Oxford University
Simon and Kurti develop gaseous-diffusion methods for separating uranium-235.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1942 in Great Britain — Page 8
Explore 306 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1942.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1942
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 26 of 306 unique records.
306Unique records
8 of 8Page
24Named events on this page
20Named people on this page
7Places on this page
Other events (month unknown)
Oxford University
Simon and Kurti develop gaseous-diffusion methods for separating uranium-235.
Pathfinder Force
Creates a "pathfinder force" that flies ahead of bombing raids to mark targets
Peerage
Created Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory
Persuades Roosevelt to invade North Africa rather than France
Persuades Roosevelt to invade North Africa rather than France. Informs Stalin there will be no 2nd front in Europe this year. Informs Stalin that there should be an attack in South East Europe in 1943
Phoenix
Publication of "Phoenix"
President of Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
Radio Propaganda
Develops radio material intended to weaken confidence in the Nazi regime.
Retirement
Retires drom the RAF
Retreat to El Alamein
After Tobruk falls to Axis forces, Ritchie's Eighth Army retreats eastward toward El Alamein.
Rudyard Kipling Essay
Orwell published a critical essay considering Kipling's writing and the moral assumptions of empire.
Scottish National Party
Professor Douglas Young, leader of the Scottish National Party from 1942 to 1945 campaigns for the Scottish people to refuse conscription and his activities were vilified as undermining the British war effort against the Axis powers, Young is imprisoned for refusing to be conscripted
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
Appointed Dominions Secretary
Siege of Dieppe
Fighter Command operated 50 squadrons in close cover and six in close support. Losses during the ill-fated raid were again heavy, partly because of the superiority of the new German fighter, the Fw 190, over RAFs Spitfire Mark Vs. Apppointed air commander for the Dieppe Raid
Siege of Rangoon
Abandons Rangoon to the Japanese
Siege of St Nazaire
Helps plan the raid of St Nazaire
Supreme Commander
Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific
Supreme Commander
Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific
Testery
Joins the Testery research team in Block F at Bletchley Park.
The Conquest of Time
Wells published The Conquest of Time, reflecting on historical development.
The Rediscovery of Europe Broadcast
Orwell delivered a radio talk exploring literary connections across Europe.
The Truth About Soviet Russia
Publication of "The Truth About Soviet Russia"
The Unrelenting Struggle Published
Churchill published The Unrelenting Struggle, collecting speeches from a difficult phase of the Second World War.
Theres One Born Every Minute
Taylor appears in her first motion picture at the age of nine in Theres One Born Every Minute
Turingery
Develops a statistical technique later called Turingery for attacking German Lorenz teleprinter cipher traffic.
Wartime Commentary
West continued political and cultural journalism during the Second World War.
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.