1966 and all that

An extract of the new book, 1966 And All That, a fractured history of the 20th Century that appears in today's Guardian, contains this little gem:

The British War Effort. Unlike the Nazis, the British did not have a War Machine. We had a War Effort. The British War Effort consisted of:

(i) The salt of the earth. The ordinary British Tommy went into battle puffing on a Capstan, whistling a merry tune and making thumbs-up signs at his chums.

(ii) The Home Guard. Armed with nothing more than a nice leg of lamb and a garden hoe, young and old alike prepared to do battle with the Nazi War Machine by turning all the signposts round and placing sprigs of fern in their helmets.

(iii) Code-busters in specs. At Bitchily and Tetchily Park, highly strung men and women in thick spectacles sat stooped over crossword puzzles and chessboards in chilly, poorly lit rooms throughout the night attempting to catch the famous Enigma cold.

(iv) The RAF. "Prangs away!"; "Get weaving, Burton!"; "My chocs are going for a shaky-do!" Throughout the war, the Nazi War Machine occupied its time trying to decipher what on earth the RAF were saying to one another. It turned out that no one in the RAF had the foggiest idea.

(v) Steve McQueen. Though often thought of as an American, Steve McQueen was, of course, English.