This week, we’re taking a look back at Birmingham during the 1940s.
During the early part of a decade, the city suffered heavy bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe during World War 2.
The last large raid on Birmingham was not until July 1942, making it one of the most heavily bombed cities outside of London.
The city was extensively redeveloped in the years following the war.
These photos give an insight into what life was like for Brummies during the decade, including post-war Birmingham.
All photos from Getty Images
9. 7th November 1942:
Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, seen here talking to US soldiers during a visit to a Fighter Factory in Birmingham, during her tour of Britain. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images) | Getty Images
10. Cadets training
Cadets from Five Ways Grammar School, Birmingham, undergoing training with the Monmouthshire Grammar school OTC, where they have been evacuated. | Getty Images
11. 5th December 1940
Trained ballet dancer Leonora Hope learns the trade of a blacksmith near Birmingham during World War II. She is one of many British women to fill the gaps in industry while the men go off to fight. | Getty Images
12. St John's Church, High Street, Deritend
A view from the window of the Church Institute showing air raid damage to the tower of St John's Church. This building of 1735 replaced an earlier chapel of 1380. By 1939 it had ceased to be used for worship and its fate was sealed when it was damaged by enemy bombing in 1940. It was demolished in 1947. The Bull Ring Trading Estate now occupies the site. Artist George Bernard Mason. | English Heritage/Heritage Images