1943 in the United Kingdom

Incumbents

Monarch – George VI

Prime Minister – Winston Churchill (wartime coalition)

Events

1 January

Total ban on civilians travelling to the Isle of Wight (continues until 25 August 1944).

Utility furniture first becomes available.

14 January – To counter a "serious increase" in U-boat operations the Royal Air Force switches its bombing campaign from industrial targets to U-boat bases in France attacking Lorient and Cherbourg-Octeville.

17 January – Anti-aircraft shrapnel shells kill 23 people and injure 60 during a raid on London by 118 planes; six are reported losses.

20 January – Sandhurst Road School Disaster: A bomb kills 38 children and 6 teachers at a school in Catford, south-east London.

23 January – World War II: British forces capture Tripoli from the Nazis.

11 February – In the Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, the radical socialist Common Wealth Party candidate Tom Wintringham comes close to winning the seat.

13 February – Nuffield Foundation established by William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield.

3 March – Panic at the sound of new anti-aircraft rockets leads to a crush at Bethnal Green tube station, killing 183 people.

4–12 March – "Exercise Spartan", a major rehearsal for next year's Allied Invasion of Normandy, is staged across southern England.

5 March – The Gloster Meteor, the first operational military jet aircraft for the Allies, has its first test flight, at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.

14 March – Submarine HMS Thunderbolt sunk off Sicily by an Italian corvette, the second time this vessel has been lost with all hands.

17 March – Last church service in the village of Derwent, Derbyshire, before it is demolished (together with Ashopton) for construction of Ladybower Reservoir.

27 March – Royal Navy escort carrier HMS Dasher (D37) is destroyed by an accidental explosion in the Firth of Clyde, killing 379 of the crew of 528.

13 April – Release of the Ministry of Information film Desert Victory, which will win this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

21 April – Worst bombing of Aberdeen.

7 May – Capture of Tunis ends the campaign in North Africa.

16–17 May – Operation Chastise (the 'Dambuster Raid') takes place: No. 617 Squadron RAF use bouncing bombs to breach German dams in the Ruhr Valley.

19 May – Winston Churchill addresses a joint session of the United States Congress.

23/24 June – The "Battle" of Bamber Bridge: Trouble flares between black American soldiers and white military police stationed in the Lancashire town; one black soldier is killed.

9 July–17 August – World War II: Allied invasion of Sicily.

5 August – North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board established by Act of Parliament.

3–16 September – World War II: Allied invasion of Italy: Allied forces under General Sir Bernard Montgomery land in mainland Italy. On 16 September, the Salerno Mutiny occurs when soldiers of the British Army's X Corps refuse postings to new units.

11 November

Regency Act is passed allowing Counsellors of State absent during the Sovereign's absence not to be listed among the appointments; and that the heir-apparent or presumptive to the Throne need only to be eighteen to be a Counsellor.

Total evacuation of an area near Portmahomack in Scotland begins, to make way for rehearsal of the Normandy Landings.

16 November – Total evacuation of the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain concludes, to make way for U.S. troop training; total evacuation of part of the South Hams of Devon begins, to make way for rehearsal of the Normandy Landings.

22–26 November – Cairo Conference ("Sextant"): Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and Chairman of the National Government of China Chiang Kai-shek meet at Cairo in Egypt to discuss ways to defeat Japan in the Pacific War.

26 November – World War II: British troopship HMT Rohna is sunk off the north African coast by a Luftwaffe Henschel Hs 293 radio controlled glide bomb killing 1015.

2 December

First "Bevin Boys" selected from conscripts to work in the coal mines.

Pigeons White Vision, Winkie and Tyke become the first recipients of the Dickin Medal, instituted to honour the work of animals in war.

December – Construction of prototype Mark I Colossus computer, the world's first totally electronic programmable computing device, at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill, to assist in cryptanalysis at Bletchley Park, is completed.

undated – Anne Loughlin becomes the first trades unionist appointed DBE and the first female President of the Trades Union Congress.

Publications

Nigel Balchin's novel The Small Back Room.

