The outbreak of Second World War in September 1939 brought a frustrating temporary halt to the progress of the cremation movement as, although a few projects were completed, construction of new facilities ceased until 1952. The period, however, provided an opportunity for local authorities to plan crematoria having fully appreciated that cremation offered a cost-efficient alternative to burial and the quest for new cemeteries. Furthermore, the debate was aided by the Church of England’s decision to formally declare that cremation did not hold any theological significance. The horrifying consequences of death through enemy action along with the change in neighbourhood relationships through bombing and post-war housing schemes caused families to reassess their funerary choices, while the introduction of the Death Grant in 1949 made cremation affordable. Although only 3.7 per cent of deaths were followed by cremation in 1939, at the end of 1952 the figure was just below 20 per cent; this dramatic rise was only set to gather pace.