Gas Masks for Goal Posts: Football in Britain During the Second World War

When Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, football came to an abrupt halt. Large crowds were banned, stadiums were given over to military use, most players joined up. Then it was realized that if victory was the national goal, soccer could help - and football went to war. For the next six years the game became hugely important to Britain. Boosting morale and raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for war funds