Home Front Wickham
the story of a family home and a wartime village in the 1930s and 40s
Published on 18. July 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
148 pages
978-1-915067-46-3 (ISBN)
Description
'The house looks much the same now as it did then ...'
Wickham, 1939: as a nation prepares for the Second World War, Wentworth House opens its doors
Wentworth is a family home in the heart of a Hampshire village. For young David, its Georgian rooms are a source of adventure, family and comfort, and the thrill of trips to nearby Portsmouth.
For his mother, Dorothy, war is on the horizon and her beloved home is soon set to become a shelter for evacuees from the Blitz. She records her life as she steps into her new role as a billeting officer in her daily diary:
"one of the most dramatic moments of my life ... during the next few years everything was filled with a feeling of speed and urgency ... We did not know what to expect, but did our best to be prepared for any eventuality."
Told through personal memories with extracts from Dorothy's diaries and articles, this is the extraordinary story of a family living on the Home Front in Wickham
Cover image shows: laying out road markings for troops and vehicles in preparation for the D-Day landings, with air raid shelter and Wentworth House behind. Reproduced courtesy of The Stan Woodford Collection, Wickham Parish Council. These images and others are included in the book with full captions
Wickham, 1939: as a nation prepares for the Second World War, Wentworth House opens its doors
Wentworth is a family home in the heart of a Hampshire village. For young David, its Georgian rooms are a source of adventure, family and comfort, and the thrill of trips to nearby Portsmouth.
For his mother, Dorothy, war is on the horizon and her beloved home is soon set to become a shelter for evacuees from the Blitz. She records her life as she steps into her new role as a billeting officer in her daily diary:
"one of the most dramatic moments of my life ... during the next few years everything was filled with a feeling of speed and urgency ... We did not know what to expect, but did our best to be prepared for any eventuality."
Told through personal memories with extracts from Dorothy's diaries and articles, this is the extraordinary story of a family living on the Home Front in Wickham
Cover image shows: laying out road markings for troops and vehicles in preparation for the D-Day landings, with air raid shelter and Wentworth House behind. Reproduced courtesy of The Stan Woodford Collection, Wickham Parish Council. These images and others are included in the book with full captions
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
More than 25 drawings and photographs, and a map of the town in 1939
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
170 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-915067-46-3 (9781915067463)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
David Warwick is a retired university lecturer from Hampshire. Following his National Service in RAF Fighter Command, he studied History and Theology at the College of St Mark and St John, London University. He has served as a teacher, senior lecturer and professor at schools and universities across the UK and abroad. He has written widely in fields of Education, Management and Religion, including Team Teaching (Hodder & Stoughton), The Modular Curriculum (Blackwell) and The Wealth of the Nation (Nicholas Brearley). He served as indexer for Whitaker's Almanack for many years. David is married with two adult sons and two grandchildren.