Coal Sacks for Curtains
Growing up in Greenwich, London, I lost several members of my family during WW2 when the docks were a prime target for the German Air Force. Memories, some recounted by my father, who was working at the docks when over 700 Incendiary bombs were dropped, have haunted me all my life. Finally, I decided to write about my experiences and so Coal Sacks for Curtains was born. I did it mainly as a therapy to release the trauma locked deep inside of me. Did it do me any good? Well, I shed a thousand tears as I sat at my computer, but the tears turned into smiles when my book was awarded top prize by the Arts Council, London and that gave me the inspiration to share my story with the rest of the world.
As you got older you found yourself drawn to writing so can you tell us about this desire to put pen to paper?
I have always had the desire to write even as a child but my life has always been so chaotic that it lacked the stability a writer needs. I vividly remember sitting in the Air Raid Shelter when I was a child and thinking I would write down all the things that were happening to me and around me – that one day, when I had access to a pen and paper, I would write my story.
What made you want to write about this period in history?
As I got older (much older!) I realised that civilians of the WW2 era have almost become the forgotten generation. People who went through the blitz of London were so shell shocked (for example, when I was a street orphan during the fire bombing of London. I spent over ten hours under constant bombardment and I was only a child! ) Our story needs to be told!
The book is inspired by your own experiences so can you tell us a bit more about this?
Yes, my book is inspired by my own experiences. One of the most heartbreaking experiences I encountered during the war was burying my friends.
How powerful do you think the book is having being told through the eyes of a child?
It is my opinion that any incident seen through the eyes of a child covers a ring of truth and few stories show this angle. Readers are drawn towards a defenceless child and they want to see how they make out.
What is your most powerful memory of the war?
My most powerful memory of the war was during the fire bombing of the docks. I had been locked out of my house and as I sat on the steps to our flat, Paddy, my dog was curled up on my lap. I watched as a circle of fire surrounded me and the silhouette of the huge cranes, as they silently waited for the morning shift to start, against the orange glow of the ring of fire, will never leave my memory.
What were you high and low points in writing this book?
This is a difficult question! I guess my high points were the realisation that at last I was telling the story that had to be told... but the low points were when I had to relive moments in my life that still cause me so much pain.
What is next for you?
My next book One More for the Merry Go Round is another true story based on a period in my life when I was looking for a partner. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry!