Nearly everyone I meet at the moment comments on how quickly this year has gone. At first I thought it was an age thing. But then my teenage niece (great niece actually, but I don’t dwell on that!) said the same thing. The old adage says that time flies when you are enjoying yourself. In that case, everyone I know must be having a very jolly time.
And then I began to wonder if people felt the same sense of time passing too fast during the Second World War. But I can find no mention of it in wartime diaries or letters. On the contrary, there are lots of comments about how slowly everything was progressing; the interminable Blitz, the endless backwards and forwards of the North African campaign, the pitifully slow Allied crawl up through Italy, and the long wait for the invasion of France.
If the old adage is right then the obvious conclusion is that people were not enjoying themselves. But, however odd it may seem, much of the evidence says they were.
Indeed many of the people I have talked to during my research look back on the war years with fondness and a sense of nostalgia. Yes, unbearably awful things happened, friends and family were lost, people suffered horrendous ordeals, privation and tragedy, but on the other side of the coin there was a sense of comradeship, both on the home front and on the battlefield, of being in it together. There was also a life affirming sense of surviving difficult odds, and of playing a part in a great struggle for justice and freedom. A Hungarian doctor attending survivors of the bombing of the Bank underground shelter said afterwards, ‘If Hitler could have been there for five minutes with me, he would have finished this war. He would have realised that he has got to take every Englishman and twist him by the neck – otherwise he cannot win.’ Another old Londoner who had been bombed out of his house was asked if he wanted to be evacuated. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Nothing like this has ever happened before and it will never happen again. I wouldn’t miss it for all the tea in China.’
Nevertheless, it is clear that everyone was longing for the war to end. And perhaps it is the act of waiting for something that makes time go more slowly. Maybe nowadays, in our quick, convenient, instantly gratifying world, we lack that sense of expectation and anticipation. It is rare that we have to wait very long for anything.
I certainly know that some of my fans feel they have waited quite long enough for the next novel in my wartime Lavender Road series.
But it is finished and will be published next year. It’s called LONDON CALLING and takes the story up to Christmas 1943. I am so sorry it has taken so long, but I hope it will give you something to look forward to and perhaps make the intervening time pass a little more slowly!!
Congratulations on finishing London Calling. I can’t wait to read it. I sometimes think time speeds up when we get into a routine. Because we know it so well, we stop taking notice. Perhaps the secret of feeling time pass is to keep doing new, challenging things and thinking differently. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year.
Thank you! Yes, I think you are right, must do more exciting things next year!!! Happy Christmas!
Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs.
Thanks for the reblog. Happy Christmas!
If London Calling only takes us to Christmas 1943 I sure hope you’re already working on the next one!!
Yes, indeed! I am already thinking about the next one, major research starting after Christmas!
Really looking forward to reading ‘London calling’. will impatiently watch out for publication date. Also must say how much I enjoy your Helen Carey’s site. Your articles are most enjoyable – thank you. Yvonne Carter
Thank you so much – it’s lovely to know that you are enjoying my writing (both books and blog!) Thank you for your support – much appreciated. Happy Christmas
Thank you for your sweet Snoopy card, Helen. I wish you a very happy Christmas and will look forward to reading “London Calling” in 2015. All good wishes – Jean.
Glad you liked the card! Thank you so much for your support – so much appreciated. Happy Christmas.
So happy the book is ready to go. Can’t wait! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you – I just hope it’s worth the wait!! Happy Christmas.
Well shucks 😂- I was hoping to get your new novel in my Chrismas stocking! Ah well, there’s hope for something good in the new year at least! Can’t wait!
Ha! Well I’m sure there will be other lovely things in your Christmas stocking!!