The Wrens of World War II

The Wrens of World War II
Author: Peter Hore
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2021-09-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 192248864X
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The World War II codebreaking station at Bletchley is well known and its activities documented in detail. Its decryption capabilities were vital to the war effort, significantly aiding Allied victory. But where did the messages being deciphered come from in the first place? This is the extraordinary untold story of the Y service, a secret even more closely guarded than Bletchley Park. The Y service was the code for the chain of wireless intercept stations around Britain and all over the world. Hundreds of wireless operators, many of them who were civilians, listened to German, Italian and Japanese radio networks and meticulously logged everything they heard. Some messages were then used tactically but most were sent on to Station X – Bletchley Park – where they were deciphered, translated and consolidated to build a comprehensive overview of the enemy’s movements and intentions. Peter Hore delves into the fascinating history of the Y service, with particular reference to the girls of the Women’s Royal Naval Service: Wrens who escaped from Singapore to Colombo as the war raged, only to be torpedoed in the Atlantic on their way back to Britain; the woman who had a devastatingly true premonition that disaster would strike on her way to Gibraltar; the Australian who went from being captain of the English Women’s Cricket team to a WWII Wren to the head of Abbotleigh girls school in Sydney; how the Y service helped to hunt the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic, and how it helped to torpedo a Japanese cruiser in the Indian Ocean. Together, these incredible stories build a picture of World War II as it has never been viewed before.

A Game of Birds and Wolves

A Game of Birds and Wolves
Author: Simon Parkin
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2020-01-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0316492086
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As heard on the New Yorker Radio Hour: The triumphant and "engaging history" (The New Yorker) of the young women who devised a winning strategy that defeated Nazi U-boats and delivered a decisive victory in the Battle of the Atlantic. By 1941, Winston Churchill had come to believe that the outcome of World War II rested on the battle for the Atlantic. A grand strategy game was devised by Captain Gilbert Roberts and a group of ten Wrens (members of the Women's Royal Naval Service) assigned to his team in an attempt to reveal the tactics behind the vicious success of the German U-boats. Played on a linoleum floor divided into painted squares, it required model ships to be moved across a make-believe ocean in a manner reminiscent of the childhood game, Battleship. Through play, the designers developed "Operation Raspberry," a counter-maneuver that helped turn the tide of World War II. Combining vibrant novelistic storytelling with extensive research, interviews, and previously unpublished accounts, Simon Parkin describes for the first time the role that women played in developing the Allied strategy that, in the words of one admiral, "contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of Germany." Rich with unforgettable cinematic detail and larger-than-life characters, A Game of Birds and Wolves is a heart-wrenching tale of ingenuity, dedication, perseverance, and love, bringing to life the imagination and sacrifice required to defeat the Nazis at sea.

Bletchley Park's Secret Source

Bletchley Park's Secret Source
Author: Peter Hore
Publisher: Greenhill Books
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2021-03-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 1784385824
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A captivating history of the highly secret group of women who helped win the Second World War. The World War II codebreaking station at Bletchley is well known and its activities documented in detail. Its decryption capabilities were vital to the war effort, significantly aiding Allied victory. But where did the messages being deciphered come from in the first place? This is the extraordinary untold story of the Y-Service, a secret even more closely guarded than Bletchley Park. The Y-Service was the code for the chain of wireless intercept stations around Britain and all over the world. Hundreds of wireless operators, many of them who were civilians, listened to German, Italian and Japanese radio networks and meticulously logged everything they heard. Some messages were then used tactically but most were sent on to Station X—Bletchley Park—where they were deciphered, translated and consolidated to build a comprehensive overview of the enemy’s movements and intentions. Peter Hore delves into the fascinating history of the Y-service, with particular reference to the girls of the Women’s Royal Naval Service: Wrens who escaped from Singapore to Colombo as the war raged, only to be torpedoed in the Atlantic on their way back to Britain; the woman who had a devastatingly true premonition that disaster would strike on her way to Gibraltar; the Australian who went from being captain of the English Women’s Cricket team to a WWII Wren to the head of Abbotleigh girls school in Sydney; how the Y-service helped to hunt the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic, and how it helped to torpedo a Japanese cruiser in the Indian Ocean. Together, these incredible stories build a picture of World War II as it has never been viewed before. “We get to see how the work of individual Wrens helped in such operations as the interception and sinking of the Bismarck, the Slapton Sands disaster, several naval battles (Channel Dash, Matapan, etc.), the ongoing small warship clashes in coastal waters, convoy defense, and more. A good read for anyone interested in the naval side of the war in Europe or in the role of women in military service.” —The NYMAS Review “Will reward a patient reader with a remarkably intimate view into the lives and times of these hidden heroes.” —Naval Historical Foundation

