Considering
that the war ended nearly eighty years ago, it still has a huge place in the
British psyche – the way that the newspapers headline the need for ‘Blitz
Spirit’ in times of crisis is just one example. Maybe this will continue until
all those who lived through it are finally gone? I don’t know about that, but
it is still a very popular setting for romance and family stories like those
Jan writes, much loved by readers.
Perhaps
this continued fascination is not so surprising? The Second World War was the
first in hundreds of years that had an impact not just in the numerous theatres
of war, but also at home, because of the invention of the
bomber aircraft. In this war the folks at home were just as likely to face
death and danger as the soldier on the front. The nightly ritual of securing
blackout curtains to avoid showing a light and becoming a target was a constant
and universal reminder of war in town and country. It was also a time of
dislocation. Thousands of young men, and some women, who would probably never
have travelled further than fifty miles from home in normal circumstances found
themselves in North Africa, in Italy, in France – where Her Nanny’s Secret is partially set. At home other young women too
were on the move – into the services and to factories for armament manufacture
or into the traditionally male jobs that were now vacant. This dislocation, and
the sense of threat and urgency, must have coloured all kinds of relationships –
but possibly particularly romantic ones
- and that gives us writers our inspiration.
I’ll
hand you over to Jan now to tell you about what she did with that inspiration
in Her Nanny’s Secret.
Thank you, Evonne. My novel opens in 1941 when WW2 is raging in Europe. The main character, Annie Beynon, lives in a tied cottage with her father, Ted, who is an agricultural worker on the Cefn Court estate owned by the wealthy Pryce family. Although rural mid-Wales was unscathed from the horrors and devastation of bombing raids, the impact of the war was felt in many other ways. Ted Beynon had already lost two of his sons in active service in France so it was understandable when his youngest son, Reggie, enlists, he is scared he will lose his life, too.
The
row between her father and Reggie still resounded in her ears. She could hear
the panic in her father’s voice… The fear was there, fear that another of his
sons was going off to war, never to return.
Husbands,
sons, friends and lovers were leaving the village and loved ones didn’t know
when or if they’d ever see them again. The war did not discriminate by social
class. Lady Delia Pryce was just as fearful for her son, Edmund, as he undertook
sorties over occupied France as a Squadron Leader flying Spitfires.
But
this ... it’s the uncertainty. Not knowing if I’ll ever see him again. I
couldn’t bear it. What if he doesn’t survive? Two children in the graveyard?
No, I couldn’t bear it.
The
uncertainty of whether servicemen would ever return home resulted in decisions that
perhaps would not be made in peacetime. Couples in love grabbed precious
moments together. This provided an ideal opportunity for me to write about a
couple falling in love at a time when the future was uncertain.
She realised that whatever the future held,
she would never regret that moment…
‘Come
back to me safe and sound,’ Annie said, but she knew, deep down, that was out
of her hands. Too many young couples had had their dreams dashed in the
cruellest of ways.
In
the novel, I try to capture what living in a small Welsh village during wartime
was like. There are numerous references to food rationing, the importance of
adhering to blackout rules, how rural activities with Young Farmers’ clubs,
horse shows, eventing and hunting all came to an end. Separation from loved
ones was part of life. Listening to the wireless was how families kept up to
date with world events and receiving news by letter was the only way of keeping
in touch.
On
the other side of the channel, people in Normandy were experiencing a very
different war. The area was under German occupation and the French were suffering extreme
hardship. We meet Odile who lives with her parents, eking out a living on their
farm and who leads a double life as a member of the French Résistance
movement.
Odile was determined to do her bit. The movement was strong in her town, and the rural
community she was a part of was a proud one. They would never give in or
surrender. She told herself that every small gesture and undercover deed she
could do for the cause was worth it.
One of Odile’s undercover
deeds has a huge impact on Annie’s story and setting the novel in wartime makes
it authentic, I think. At any other time, the situation would have been
resolved more quickly. When the story moves to 1963, memorials to the war dead
in both Wales and France are everywhere, testament to the futility of war with
the names of so many young men who gave their lives for King and country. Odile’s
role during the war is still remembered in the area of Normandy where she
lived.
The secrets and forbidden
love affair in Her Nanny’s Secret could have formed the plot of a novel
set in any era, but by choosing WW2, I’ve tried to take the inspiration presented by the time to give added poignancy to Annie’s story. I hope that
readers will enjoy the novel and not judge her too harshly.
*****
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Blog: Jan’s Journey into Writing https://janbaynham.blogspot.com
