MORE than 14,000 people paid a sixpence to half a crown to hear their prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, discuss how he hoped to resolve Britain's and Germany's differences.
Mr Chamberlain, accompanied by his wife, Anne de Vere, spoke to a full capacity King George's Hall.
The hour-long speech was relayed to the assembly hall and the lecture theatre and to hundreds of people outside the hall.
The message conveyed was about peace - discussing how Mr Chamberlain thought he had struck a deal with the German dictator, Adolf Hitler, during the Munich crisis five months earlier.
His comments were printed in German newspapers and it was said Mr Chamberlain was gratified at these actions.
However within days of his triumphant hour in Blackburn, Mr Chamberlain discovered Hitler was not appeased as Nazi soldiers occupied what was left of Czechoslovakia in March.
With Poland the next target of his territorial ambitions, Hitler began his move to try and take over Europe and within six months of the celebration of peace in Blackburn, Britain was plunged into war.
Mr Chamberlain resigned from office on Friday May 10, 1940 and died of bowel cancer on Saturday, November, 9 1940 at the age of 71, with Sir Winston Churchill leading the country during wartime.
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