Morse Code Wrens of Station X

Morse Code Wrens of Station X
Author: Anne Glyn-Jones
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2017-01-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1845409329
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Anne Glyn-Jones opens up the secret world of the interceptors of German Morse Code signals during World War II. Leaving her girls' boarding school with romantic ideas about joining the navy as a Wren, Anne had no idea that she would be working for the mysterious 'Station X', which we now know to be Bletchley Park. Round the clock shifts, bed bugs, rats and poor diet took its toll, as well as the ongoing lack of recognition from the Navy hierarchy. Morse Code Wrens of Station X is a very personal memoir of a young woman's experiences of war time service, as well as providing fascinating insights into the daily realities of the battle for military intelligence superiority.

Sisters at War

Sisters at War
Author: Clare Flynn
Publisher: Cranbrook Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2021-03-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1914479009
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Lose yourself in this heartbreaking page-turner about the everyday bravery of ordinary people during wartime. 1940 Liverpool. Not long married, Hannah and Will Kidd are forced apart by the war. Merchant seaman Will faces the threat of German U-boats as his convoy carries vital food, raw materials and munitions from North America to war-torn Britain. Hannah lives in constant fear for his safety. When Will brings his Italian friend Paolo Tornabene home to meet Hannah, Hannah’s seventeen-year-old sister Judith falls head-over-heels in love. Their love is put to the test when Mussolini declares war on Britain. Judith’s sweetheart is now classed as an enemy alien. Each sister wants only to be with the man she loves but, as the war progresses, the dangers Will faces at sea escalate. With Paolo now a prisoner, tensions between the sisters boil over. A From heavily blitzed World War 2 Liverpool to the terrors of the North Atlantic and the scorched plains of Australia, Sisters at War will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart. Topics : World War 2, Liverpool, Australia, the Liverpool Blitz, British war on the home front, the Battle of the Atlantic, England in WW2, the British merchant navy in WW2, Catholicism, Wrens, submarines, U-boats, war at sea, shipwrecks, torpedo attacks, bombings, Italians in WW2, Italian civilians sent to POW camps, the Arandora Star, the Dunera, Dunera Boys, Victoria internment camps, Tatura, New South Wales, Western Approaches, Winston Churchill, Royal Navy, death at sea, marriage, love story, romantic fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, historical novel, twentieth century love story, 20th century romance, sailor's wife, WVS, women in second world war, love, strong heroine, sisters, family strife, sisterly love, sisterly jealousy, saga, romantic family saga, romantic suspense, romance books, historical books, historical novel, wartime fiction, war, air raids, Nazi Germany, Hitler, Dunkirk, life in the Blitz, family life, marital tensions, illegitimate child, unexpected pregnancy, falling in love, coping with bereavement, emigration, life in Australia, book set in Liverpool, the Pier Head, the Mersey, Birkenhead, A Greater World, Storms Gather Between Us, Perfect for fans of Ann Bennett, Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jefferies, Victoria Hislop, Marius Gabriel, Tracy Chevalier, Fiona Valpy, Deborah Swift, Jenny Ashcroft, Petra Durst-Benning, Nicola Cornick, Janet MacLeod Trotter, Jean Grainger, Marion Kummerow, Kate Furnivall, Kristin Hannah. Sharon Maas, Anna Jacobs, Helen Carey, Catherine Hokin, Sarah Lark, Tania Crosse, Rhys Bowen, Angela Petch, Hazel Gaynor, Jean Fullerton, Katie Flynn, Maureen Lee, Helen Forrester, Nadine Dorries, Elizabeth Murphy, Pam Howes, Lyn Andrews, Ann Baker, Ruth Hamilton, Annie Groves

Voices from the Second World War

Voices from the Second World War
Author: Candlewick Press
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2018-04-17
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0763697737
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In an intergenerational keepsake volume, witnesses to World War II share their memories with young interviewers so that their experiences will never be forgotten. The Second World War was the most devastating war in history. Up to eighty million people died, and the map of the world was redrawn. More than seventy years after peace was declared, children interviewed family and community members to learn about the war from people who were there, to record their memories before they were lost forever. Now, in a unique collection, RAF pilots, evacuees, resistance fighters, Land Girls, U.S. Navy sailors, and survivors of the Holocaust and the Hiroshima bombing all tell their stories, passing on the lessons learned to a new generation. Featuring many vintage photographs, this moving volume also offers an index of contributors and a glossary.

