Letter: National Days of Prayer during the Second World War showed the value of seeking Divine assistance in times of conflict

As we commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II, there is now fear that the conflict in Ukraine will spread into Western Europe and engulf us all.

Over 40 years as a church minister (and ex-forces), I have engaged with those of the wartime generation and listened to how they coped with their fears and sorrows.

As we remember the end of the 2nd World War, readers may be interested to know that the threat of invasion was so real, King George VI called for seven National Days of Prayer at critical times. Fear was such that on each National Day of Prayer churches were filled with people pleading for Divine intervention.

The first National Day of Prayer took place in May 1940. The British Army was trapped at Dunkirk and so King George VI called for a National Day of Prayer to be held on 26th May. In a national broadcast he urged people to plead for Divine help. People across the British Isles flocked into churches praying for deliverance and this photograph above shows the scene outside Westminster Abbey as people queued for prayer. Two events immediately followed. Firstly, a storm arose over the Dunkirk region grounding the Luftwaffe which had been killing thousands on the beaches. And secondly, a calm descended on the Channel, such as hadn’t been seen for a generation. It was only because of this Channel calm coming at this precise moment and lasting the length of the evacuation, that tiny boats were able to sail across and rescue 335,000 soldiers. Because of this sudden Channel calm people referred to what happened as ‘the Miracle of Dunkirk’.

The second and third National Days of Prayer were held during the Battle of Britain. Hitler now sought to destroy the RAF and its airfields prior to invasion. As events became critical, the King called for a Day of Prayer at the height of the battle on 11th August 1940. During the following week Spitfires and Hurricanes managed to destroy 180 Nazi bombers. This brought temporary relief, however on 30th August 800 enemy aircraft filled the skies intending to destroy RAF airfields. By 6th September the situation was again dire and defeat in the air looked inevitable. The King then called for another National Day of Prayer on 8th September. That week 185 enemy aircraft were shot down and Goering gave up his assault. On 15th September Churchill was able to declare victory in the air.

The fourth National Day of Prayer was called for by the King on 23rd March 1941 during a period of heavy bombing in London. He was completely unaware that this was the actual date planned by Hitler for the invasion. German ships were blown off course and Hitler then changed his plans, switching instead to invading Russia.

The fifth National Day of Prayer took place on 3rd September 1942 when the British Eight Army had been driven back to the borders of Egypt by Rommel’s Afrika Korps. General Montgomery was appointed as the Eighth Army Commander and led British forces to victory at El Alamein. This battle was the turning point of the war.

The sixth National Day of Prayer was held on 3rd September 1943, the fourth anniversary of the declaration of war on Germany. Italy surrendered to the Allies within 24 hours and Mussolini was killed.

The Seventh Day of Prayer was in spring 1944 for all military personnel in preparation for the liberation of Europe. This was then followed by an additional call on D-Day itself not only for nationwide prayer, but for a worldwide prayer vigil. The poor weather that had delayed the D-Day offensive by 24 hours had suddenly lifted on 6th June and allowed the invasion to go ahead with far fewer lives lost than were expected.

Immediately after the Miracle of Dunkirk the Nazi Army stood on the other side of the Channel with over two hundred divisions flushed with victory. Most of our weapons had been abandoned in France so all Britain had was less than one division of armed troops. No wonder people prayed for Divine help and the King called for National Days of Prayer. In October 1942 Winston Churchill was so moved by events that he said, “I have a feeling sometimes that some Guiding Hand has interfered. I have a feeling that we have a Guardian because we have a great Cause, and we shall have that Guardian so long as we serve that Cause faithfully. And what a Cause it is!”

For more information, my email is: [email protected]

Rev J Willans, Leigh, Surrey