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The perfect follow-up for readers of Dunkirk, Hidden Britain, Finest Hour and other gripping, personal accounts of life during the Second World War.
In late summer 1940, Hitler told his army to prepare to invade England. The nation waited, breathless with tension, for the Nazi threat to become real.
Acclaimed author Midge Gillies gathers together the personal accounts of those who still remember this time, with written sources from contemporary press reports, to diaries and letters, to illustrate and recreate the fear, suspense and even excitement of living in England in the shadow of the Nazis. A pair of sisters, determined that life should go on as normally as possible, carry on swimming and playing tennis – only to find themselves under suspicion of being sympathisers because of their seemingly carefree attitude. A group of former poachers and gamekeepers huddle in a woodland hideout, newly trained and prepared to blow up bridges and slit German throats. Citizens hide their most treasured possessions from the Nazis in biscuit tins, or bury them in graveyards.
Over the weekend of September 7th, the code word for high alert flashed round the country, and with tensions at their height many assumed it to mean that the Nazis had already landed. Sunday September 8th was declared a National Day of Prayer – and seemed to many to be the beginning of the end.
This is a compelling and evocative account of what it was like, for that short period in 1940, to be waiting for Hitler.
In late summer 1940, Hitler told his army to prepare to invade England. The nation waited, breathless with tension, for the Nazi threat to become real.
Acclaimed author Midge Gillies gathers together the personal accounts of those who still remember this time, with written sources from contemporary press reports, to diaries and letters, to illustrate and recreate the fear, suspense and even excitement of living in England in the shadow of the Nazis. A pair of sisters, determined that life should go on as normally as possible, carry on swimming and playing tennis – only to find themselves under suspicion of being sympathisers because of their seemingly carefree attitude. A group of former poachers and gamekeepers huddle in a woodland hideout, newly trained and prepared to blow up bridges and slit German throats. Citizens hide their most treasured possessions from the Nazis in biscuit tins, or bury them in graveyards.
Over the weekend of September 7th, the code word for high alert flashed round the country, and with tensions at their height many assumed it to mean that the Nazis had already landed. Sunday September 8th was declared a National Day of Prayer – and seemed to many to be the beginning of the end.
This is a compelling and evocative account of what it was like, for that short period in 1940, to be waiting for Hitler.
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Reviews
'Gillies has written a wonderful book, packed with the authentic voices of the past. What might in other hands have been a rather depressing read becomes, thanks to her careful touch, a witty yet moving exploration into Britain and Britishness at its blundering, heroic best.'
'A brilliant book and will be enjoyed by people from every generation'
'This is the best kind of social history... a feast'
PRAISE FOR MIDGE GILLIES' PREVIOUS BOOKS
...diligent, vivid and stirring... Her book is perceptive without being over-analytical, colourful without being overegged... I was gripped, exhilarated and moved by it.
Fascinating and well-researched
... not just an accomplished biography, but a riveting slice of social history.
A vivid evocation of an era... one can almost smell the mixture of smoke, beer, winkles and champagne.
A first-rate story about a remarkable woman
There have been several biographies [of Marie Lloyd], but Midge Gillies' is the most wide-ranging and thoroughly researched. It is also the best.
A cracking book... pick it up and laugh and cry. Midge Gillies tops the bill