During the Second World War Birmingham suffered 365 air raid alerts and 77 actual air raids. These raids took place between the 8th August 1940 and the 23rd April 1943. There were over 9,000 casualties of whom 2,241 were killed. This book contains the first hand accounts of some of those who survived. The Memorial shown on the front cover "The Tree of Life" by Lorenzo Quinn is dedicated to the memory of all victims of the Blitz on Birmingham. The memorial was donated to the City of Birmingham by the Halcyon Gallery on behalf of its founders Racna and Lionel Green, in association with Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association.