First Lord of Admiralty
1st day at the Admiralty
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1939 in Great Britain — Page 4
Explore 264 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1939.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1939
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 264 unique records.
264Unique records
4 of 7Page
31Named events on this page
18Named people on this page
12Places on this page
September
Home Secretary of Great Britain
Appointed Home Secretary
British Expeditionary Force (BEF)
The 1st units of the BEF embark for France under Lord Gort
Invasion of France
The 1st units of the BEF embark for France under Lord Gort
Supreme War Council
Attends the first Anglo-French Supreme War Council meeting.
Supreme War Council
Meets Daladier at the first Anglo-French Supreme War Council.
Supreme War Council
Represents British defence coordination at the first meeting.
Sinking of HMS Courageous
The Corageous is sunk with the loss of over 500 lives
Sinking of HMS Courageous - Carrier Patrol Loss
U-29 torpedoed HMS Courageous southwest of Ireland on 17 September 1939; the aircraft carrier sank in about seventeen minutes.
Hitler triumphantly enters Danzig & offers concilliation with France & Britain
Hitler triumphantly enters Danzig & offers concilliation with France & Britain
Invasion of Norway
Proposes an invasion of Norway to intercept Germany's supply of iron-ore from Sweden
Invasion of Poland
Hitler triumphantly enters Danzig & offers concilliation with France & Britain
Narvik Iron Ore Debate
Argues that Narvik is vital because Swedish iron ore reaches Germany through the port in winter.
Supreme War Council
Records British cabinet coordination around the Hove meeting.
Supreme War Council
Supports British diplomatic work at the Hove meeting.
Supreme War Council
Attends discussions on Italy and Allied strategy.
Graf Spee
The Admiral Graf Spee sinks the steamship Clement
Sinking of SS Clement
The Admiral Graf Spee sinks the steamship Clement
Sinking of SS Clement - Graf Spee Commerce Raid
Clement became Admiral Graf Spee's first wartime merchant victim when the German raider sank her southeast of Pernambuco on 30 September 1939.
Enigma Machine
Rejoins GC&CS as head of the German Naval subsection, whose principal cipher challenge is Naval Enigma.
Enigma Machine
Joins Bletchley Park and begins work on the large-scale problem of German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma.
Third Division Deploys to France
Takes 3rd Division to France with the British Expeditionary Force after the outbreak of war.
October
Broadcast
Churchill makes his 1st wartime broadcast, after the defeat of Poland
Hitler's offers of peace to France & Britain are rejected
Hitler's offers of peace to France & Britain are rejected
Birth of Robert Bobby Charlton
Birth of Robert "Bobby" Charlton
Chamberlain dismisses Hitler's offer of peace
Chamberlain dismisses Hitler's offer of peace
Sinking of HMS Royal Oak
A U-47 penetrates the British anchorage & sinks the Royal Oak
Sinking of HMS Royal Oak
The Royal Oak is sunk in Scapa Flow
Sinking of HMS Royal Oak - Heavy Casualties
Royal Oak lost 835 officers and men after U-47 penetrated Scapa Flow and torpedoed the battleship during the night.
Sinking of HMS Royal Oak - Scapa Defence Shock
Royal Oak's loss inside Scapa Flow exposed weaknesses in the anchorage defences and prompted rapid strengthening of the naval base.
Bombing of Firth of Forth
1st air attack on British territory
Pact between Turkey, France and Great Britain
A pact of mutual assistance is signed between Turkey, France & Britain
Enlistment in Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Enlists as a private in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment after returning from Australia following the outbreak of the Second World War.
November
MI6
Appointed Head of MI6
Visit to Paris
Visits the French Minister of Marine to discuss joint Anglo-French naval activity
Supreme War Council
Meets French leaders as the Allies debate bombing the Ruhr.
Norwegian Waters Plan
Considers naval risks of mining Norwegian waters to interrupt ore shipments through Narvik.
Enigma Machine
Receives responsibility for the Enigma decryption teams and works alongside Turing and Welchman.
Readmission to Labour
Is readmitted to the Parliamentary Labour Party.
December
Doric Star Report Used to Track Raider
Harwood uses Doric Star's distress report to estimate the likely movements of the German raider.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.