Love and War in the WRNS (Paperback)

Vicky Unwin

ISBN 10: 1803990597 / ISBN 13: 9781803990590

Published by The History Press Ltd, Stroud, 2022

About this Item

Paperback. Sheila Mills's story is a unique perspective of the Second World War. She is a clever, middle-class Norfolk girl with a yen for adventure and joins the WRNS in 1940 to escape the shackles of secretarial work in London, her unhappy childhood and her social-climbing mother. From a first posting in Scotland in 1940, she progresses through the ranks, first to Egypt and later to a vanquished Germany. Extraordinary and fascinating encounters and personalities are seen through the eyes of a young Wren officer: Admiral Ramsay, the Invasion of Sicily, The Flap, the sinking of the Medway, the surrender of the Italian fleet and the Belsen Trials. These observations are peppered with humorous insights into the humdrum preoccupations of a typical Wren boys, appearance and having fun, while worrying about home and family. This treasure trove of hundreds of letters, along with scrapbooks and memorabilia, some of which are reproduced here, was discovered in bin liners shortly after Sheila died. Her daughter, Vicky, has pieced together a fascinating and unusual record of the Second World War from a woman's perspective. AUTHOR: Vicky Unwin has had a long career, centred round her African roots, in both book and newspaper publishing. She was Publisher of the African Writers Series and authors such as Chinua Achebe, Enterprise Director of the Telegraph Group, Managing Director of PR Newswire and latterly Media Director for The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development. 75 b/w illustrations A lively collection of letters home telling the loves and struggles of a young Wren serving during the Second World War Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781803990590

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Love and War in the WRNS (Paperback)
• Publisher: The History Press Ltd, Stroud
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1803990597
• ISBN 13: 9781803990590
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Sheila Mills’s story is a unique perspective of the Second World War. She is a clever, middle-class Norfolk girl with a yen for adventure and joins the WRNS in 1940 to escape the shackles of secretarial work in London, her unhappy childhood and her social-climbing mother. From a first posting in Scotland in 1940, she progresses through the ranks, first to Egypt and later to a vanquished Germany. Extraordinary and fascinating encounters and personalities are seen through the eyes of a young Wren officer: Admiral Ramsay, the Invasion of Sicily, The Flap, the sinking of the Medway, the surrender of the Italian fleet and the Belsen Trials. These observations are peppered with humorous insights into the humdrum preoccupations of a typical Wren – boys, appearance and having fun, while worrying about home and family.This treasure trove of hundreds of letters, along with scrapbooks and memorabilia, some of which are reproduced here, was discovered in bin liners shortly after Sheila died. Her daughter, Vicky, has pieced together a fascinating and unusual record of the Second World War from a woman’s perspective.

About the Author

Vicky Unwin is the only child of Sheila Unwin (née Mills). She writes regular health and travel blogs and serves on the trustee boards of several charities. Her second book, The Boy from Boskovice: A Father’s Secret Life (Unbound, 2021), takes up the story of her parents and completes Sheila Mills’ extra­ordinary life story. She lives in London with her husband.