With the 80th anniversary of the York Blitz fast approaching (on April 29) we're focussing on life in wartime York in our history pages this week.

Elsewhere, we focus on the Blitz itself.

For this gallery, however, we have dug out a series of photographs that give a wonderful glimpse of what everyday life was like for ordinary people living here on the home front as war raged overseas.

The photographs lay forgotten in the archives of our sister newspaper The Northern Echo for many years, until they were discovered in 1910 by the newspaper's then deputy editor Chris Lloyd. We printed them all 12 years ago - but make no apologies for bringing them out again.

Just to look at the photographs is to get a strong sense of what was originally meant by that hackneyed - and much over-used - old phrase 'wartime spirit'.

York Press:

15 January 1941. Instructions being given to York fire watchers on how to tackle an incendiary bomb

All human life is these photos: two uniformed bomb disposal experts tackling an incendiary bomb in a York street, while a crowd of enthralled onlookers watch; a military band playing in front of the Castle Museum; four women, two in military uniform, standing outside the WAAF recruiting office in Blossom Street; more women queuing at the York Employment Exchange where, the caption says, “girls of the 1920 class registered for national service”.

There's also a photo of a British Tommy in tin hat and greatcoat standing by the wreckage of a German bomber downed at Duggleby near Malton during a raid on Linton-on-Ouse in October 1940.

York Press:

27 October 1940. Richmond Farm, Duggleby, Malton, after a German air raid on Linton on Ouse

And there's a great photo of young women in ATS uniform parading down Coney Street in 1941, watched by Lieutenant General Sir Ronald Adam, commander in chief of Northern Command.

Wartime or not, the photographs show that ordinary life did go on, as much as it could, while destruction raged across much of Europe. The pictures show resolve, pluck and, quite often, good cheer as well.

Perhaps, in these difficult times we're living through now, we can take a bit of inspiration from them...