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But did Chamberlain begin arming England for a major war at that time? Did English diplomacy include reaching out to allies to stand firm against further German agression in a collaborative allied military build-up -- sending a strong message that further invasion would be met with a multinational military force?

I believe Chamberlain's Munich agreement sent to Hitler a message of weakness, not strength. I also doubt it delayed Hitler's plan, which was to strike east before striking west.

I'm a little rusty on the history of diplomatic and military preparedness between Chamberlain's "peace in our time" and Hitler's 1939 invasion of Poland, so I'm asking serious questions here.

What I do know is the memory of the 1914-1918 Great War that decimated a generation of young men was still fresh and very painful. The people Did. Not. Want. another major war.

The French thought their Maginot Line would protect them. They had a defensive, as opposed to offensive, mindset.

On the other hand, the British and French (others too?) had agreed to draw the line at Poland. They declared war on Germany when that line was crossed.

Nothing much happened for several months after Germany consolidated its gains in western Poland (Hitler's pact with Stalin had Russia taking eastern Poland). Quiet on the western front promoted a false sense of security while Germany geared up for a blitzkreig that rendered the Maginot Line obsolete.