From the dangers of London streets during the Blitz to working on the high seas in the Merchant Navy during the Atlantic Convoy, children were on the frontline of battle during the Second World War. In Sean Longden's gripping retelling of the conflict, he explores how the war impacted upon a whole generation who lost their innocence at home and abroad, on the battlefield and the home front. Through extensive interviews and research, Longden uncovers previously untold stories of heroism and courage: the eleven year old boy who was sunk on the SS Benares and left in frozen water for two days; the teenage Girl Guide awarded the George Medal for bravery; the merchant seaman sunk three times by the age of seventeen; the fourteen year old who signed up for the army three times before finally seeing action in the Normandy campaign; the fourteen year old 'Boy Buglers' of the Royal Marines on active service onboard battleships; as well as the harrowing experiences of the boy who was survived the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster; the horrors of being a child captive in the German PoW camps. Blitz Kids will change forever the way one sees the relationship between the Second World War and the generation - our grandparents and great grandparents- who bravely faced the challenge of Nazism. Allowing them to tell their stories in their own words, Sean Longden brings both the horrors and the humour of young lives lived in troubled times. The book includes stories of: The seventeen year old boy who signed up 4 times before he made it onto the beaches at Normandy. The Girl Guide who saved a family during the blitz. The teenage merchant seaman who was sunk three times. What it was like to be a teenage POW after the disasters of Dunkirk. Praise for Sean Longden: "A rising name in military history ... able to uncover the missing stories of the Second World War." The Guardian 'A tenacious sleuth of Second World War secrets.' Andrew Roberts. 'At times you have to stop and remind yourself that you're reading history and not an 007 thriller." The Soldier. 'First class history from a first class historian' Military Illustrated. 'Fascinating'. Financial Times.
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...a slice of real life that cuts across the more sanitised and detached narratives that historians, myself included, too often present as proper history ...a rich, human book...sympathetic and sometimes shocking account.--Richard Overy, Literary Review
Interesting and comprehensive. Juliet Gardiner, BBC History Magazine.
reading these stories is a humbling and unforgettable experience. --The Tablet
Interesting and comprehensive. Juliet Gardiner, BBC History Magazine.
reading these stories is a humbling and unforgettable experience. --The Tablet
Book Description
The untold story of Britain's children in the Second World War both at home and on the front line.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Inquisio
Format:Hardcover
A very poignant and alarming book when taken in it's historical context. Each of us has probably heard different personal accounts of the heavy bombing raids, meted out by the Luftwaffe, during WW2 on Britain's towns and cities. This book has those memories in great abundance throughout. All mainly feature the children, the younger members of wartime society and, their part in fighting Hitler's forces in whichever way they could. Tragedy stalks every page, together with brutal fact and social history. This has to be a defining book on the subject of the Blitz. It does not always centre on London, Coventry, Portsmouth and the like, it has children on evacuation ships, sunk by torpedo, children acting as A.R.P.'s, children forced into shocking situations hard to reconcile with today's young and their demeanour.
Although many books have been composed about the Blitz, this one seems to be outstanding in it's depiction of the hardships, the loss, the sheer pandemonium that existed back then. A very emotive book that doesn't shy away from the grim reality. A little macabre maybe in places, but isn't war like that ? No cotton wooled story here, the facts alone stand as they are related by the children themselves, now in their dotage.
I totally recommend this book to anyone interested in British social history, a book that is difficult to put down once started.
Although many books have been composed about the Blitz, this one seems to be outstanding in it's depiction of the hardships, the loss, the sheer pandemonium that existed back then. A very emotive book that doesn't shy away from the grim reality. A little macabre maybe in places, but isn't war like that ? No cotton wooled story here, the facts alone stand as they are related by the children themselves, now in their dotage.
I totally recommend this book to anyone interested in British social history, a book that is difficult to put down once started.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Liberator
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a compelling and moving account of the experiences of British teenagers and schoolchildren who lived through World War II.
Unlike most books covering the wartime period, this one puts the reader into the heads of ordinary kids, with all their fears, confusion and gut instinct for survival. Although the contributors, who include veteran politician Tony Benn, are now in their 80s, it's their teenage voices that speak as they tell their stories of what it was like to be an adolescent as war raged around them.
Determined to join the action, many teenage boys lied about their age in order to volunteer for service with the armed forces (and many recruitment officers turned a blind eye). Others chose an equally punishing rite-of-passage in the merchant navy. Some underage volunteers were captured and spent most of the war in POW camps. Others saw their best friends blown to bits.
City-dwelling evacuees discovered a whole new world with their temporary families in rural communities. Other kids turned to criminality or were reduced to scavenging for survival, having lost their homes and, in some cases, their families, as a result of bombing raids.
For many children who stayed in London during the Blitz, the initial excitement of watching the destruction of the city by incendiary bombs and fires took on a grisly dimension when confronted with the sight of horrific injuries, and body parts belonging to friends and neighbours splattered on walls.
