City, Community and Sport in Birmingham during the Second World War

Abstract

ABSTRACT While transnational, global and imperial studies of the Second World War have added to established national frameworks, the analysis of local and regional perspectives remains limited. This article examines the importance of local belonging and community identity during wartime through the case study of sporting activity in Birmingham. In a city where social disruption was particularly high due to the impact of changes in wartime production, bombing and evacuation, sport offered a reassuring sense of comfort and familiarity. While some clubs disappeared and events declined in frequency, sport nonetheless survived, and in some cases thrived, thanks to the activity of active councillors, sports administrators, club officials and the support of the local press. This article argues that the city’s ability to maintain a relatively stable and vibrant civic sporting culture during an unprecedented period of population movement and social upheaval buttressed a sense of community identity, which acted as a starting-point for the articulation of wartime citizenship and patriotism.