1943 in the United Kingdom

1943 in the United Kingdom:

Other years

1941 | 1942 | 1943 (1943) | 1944 | 1945

Individual countries of the United Kingdom

England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales

Sport, Television and music

1943 English cricket season Football: England | Scotland 1943 in British television

Events from the year 1943 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.

Incumbents

• Monarch – George VI
• Prime Minister – Winston Churchill (wartime coalition)

Events

• 1 January
  • Total ban on civilians travelling to the Isle of Wight (continues until 25 August 1944).
  • Utility furniture first becomes available.
• 14 January – To counter a "serious increase" in U-boat operations the Royal Air Force switches its bombing campaign from industrial targets to U-boat bases in France attacking Lorient and Cherbourg-Octeville.
• 17 January – Anti-aircraft shrapnel shells kill 23 people and injure 60 during a raid on London by 118 planes; six are reported losses.
• 20 January – Sandhurst Road School Disaster: A bomb kills 38 children and 6 teachers at a school in Catford, south-east London.
• 23 January – World War II: British forces capture Tripoli from the Nazis.
• 11 February – In the Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, the radical socialist Common Wealth Party candidate Tom Wintringham comes close to winning the seat.
• 13 February – Nuffield Foundation established by William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield.
• 3 March – Panic at the sound of new anti-aircraft rockets leads to a crush at Bethnal Green tube station, killing 183 people.
• 4–12 March – "Exercise Spartan", a major rehearsal for next year's Allied Invasion of Normandy, is staged across southern England.
• 5 March – The Gloster Meteor, the first operational military jet aircraft for the Allies, has its first test flight, at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
• 14 March – Submarine HMS Thunderbolt sunk off Sicily by an Italian corvette, the second time this vessel has been lost with all hands.
• 17 March – Last church service in the village of Derwent, Derbyshire, before it is demolished (together with Ashopton) for construction of Ladybower Reservoir.
• 27 March – Royal Navy escort carrier HMS Dasher (D37) is destroyed by an accidental explosion in the Firth of Clyde, killing 379 of the crew of 528.
• 13 April – Release of the Ministry of Information film Desert Victory, which will win this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
• 7 May – Capture of Tunis ends the campaign in North Africa.
• 16–17 May – Operation Chastise (the 'Dambuster Raid') takes place: No. 617 Squadron RAF use bouncing bombs to breach German dams in the Ruhr Valley.
• 19 May – Winston Churchill addresses a joint session of the United States Congress.
• 21 April – Worst bombing of Aberdeen.
• 23/24 June – The "Battle" of Bamber Bridge: Trouble flares between black American soldiers and white military police stationed in the Lancashire town; one black soldier is killed.
• 9 July–17 August – World War II: Allied invasion of Sicily.
• 5 August – North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board established by Act of Parliament.
• 3–16 September – World War II: Allied invasion of Italy: Allied forces under General Sir Bernard Montgomery land in mainland Italy. On 16 September, the Salerno Mutiny occurs when soldiers of the British Army's X Corps refuse postings to new units.
• 11 November
  • Regency Act is passed allowing Counsellors of State absent during the Sovereign's absence not to be listed among the appointments; and that the heir-apparent or presumptive to the Throne need only to be eighteen to be a Counsellor.
  • Total evacuation of an area near Portmahomack in Scotland begins, to make way for rehearsal of the Normandy Landings.
• 16 November – Total evacuation of the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain concludes, to make way for U.S. troop training; total evacuation of part of the South Hams of Devon begins, to make way for rehearsal of the Normandy Landings.
• 22–26 November – Cairo Conference ("Sextant"): Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and Chairman of the National Government of China Chiang Kai-shek meet at Cairo in Egypt to discuss ways to defeat Japan in the Pacific War.
• 2 December
  • First "Bevin Boys" selected from conscripts to work in the coal mines.
  • Pigeons White Vision, Winkie and Tyke become the first recipients of the Dickin Medal, instituted to honour the work of animals in war.
• December – Construction of prototype Mark I Colossus computer, the world's first totally electronic programmable computing device, at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill, to assist in cryptanalysis at Bletchley Park, is completed.
• undated – Anne Loughlin becomes the first trades unionist appointed DBE and the first female President of the Trades Union Congress.

