Here we see the first pictures of London in September, 1940 as the Germans begin their ‘Blitz” of Britain which lasted until May, 1941. More than one million London homes were damaged or destroyed while 20,000+ civilians lost their lives in the largest city on earth at this time. LIFE reports that German “reserves of planes and pilots seemed inexhaustible.” And, “The charge across the Channel by the Nazi armada seemed very close.” The bombing of London did not achieve its goal of demoralizing the British. And the bombing throughout Britain did not significantly slow their war production. As it turned out the German Luftwaffe was not armed in depth and not organized to carry out a long-term strategic air campaign. And its intelligence of British war production sites was poor.
Cecil Beaton captured the picture of London war victim Eileen Dunne on this September 23, 1940 LIFE cover. Beaton was renowned as an English fashion photographer in the 1920′s and 1930′s, and worked for Vogue and Vanity Fair before joining the Ministry of Information for the duration of the war. He covered fighting in both Africa and East Asia, but this photograph of little Eileen Dunne was his most significant. The picture is said to have moved American public opinion to speak out in favor of helping Britain, which in turn influenced Americans to support Roosevelt’s Lend Lease Program. After the war Beaton went on to design costumes and sets for theatre and film. He won Academy Awards for his work in “Gigi” and “My Fair Lady.”
Things were quiet in sleepy Hyde Park, NY, home of FDR. This portrait of the village is like stepping back in time with its Colonial history, great 19th Century estates and town characters. Hyde Park “sprang up as a community of farmhands, craftsmen and tradesfolk serving the great estates.” By 1940 the Depression had taken its toll on the large estates and heavy taxes left most languishing. In fact, only the Roosevelts’ and the Huntingtons’ estates were still occupied by their owners. The gentry in Hyde park had a strong sense of responsibility towards the village, were active on boards, and “looked out for their retainers’ illnesses and troubles, pensioned them off in old age, made bountiful gifts in season.” At Christmas Mrs. Vanderbilt jumped into her Russian sleigh and handed out $10 bills to all comers.
Among the several characters pictured here is Gracie Hall Roosevelt, Eleanor’s young brother by seven years. Both parents died by the time Gracie was three and Eleanor acted as a mother towards him in fulfillment of a death bed request to her from her father. Gracie was a brilliant student with many academic achievements, including a Masters in engineering from Harvard. His two marriages ended in divorce and produced six children. Alcoholism began to dominate his life and jobs rapidly came and went. He died at age 50, one year after the above picture was taken.
