The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest and most complicated campaign of the Second World War. It started within hours of the declaration of war in September 1939 and only finished with the German surrender in May 1945. The battle involved personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force, together with an extraordinary number of civilians.

David Hearn describes the story of the battle as "one painted on a huge canvas". "My talk can only tell parts of that story but it does, hopefully, make the point that it was the most important campaign of the war. Without the involvement of Liverpool on many levels - including civilians who've never really received the recognition that they deserve - victory in the Second World War would not have been possible."