T. S. Eliot's poetry Four Quartets.

C. S. Lewis' novel Perelandra.

Nikolaus Pevsner's book An Outline of European Architecture.

Malcolm Saville's children's novel Mystery at Witchend, first in The Lone Pine series.

January – February

6 January – Terry Venables, English football manager

9 January – Freddie Starr, English comedian and singer

15 January – Margaret Beckett, politician

16 January – Brian Ferneyhough, British composer

20 January – Mel Hague, English singer and author

29 January – Tony Blackburn, British radio disc jockey

7 February – Gareth Hunt, English actor (died 2007)

16 February – Anthony Dowell, ballet dancer and artistic director of the Royal Ballet

18 February – Graeme Garden, Scottish writer, comedian, and actor

19 February – Tim Hunt, British biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

20 February – Mike Leigh, British film director

24 February – George Harrison, English musician (The Beatles) (died 2001)

27 February – Graham Bowers, British musician, artist and engineer

March – April

March – John Leeson, British actor

8 March – Lynn Redgrave, English actress (died 2010)

21 March – Vivian Stanshall, English comedian, writer, artist, broadcaster, and musician (died 1995)

22 March – Keith Relf, British musician (The Yardbirds) (died 1976)

29 March

Eric Idle, English actor, writer, and composer

John Major, British Conservative politician and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

2 April – Frank Feather, British business futurist and author

3 April – Jonathan Lynn, English comedy screenwriter and actor

8 April – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Labour Party MP and Minister for Sport (died 2006)

20 April – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor

25 April – Tony Christie, singer

May – June

5 May – Michael Palin, comedian

8 May – Pat Barker, writer and historian

12 May – Tom Sawyer, Baron Sawyer, academic and politician

13 May – Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, judge

14 May – Jack Bruce, musician and songwriter (died 2014)

22 May – Betty Williams, Northern Irish political activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize

27 May – Cilla Black, born Priscilla White, singer-songwriter and television personality (died 2015)

1 June – David Newbery, English economist and academic

8 June – Colin Baker, actor

13 June – Malcolm McDowell, actor

22 June – J. Michael Kosterlitz, Scottish-born condensed matter physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics

29 June – Maureen O'Brien, actress

July – August

10 July – Gavin Strang, politician

12 July – Christine McVie, British musician (Fleetwood Mac)

15 July – Jocelyn Bell Burnell, astronomer

20 July – Wendy Richard, British actress (died 2009)

26 July – Mick Jagger, English singer (Rolling Stones)

28 July – Rick Wright, English keyboardist (Pink Floyd)

31 July – John Dyson, Master of the Rolls

2 August – Rose Tremain, author

20 August – Sylvester McCoy, British actor

22 August – Alun Michael, politician

September – October

6 September

Richard J. Roberts, English biochemist and molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Roger Waters, English musician

30 September – Ian Ogilvy, English actor

11 October – John Nettles, actor

21 October – Jason Hughes, sociologist

23 October – Anita Roddick, businesswoman (died 2007)

31 October – Paul Frampton, English physicist

November – December

7 December – Sue Johnston, actress

11 December – Betty Kershaw, nurse and academic

17 December – Ron Geesin, musician and songwriter (Pink Floyd)

18 December – Keith Richards, guitarist and songwriter (The Rolling Stones)

27 December – Peter Sinfield, lyricist and producer

28 December – Richard Whiteley, television presenter (died 2005)

31 December – Ben Kingsley, actor

Deaths

26 March – Leonard Darwin, soldier, politician, economist, eugenicist (born 1850)

28 March – Robert W. Paul, pioneer of cinematography (born 1869)

26 April – Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, son of Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught (born 1914)

30 April – Beatrice Webb, socialist, economist and reformer (born 1858)

1 June – Leslie Howard, actor (born 1893)

17 June – Annie S. Swan, writer (born 1859)

12 August – Bobby Peel, English cricketer (born 1857)

7 October – Radclyffe Hall, author and poet (born 1880)

26 November – Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, great grandson of Queen Victoria (born 1909, Germany)

22 December – Beatrix Potter, British children's author and illustrator (born 1866)