ORDNANCE SURVEY OF SCOTLAND - DUNBAR LAMMERMUIR "1940 WAR REVISION"

 ......from Berwick upon Tweed in the South to Dunbar in the North

Published at the War Office in 1933, this "1940 WAR EDITION" Ordnance Survey of Scotland map covers Berwickshire to East Lothian. It illustrates how unprepared Britain was at the outbreak of the Second World War with no military bases being shown (AJP Taylor's "English History 1914-1945" gives a more detailed account of how England and Scotland were left unprotected in the 1930's).

World War II Ordnance Survey Maps

Vintage 1940's Ordnance Survey maps give us a snap shot of  the UK during the second world war. This blog features Scottish Ordnance Survey maps from the late 1930's up to 1940. Most of the maps featured are military maps, which were not intended for publication. Military OS maps, such as this map of the Borders, can be bought from vintage fairs and ebay for £8 - £10.

From Penrith in the South to Berwick upon Tweed in the North and Sunderland in the East to Carlisle in the West this "1940 WAR REVISION" Ordnance Survey map of the Borders shows how unprepared Britain was at the outbreak of the Second World War. Whilst the map shows more than one airship base and landing ground, major cities -such as Newcastle upon Tyne - are largely unprotected.

This military edition of the Borders map (Ordnance Survey of Great Britain)  also includes the Solway Firth and Hadrian's Wall. The bold red "NOT TO BE PUBLISHED" headline makes it a particularly collectible map.