Invasion of Libya
Wilson's advance is reversed when France sought an armistice and the Italians where able to move their forces from the Tunisian border in the West and reinforce with 4 divisions those that opposed Wilson in the East
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1940 in Great Britain — Page 9
Explore 642 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1940.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1940
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 642 unique records.
642Unique records
9 of 17Page
27Named events on this page
9Named people on this page
12Places on this page
June
Battle of Britain
Churchill uses his skilful rhetoric to harden public opinion against capitulation, and to prepare the British for a long war. In his "This was their finest hour" speech on 18 June 1940, he said "the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin"
Battle of Britain
Tells Parliament the Battle of Britain is about to begin.
Battle of Britain
Declares that the Battle of France is over and the Battle of Britain is about to begin.
Battle of Britain
Uses the Finest Hour speech to prepare Britain for the coming air campaign.
Arrest of 27,000 enemy aliens
Persuades the Home Office to intern 27,000 enemy aliens
Enemy Aliens
Persuades the Home Office to intern 27,000 enemy aliens
French Armistice
Prepares Britain to continue alone after France seeks an armistice.
Operation Collar
1st British Commando raid on occupied France at Boulogne-sur-Mer, attackers failed to achieve any of their objectives
Siege of Boulogne-sur-Mer
1st British Commando raid on occupied France at Boulogne-sur-Mer, attackers failed to achieve any of their objectives
Capture of Great Britain
All French ships in British ports are seized by the royal Navy
Free French
Recognizes Charles de Gaulle as the leader of the Free French
Free French Support
Supports de Gaulle and the Free French movement in London.
Recognition of Charles de Gaulle as the leader of
Recognizes Charles de Gaulle as the leader of the Free French
Mobilization
The 3rd Division is stationed to defend the coast around Brighton
Mobilization
Sets up a Divisional HQ near Steyning
Operation Dynamo
The British, although besieged, had been spared from annihilation when Operation Dynamo evacuated 300,000 troops from Dunkirk
Profs Book
Produces a detailed cryptanalytic reference manual on Naval Enigma known at Bletchley Park as Profs Book.
Third Division Reconstitution after Dunkirk
Rebuilds 3rd Division after its return from France and restores training, equipment and organisation.
July
1st Meeting With Churchill
Meets Winston Churchill for the 1st time
Battle of Mers-el-Kebir
The Royal Navy destroys most of the French Navy at Mers-el-Kebir. Engagement off the coast of French Algeria where a British Royal Navy task force attacked and destroyed much of the French fleet stationed there, in an attempt to avoid its falling into the hands of the German Navy
Battle of Oran
Churchill says the sinking of the French Navy shows how serious Britain is. Britain sinks the French fleet which refuses to surrender
Mers-el-Kebir
Orders action against French naval forces to deny them to Germany.
Mers-el-Kebir Statement
Explains the attack on the French fleet to Parliament.
Espionage-Silent Column
Instructs the Ministry of Information to campaign against rumors which help the enemy
Battle of Mers-el-Kebir
Ark Royal sinks Dunkerqueat at Mers-el-Kebir
Battle of Mers-el-Kebir
The British Admiral James Somerville of Force H, based in Gibraltar, is ordered to deliver an ultimatum to the French
Birth of Ringo Starr
Birth of Ringo Starr, Richard Starkey
Birth of Ringo Starr
Birth of Richard Starkey, later known as Ringo Starr.
Battle of Britain
Opening day of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
Says, "there is a time to live & a time to die"
Battle of Britain
Oversees Britain's air defence as the Luftwaffe begins sustained attacks.
Battle of Britain
Commands Fighter Command as the official Battle of Britain period begins.
Battle of Britain
Directs Britain's integrated fighter defence through the Dowding System.
Home Guard
Encourages mobilisation of local defence volunteers against invasion.
Ambassador
Commando raid on the Channel island of Guernsey, failes to achieve its objective
Transfer to Intelligence Corps
Transfers to the Intelligence Corps and begins wartime service focused on military intelligence and analysis.
SOE
Churchill invites Hugh Dalton to establish the Special Operations Executive
SOE
Churchill invites Hugh Dalton to establish the Special Operations Executive
Agreement on Provide Britain with 50 ex-US Navy destroyers
The US agrees to provide Britain with 50 ex-US Navy destroyers in return for access to British naval bases in the western hemisphere
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.