The Girls who Went to War
If you leave the residence of the first english Prime Minister and get on Whitehall Road you will find yourself in front of a big monument dedicated to the woman of World War II. A big metal rectangular block, almost 7 meters high, in which we can see 17 different set of clothing running around its sides, symbolizing the different jobs women did undertake during the war.
Passing past it I always asked myself: who were those women? What did they do during the war time?
Knowing almost nothing about this matter, and having quite a lot of misconceptions on the role of women during those years, I gladly picked up this book when I saw it on depositary book. It also was a bargain for less than 5 euro, couldn't let this opportunity slip by.
The Girls Who When to War by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi, tell the true stories of three english women who volunteered for the Army Auxiliaries Services in WW II.
As it's said at the back of the book, the writers tried to stay as faith full as possible to the original stories, but having as more than 70 years passed since the event, the memories of the veterans were understandably incomplete. As in those case they filled the blanks with research and their wits.
Jessie Ward, who joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), Margaery Pott, who signed up for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), and Kathleen, who desperately wanted to join the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), are the amazing and brave women we are presented in this book. They all joined the army feeling the need to do their bit for the country. The writers takes as into their life full of bravery and romance. Man and women working together in the Army did spring for sure the best and sometimes most heartbreaking love stories. And this three girl had their fare share.
The narration and writing style are quite plain, but the content did made up for this lack.
Even though I don't like historical book I enjoyed reading about this woman and it made my even more interested on this subject.
4/5 STARS
Here an interesting clip from youtube:
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