New to the Library: Service Newspapers of World War Two

I’m really pleased to let you know that following a successful trial the Library now has access to Service Newspapers of World War Two from Adam Matthew Digital, a brand new digitised primary source collection just released this year. This resource gives you unique insight into the story of war as told by the newspapers and magazines that brought information, entertainment and camaraderie to the forces.

You can access Service Newspapers of World War Two via the Databases A-Z list and Newspapers & Magazines database list. You can also access it through DiscoverEd.

Service Newspapers of World War Two contains an extensive range of both rare and well-known wartime publications for soldiers serving in major theatres around the world. Publications are included from many key nations involved in the conflict, such as the US, Canada, New Zealand, India, and the countries of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Both Allied and Axis publications are presented, offering a broad view of the war and the experiences of those on its front lines.

In addition to maintaining the men’s morale and helping to create an atmosphere of solidarity, journalism played a vital role in keeping the servicemen informed about events in their unit and immediate locality, as well as delivering news from home and about the war at large. Many newspapers were written by the servicemen themselves, while others were sanctioned by senior staff and had a more official agenda.

Highlights include:

  • 13 editions of Union Jack, covering various fronts between 1943 and 1948
  • The weekly newspaper Springbok, produced for the South African forces serving in the Middle East
  • The Maple Leaf, published daily for Canadian forces in Britain
  • Stars and Stripes, published daily for the US armed forces in the European theatre
  • Fauji Akhbar, a highly visual publication for Indian troops
  • Victory, another highly visual magazine for British soldiers serving in India
  • Eighth Army News, a British weekly for forces in Italy

You might be interested in using Service Newspapers of World War Two if you are looking for news coverage of key events, victories and battles of WWII, the soldier’s experience, the role and portrayal of woman in WWII, activity on the home front and the civilian experience, morale and propaganda, light entertainment, local news and customs, education and welfare and Empire.

You can access Service Newspapers of World War Two via the Databases A-Z list and Newspapers & Magazines database listYou can also access it through DiscoverEd.

You can access all the online newspaper archives already available at the Library via the Newspapers & Magazines database list.

Access is only available to current students and staff at University of Edinburgh.

Caroline Stirling – Academic Support Librarian for History, Classics and Archaeology

1 thought on “New to the Library: Service Newspapers of World War Two

  1. Pingback: On trial: Service Newspapers of World War Two | HCA Librarian

Comments are closed.