After three years of mounting international tension, including the Spanish Civil War, the Anschluss of Germany and Austria, the occupation of the Sudetenland and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, Germany invaded Poland on 1st September 1939. Two days later, on 3rd September, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The USA proclaimed neutrality whilst continuing to supply Britain with essential supplies. Then the Battle of the Atlantic between German U-Boats and British naval convoys commenced.
Western Europe was eerily quiet during this 'phoney war'. Rugby fixtures continued with Newport playing a whole season for 1939-40, whilst preparations for war continued in earnest. Match programmes were made smaller and the January Whist Drive was cancelled. But there were few signs of conflict, Gas masks were distributed to civilians, and everybody waited for the proper war to begin .
The match programme illustrated gives a flavour of the times for October 1939.