<p>At the outbreak of war in 1939, ordinary people were quickly forced to adapt to the realities of a nation under dire threat.<br><br>But it soon became known as the Phoney War, a time when official incompetence reigned supreme. Theatres and cinemas were closed and football matches cancelled, only for the government to realise belatedly that morale was plunging as a result. Thousands of women and children were evacuated to the countryside, only ...