – George Harrison, English musician (The Beatles) (died 2001)
- 27 February – Graham Bowers, British musician, artist and engineer
March – April
- March – John Leeson, British actor
- 8 March – Lynn Redgrave, English actress (died 2010)
- 21 March – Vivian Stanshall, English comedian, writer, artist, broadcaster, and musician (died 1995)
- 22 March – Keith Relf, British musician (The Yardbirds) (died 1976)
- 29 March
- Eric Idle, English actor, writer, and composer
- John Major, British Conservative politician and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 2 April – Frank Feather, British business futurist and author
- 3 April – Jonathan Lynn, English comedy screenwriter and actor
- 8 April – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Labour Party MP and Minister for Sport (died 2006)
- 20 April – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor
- 25 April – Tony Christie, singer
May – June
- 5 May – Michael Palin, comedian
- 8 May – Pat Barker, writer and historian
- 12 May – Tom Sawyer, Baron Sawyer, academic and politician
- 13 May - Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, judge
- 14 May – Jack Bruce, musician and songwriter (died 2014)
- 22 May – Betty Williams, Northern Irish political activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- 27 May – Cilla Black, born Priscilla White, singer-songwriter and television personality (died 2015)
- 8 June – Colin Baker, actor
- 13 June – Malcolm McDowell, actor
- 29 June – Maureen O'Brien, actress
July – August
- 10 July – Gavin Strang, politician
- 12 July – Christine McVie, British musician (Fleetwood Mac)
- 15 July – Jocelyn Bell Burnell, astronomer
- 20 July – Wendy Richard, British actress (died 2009)
- 26 July – Mick Jagger, English singer (Rolling Stones)
- 28 July – Rick Wright, English keyboardist (Pink Floyd)
- 2 August – Rose Tremain, author
- 20 August – Sylvester McCoy, British actor
- 22 August – Alun Michael, politician
September – October
- 6 September
- Richard J. Roberts, English biochemist and molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Roger Waters, English musician
- 30 September – Ian Ogilvy, English actor
- 11 October – John Nettles, actor
- 21 October – Jason Hughes, sociologist
- 23 October – Anita Roddick, businesswoman (died 2007)
- 31 October – Paul Frampton, English physicist
November – December
- 7 December – Sue Johnston, actress
- 11 December – Betty Kershaw, nurse and academic
- 17 December – Ron Geesin, musician and songwriter (Pink Floyd)
- 18 December – Keith Richards, guitarist and songwriter (The Rolling Stones)
- 27 December – Peter Sinfield, lyricist and producer
- 28 December – Richard Whiteley, television presenter (died 2005)
- 31 December – Ben Kingsley, actor
Deaths
- 26 March – Leonard Darwin, soldier, politician, economist, eugenicist (born 1850)
- 28 March – Robert W. Paul, pioneer of cinematography (born 1869)
- 26 April – Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, son of Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught (born 1914)
- 30 April – Beatrice Webb, socialist, economist and reformer (born 1858)
- 1 June – Leslie Howard, actor (born 1893)
- 17 June – Annie S. Swan, writer (born 1859)
- 12 August – Bobby Peel, English cricketer (born 1857)
- 7 October – Radclyffe Hall, author and poet (born 1880)
- 26 November – Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, great grandson of Queen Victoria (born 1909, Germany)
- 22 December – Beatrix Potter, British children's author and illustrator (born 1866)
References
- ↑ Evans, Paul; Doyle, Peter (2009). The 1940s Home. Oxford: Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0-7478-0736-0.
- 1 2 Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- 1 2 Palmer, Alan; Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 391–392. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
- ↑ "HMS Thunderbolt (N 25)". uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ↑ Warren, C.E.T.; Benson, James (1958). "The Admiralty regrets ...": the story of His Majesty's submarine Thetis and Thunderbolt. London: Harrap.
- ↑ Hallam, Vic (1989). Silent Valley: the story of the lost Derbyshire villages of Derwent and Ashopton. Sheffield: Sheaf Publishing. ISBN 0-9505458-9-9.
- ↑ Hunt, David (1992). A History Of Preston. Carnegie Press. pp. 246–47.
- ↑ Pollins, Harold (17 February 2005). "The Battle of Bamber Bridge". WW2 People's War. BBC. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- ↑ Werrell, Ken (1978). "The Mutiny at Bamber Bridge". After the Battle. Crime in WWII 22.
- ↑ "Power From the Glens" (PDF). Perth: Scottish and Southern Energy. 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ↑ Text of the Regency Act 1943 (c. 42) as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database
- ↑ "Notable Dates in History". The Flag in the Wind. The Scots Independent. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
- ↑ Bradbeer, Grace (1973). The Land Changed its Face: the Evacuation of Devon's South Hams 1943–1944. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5781-6.
- ↑ Bevin Boys.
- ↑ "Dickin medal pigeons". PDSA. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ↑ Copeland, B. Jack, ed. (2006). Colossus: the Secrets of Bletchley Park's Codebreaking Computers. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-284055-4.
See also
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