Birmingham Blitz tells the story of a young woman protecting her family from the hardships of war. With her family in crisis, and with bombing raids devastating the streets of Birmingham, Genie struggles to achieve happiness.
Life is bleak for Rose Lucas, a spirited, intelligent girl, born into a large family in the slums of pre-war Birmingham. But her friendship with Diana, daughter of a vicar from middle-class Moseley, gives her hope. She learns to aspire to a different kind of existence, vowing never to become a ch...
It was Sis’s turn to spend her life in a state of acute worry about Percy. Tanks were being used more and more often in the fighting to try and break through the Hindenburg Line. In parts the Germans had dug trenches so deep and well defended that the line seemed impregnable. And in the early spr...
The army had to be informed, compassionate leave applied for, a funeral arranged. Somehow these things were done, somehow they lived, breathed, ate – did they? Somehow. Dymphna’s sister came from across London to comfort the distraught family. Ann, who was kindly and of a practical nature, took i...
It was very crowded, but a man had given Cynthia his seat, seeing that she was carrying a small infant. She slid in gratefully beside the grimy, steamed-up window, pushing her little bag in at her feet. She had begged and begged Bob not to send her away. Every nerve in her body was screaming that...
Edwin didn’t move towards her.Gwen looked at him, trying to adjust to the situation. She could still feel Daniel’s goodnight kiss on her lips. Thank heavens he hadn’t come up here with her tonight! Edwin’s face was in shadow, but she could feel his gaze on her like a physical force.‘I suppose the...
Clutching Amy, rigid with distress on her hip, Joanne desperately imagined Mrs Coles out in her garden, and the time it might take her to get to the front door. But seconds later the door swung open. Mrs Coles stared at her.‘Can we come in?’‘Ooh, bab,’ Mrs Coles said. ‘Oh, dear.’Without questioni...
Katie wondered several times over the next few days. Her mother didn’t seem to have noticed anything. But she asked herself again on the Monday morning when she went into work. She and Simon had come to an arrangement now. She thought he enjoyed the secretive nature of their relationship. ‘I’m so...
He had got up at six, having hardly slept. He was so charged up with nerves that he knew he would need time to steady himself for the day to come. Creeping down to the kitchen he had put the kettle on and sat sipping scalding tea, hoping it would take away the queasiness, but he had had to hurry ...
Nance had been allowed to help out with the birth and there was great celebration when it turned out to be a girl. ‘I tell yer, Maryann,’ Nance said after, ‘I never want to go through that in my life. Our mom says it’s like passing a pig’s bladder. She was on the go till r...
David was by far the easier of the two. He was sad and preoccupied with his problems, but he was friendly towards her. She found him easy to get on with and they usually had a chat when they met each other in the house. He was always very sweet with Francesca and she knew Edie loved him being the...
When she returned home that afternoon, Dr McCluskie had arrived as promised and seemed to have put Ewan McBride in an exceptionally good mood. Duncan McCluskie was a slim, mild-mannered man. On first sight his blue eyes seemed to hold a melancholy seriousness, but this changed, when he smiled, in...
They look lovely. Grandpa says it’s getting towards the end of the season though.We drove through Naples, which is NOISY and SMELLY. Everything seems to be noisier in the south! There are horns blaring and little Fiat cars whizzing round the streets and whole families on one motorbike, even babie...
It had been a terrible night. Danny had been up several times being sick and staggering out to the lavatory. He was sleeping more peacefully for the moment, completely worn out, his face drawn and sallow. Rachel felt she had barely slept at all. Melanie’s serious little face looked over the bedcl...
The ambulance arrived on a December day threatening snow, and against the grey clouds it looked very white and clean. Turning into Springfield Road it seemed to be moving in slow motion, stopping outside our door with a final shudder of the engine. ‘She’s here!’ I cried. Aflutter with nerves, I f...
The various blocks of the works, swathed in camouflage, loomed around them in the grey morning. ‘Can’t say I’m ever up to singing at this time of day.’ Edie looked round. ‘Singing? I never was!’ ‘Oh yes, you were! Humming, anyhow.’ ‘Was I? I never even knew I was doing it!’ ‘Well, someone’s put a...
Dot handed Maryann a cup of tea in through the hatches, and she and Bobby stayed outside on the towpath, hands cupped round the hot mugs, shivering in the early morning chill although the sun was already beginning to break through. Around them they could hear the clanking of cranes beginning to w...
Thanks to Johnny Pepper she had her first job at the bakery in Digbeth where he was employed as a delivery boy. ‘Well there you are,’ Elsie smiled. She was fixing up her escaping coils of rusty hair. ‘You’re a worker. You’ll get on, you will.’ ‘’Course you got it,’ Susan beamed. ‘I said you would...