As in the Great War, Hull was a prime target for the bombs of the German air force when the Second World War began, particularly as it was common knowledge that prior to September 1939, German planes had over flown the city taking pictures, and German sailors had visited the port and city. Throughout the war, each night the citizens of the city waited for the sound of the sirens telling them to get to their shelters. There were many false alarms but there were also many raids, so many that Hull has the dubious distinction of being the most bombed city in the country, after London, but compared to its size, the damage and number of casualties were even more devastating.

In the book are numerous photographs, many never previously published, which detail the effects of the raid on the city. Also included are extensive lists of the casualties caused by the bombing and by the blackout. This book is the first to detail every known raid and provides new evidence about previously unreported attacks using contemporary documents. Some parts of the story of the raids are harrowing and show the perils of daily life in a city during the blitz.