Publications

• Nigel Balchin's novel The Small Back Room.
• T. S. Eliot's poetry Four Quartets.
• C. S. Lewis' novel Perelandra.
• Nikolaus Pevsner's book An Outline of European Architecture.
• Malcolm Saville's children's novel Mystery at Witchend, first in The Lone Pine series.

Births

January – February

• 6 January – Terry Venables, English football manager
• 9 January – Freddie Starr, English comedian and singer
• 15 January – Margaret Beckett, politician
• 16 January – Brian Ferneyhough, British composer
• 20 January – Mel Hague, English singer and author
• 29 January – Tony Blackburn, British radio disc jockey
• 7 February – Gareth Hunt, English actor (died 2007)
• 16 February – Anthony Dowell, ballet dancer and artistic director of the Royal Ballet
• 18 February – Graeme Garden, Scottish writer, comedian, and actor
• 19 February – Tim Hunt, British biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• 20 February – Mike Leigh, British film director
• 24 February – George Harrison, English musician (The Beatles) (died 2001)
• 27 February – Graham Bowers, British musician, artist and engineer

March – April

• March – John Leeson, British actor
• 8 March – Lynn Redgrave, English actress (died 2010)
• 21 March – Vivian Stanshall, English comedian, writer, artist, broadcaster, and musician (died 1995)
• 22 March – Keith Relf, British musician (The Yardbirds) (died 1976)
• 29 March
  • Eric Idle, English actor, writer, and composer
  • John Major, British Conservative politician and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 2 April – Frank Feather, British business futurist and author
• 3 April – Jonathan Lynn, English comedy screenwriter and actor
• 8 April – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Labour Party MP and Minister for Sport (died 2006)
• 20 April – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor
• 25 April – Tony Christie, singer

May – June

• 5 May – Michael Palin, comedian
• 8 May – Pat Barker, writer and historian
• 12 May – Tom Sawyer, Baron Sawyer, academic and politician
• 13 May - Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, judge
• 14 May – Jack Bruce, musician and songwriter (died 2014)
• 22 May – Betty Williams, Northern Irish political activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
• 27 May – Cilla Black, born Priscilla White, singer-songwriter and television personality (died 2015)
• 8 June – Colin Baker, actor
• 13 June – Malcolm McDowell, actor
• 29 June – Maureen O'Brien, actress

July – August

• 10 July – Gavin Strang, politician
• 12 July – Christine McVie, British musician (Fleetwood Mac)
• 15 July – Jocelyn Bell Burnell, astronomer
• 20 July – Wendy Richard, British actress (died 2009)
• 26 July – Mick Jagger, English singer (Rolling Stones)
• 28 July – Rick Wright, English keyboardist (Pink Floyd)
• 2 August – Rose Tremain, author
• 20 August – Sylvester McCoy, British actor
• 22 August – Alun Michael, politician

September – October

• 6 September
  • Richard J. Roberts, English biochemist and molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
  • Roger Waters, English musician
• 30 September – Ian Ogilvy, English actor
• 11 October – John Nettles, actor
• 21 October – Jason Hughes, sociologist
• 23 October – Anita Roddick, businesswoman (died 2007)
• 31 October – Paul Frampton, English physicist

November – December

• 7 December – Sue Johnston, actress
• 11 December – Betty Kershaw, nurse and academic
• 17 December – Ron Geesin, musician and songwriter (Pink Floyd)
• 18 December – Keith Richards, guitarist and songwriter (The Rolling Stones)
• 27 December – Peter Sinfield, lyricist and producer
• 28 December – Richard Whiteley, television presenter (died 2005)
• 31 December – Ben Kingsley, actor

Deaths

• 26 March – Leonard Darwin, soldier, politician, economist, eugenicist (born 1850)
• 28 March – Robert W. Paul, pioneer of cinematography (born 1869)
• 26 April – Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, son of Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught (born 1914)
• 30 April – Beatrice Webb, socialist, economist and reformer (born 1858)
• 1 June – Leslie Howard, actor (born 1893)
• 17 June – Annie S. Swan, writer (born 1859)
• 12 August – Bobby Peel, English cricketer (born 1857)
• 7 October – Radclyffe Hall, author and poet (born 1880)
• 26 November – Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, great grandson of Queen Victoria (born 1909, Germany)
• 22 December – Beatrix Potter, British children's author and illustrator (born 1866)

See also

• Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II