Wren Jane Beacon Goes to War

Wren Jane Beacon Goes to War
Author: D. Lindsay
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2016-03-23
Genre:
ISBN: 9781530445943
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Joining the Women's Royal Naval Service at the start of World War 2, young Jane Beacon stands brave and tall against the enemy, the sea, and the entrenched chauvinism of the Royal Navy. Set against a sweeping panorama of the war and the Royal Navy, the story tells of her struggle to succeed as the pioneer Naval boat crew Wren. Coming of age under extreme conditions, she finds herself as a warm woman, as a leader and as an outstanding seaman. From early days to the beaches of Dunkirk her beauty captivates hearts, her abilities confound a deeply doubtful Admiralty, and her fiery independence of spirit always puts her at an angle to authority. World War 2 was a defining period on the road to emancipation of women. The desperate need for every usable pair of hands for the war effort meant that the old barriers to women's participation in the outside world of work and life beyond the home were broken down, never to be fully re-instated. The young men of the time, as well as being ordered to do the fighting and dying, found themselves in the vanguard of a social revolution where their womenfolk stood alongside them and were an essential part of ultimate victory.

The Light Over London

The Light Over London
Author: Julia Kelly
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2019-01-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1501172921
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Reminiscent of Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, this entrancing story “is a poignant reminder that there is no limit to what women can do. A nostalgic, engrossing read” (Julia London, New York Times bestselling author). It’s easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than to deal with the present, which is why working for a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: an unfinished diary from World War II and a photo of a young woman in uniform. Captivated by the hauntingly beautiful diary, Cara begins her search for the author, never guessing that it might reveal her own family’s wartime secrets. In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene feels trapped in her Cornish village, waiting for a wealthy suitor her mother has chosen for her to return from the war. But when Louise meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton, a dashing RAF pilot stationed at a local base, everything changes. And changes again when Paul’s unit is deployed without warning. Desperate for a larger life, Louise joins the women’s auxiliary branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit as a gunner girl. As bombs fall on London, she and the other gunner girls show their bravery and resilience while performing their duties during deadly air raids. The only thing that gets Louise through those dark, bullet-filled nights is knowing that she and Paul will be together when the war is over. But when a bundle of her letters to him is returned unopened, she learns that wartime romance can have a much darker side. “Sweeping, stirring, and heartrending in all the best ways, this tale of one of WWII’s courageous, colorful, and enigmatic gunner girls will take your breath away” (Kristin Harmel, bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amelie).

The Bletchley Girls

The Bletchley Girls
Author: Tessa Dunlop
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Total Pages: 525
Release: 2015-01-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1444795732
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'Lively...in giving us the daily details of their lives in the women's own voices Dunlop does them and us a fine service' New Statesman 'Dunlop is engaging in her personal approach. Her obvious feminine empathy with the venerable ladies she spoke to gives her book an immediacy and intimacy.' Daily Mail 'An in-depth picture of life in Britain's wartime intelligence centre...The result is fascinating, and is made all the more touching by the developing friendships between Dunlop and her interviewees.' Financial Times The Bletchley Girls weaves together the lives of fifteen women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret organisation - Bletchley Park. It is their story, told in their voices; Tessa met and talked to 15 veterans, often visiting them several times. Firm friendships were made as their epic journey unfolded on paper. The scale of female involvement in Britain during the Second World War wasn't matched in any other country. From 8 million working women just over 7000 were hand-picked to work at Bletchley Park and its outstations. There had always been girls at the Park but soon they outnumbered the men three to one. A refugee from Belgium, a Scottish debutante, a Jewish 14-year-old, and a factory worker from Northamptonshire - the Bletchley Girls confound stereotypes. But they all have one common bond, the war and their highly confidential part in it. In the middle of the night, hunched over meaningless pieces of paper, tending mind-blowing machines, sitting listening for hours on end, theirs was invariably confusing, monotonous and meticulous work, about which they could not breathe a word. By meeting and talking to these fascinating female secret-keepers who are still alive today, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into an adult world of war, secrecy, love and loss. Through the voices of the women themselves, this is a portrait of life at Bletchley Park beyond the celebrated code-breakers, it's the story of the girls behind Britain's ability to consistently out-smart the enemy, and an insight into the women they have become.