von Falkenhorst

General Nicolaus von Falkenhorst, the Commander of German Forces in Norway. He was tried for war crimes by the British at Brunswick, in Norway in 1946. The court sentenced Falkenhorst to death by shooting but the sentence was commuted to 20 years’ imprisonment. Falkenhorst was released as an act of clemency in 1953 due to ill-health and he died in 1968.

Episode: The German Woman


Fighter Command HQ

The RAF's Fighter Command was established in July 1936 under the command of Sir Hugh Dowling. It comprised several groups, each being responsible for a specific area of Britain. Each group was divided into sectors. Each sector had a fighter air base with an operations room and a number of smaller fighter bases.Radar stations round the British coast detected enemy raids and reported them to Fighter Command Headquarters (FCHQ) at Bentley Priory at Stanmore in Middlesex, where they were plotted on a large map. The information was then passed to the relevant group commander, who, in turn, passed it on to the sector/s affected.

Link: Fighter Command
Link: RAF Fighter Control System
Episode: Eagle Day


Foreign Office

British government department dealing with foreign affairs.

Episode: The White Feather


Forth Bridge

A cantilever bridge crossing the River Forth between South Queensferry and North Queensferry in Scotland. Built by Sir William Arrol and opened in 1890.

Link: Forth Bridge
Episode: Eagle Day


Fuel Rationing

In January 1942 the government appealed to the country to rein in their fuel consumption as coal production had fallen short by ten million tons in 1941. In April, the job of designing a comprehensive fuel rationing scheme was given to Sir William Beveridge, a renowned economist. Though ingenious, the scheme failed to win support in parliament where Conservative MP's feared rationing would affect their middle-class constituents far more than their working-class constituents. In the end it was decided to release seven thousand miners from the Forces and to give men called-up in the future the option of going down the mines or going to the front.

In June Churchill created a new Ministry of Fuel, Light and Power to run the mines through their existing owners. Local fuel offices were set up throughout the country and a full-scale publicity campaign was launched to persuade everyone to save fuel by rationing themselves. (Source: How We Lived Then; Norman Longmate)



Episode: Bad Blood