Bombs and Babies

This book reproduces and expands upon the author’s mother’s diary that she kept from 1942 through 1945 while she lived in England. For most of that time she resided in eastern Surrey about 20 miles from the southern outskirts of London. As part of ‘Bomb Alley’ her area of the county experienced air raids as well as V1 and V2 attacks. She was a war bride, having been married in 1940 to a Canadian army officer who served on the staff of the 1st Canadian Army in England, France and Holland. The author has extensively annotated the diary entries and added considerable historical background in relation to both domestic and military matters. The book describes in detail what life was like for a woman starting a family and keeping house in the English countryside during World War 2, and how different were lifestyles then from what they are today. In revisiting the circumstances surrounding his and his sister’s birth, the journey for the author was one of personal revelation as well as historical interest.