Stories that stand out include that of an 11-year-old shipwreck survivor who spent days clinging to wreckage in freezing water, waiting for rescue, as his fellow shipwrecked passengers died around him.... Read more ›
Unlike most books covering the wartime period, this one puts the reader into the heads of ordinary kids, with all their fears, confusion and gut instinct for survival. Although the contributors, who include veteran politician Tony Benn, are now in their 80s, it's their teenage voices that speak as they tell their stories of what it was like to be an adolescent as war raged around them.
Determined to join the action, many teenage boys lied about their age in order to volunteer for service with the armed forces (and many recruitment officers turned a blind eye). Others chose an equally punishing rite-of-passage in the merchant navy. Some underage volunteers were captured and spent most of the war in POW camps. Others saw their best friends blown to bits.
City-dwelling evacuees discovered a whole new world with their temporary families in rural communities. Other kids turned to criminality or were reduced to scavenging for survival, having lost their homes and, in some cases, their families, as a result of bombing raids.
For many children who stayed in London during the Blitz, the initial excitement of watching the destruction of the city by incendiary bombs and fires took on a grisly dimension when confronted with the sight of horrific injuries, and body parts belonging to friends and neighbours splattered on walls.
Stories that stand out include that of an 11-year-old shipwreck survivor who spent days clinging to wreckage in freezing water, waiting for rescue, as his fellow shipwrecked passengers died around him.... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By TUDOR ROSE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book for my Husband and he is enjoying it very much. As we were children in that era. It brings back many memories. Younger people will also enjoy this book as it will help them to understand what that time meant to us . I would certainly recommend this book
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Mo Pat
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories of those who were children at the time of World War 2 and lived through the Blitz. This is such a realistic account of their life and times. Would really recommend this book . The author has obviously researched the subject brilliantly . A great idea to interview the ordinary people who WERE THERE!! Have read previous books by S.Longden - all in the category of "a very good read."
As a former teacher I advise this book as ideal for kids struggling with those endless national curriculum and GCSE essays on children in world war 2. For primary kids I'd advise reading out some specific chapters such as the first 1, the stories of the blitz and heroes and villians. For older children particularly boys who may not enjoy reading and school work - this book can be inspiring. My 12 year old grandson has just finished it - and as a result wants to join the sea cadets after reading about these boys.
As a former teacher I advise this book as ideal for kids struggling with those endless national curriculum and GCSE essays on children in world war 2. For primary kids I'd advise reading out some specific chapters such as the first 1, the stories of the blitz and heroes and villians. For older children particularly boys who may not enjoy reading and school work - this book can be inspiring. My 12 year old grandson has just finished it - and as a result wants to join the sea cadets after reading about these boys.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A completely different view of wartime experiences from an unexpected source not normally consulted. The traumas undergone by the children interviewed are most revealing from the survivors of the City of Benares to those who stayed in the East End of London through the Blitz, and the underage servicemen, not forgetting the "boys" in the merchant Navy.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Celtic Ghirl
Format:Hardcover
If like me you have parents who grew up in World War 2 you've probably heard all the stories about rationing, air raids and evacuation - this book isn't about that. What never gets mentioned is that in 1939 the school leaving age was 14 - so kids were finding themselves as cabin boys on Atlantic convoys, POWs, marine bugle boys on the front line and junior ranks in the navy. 14 year old kids also got sent out deliver telegrams to dead soldiers' families and organise evacuees. This is one of the reasons this book is so good - you'll have never read those shocking stories before.
What it also does very well is show that the Blitz didn't just impact the big cities like London. There are stories from children all over Britain, including small Dorset villages on how the war impacted them. The big surprise here is that these kids weren't bystanders they were actively involved in saving lives, fighting fires and rescuing victims - often at great personal danger. I was shocked to discover during the Blitz my local hospital in Croydon was run by boy scouts. I've also just found out that one of the interviewees is the auntie of a friend who as a child lived through the Clydebank bombings. Like many of the stories in this book her retelling of her experiences through the eyes of a child is a very different perspective than anything else I've read about this subject. My friend was surprised to find out that she'd experienced all this as she'd never mentioned it. I suspect that she like many of the other people in this book - who have what the younger generation would consider amazing stories - just thought what they went through was all part of growing up. That's why this book is so good and why you should read it.
What it also does very well is show that the Blitz didn't just impact the big cities like London. There are stories from children all over Britain, including small Dorset villages on how the war impacted them. The big surprise here is that these kids weren't bystanders they were actively involved in saving lives, fighting fires and rescuing victims - often at great personal danger. I was shocked to discover during the Blitz my local hospital in Croydon was run by boy scouts. I've also just found out that one of the interviewees is the auntie of a friend who as a child lived through the Clydebank bombings. Like many of the stories in this book her retelling of her experiences through the eyes of a child is a very different perspective than anything else I've read about this subject. My friend was surprised to find out that she'd experienced all this as she'd never mentioned it. I suspect that she like many of the other people in this book - who have what the younger generation would consider amazing stories - just thought what they went through was all part of growing up. That's why this book is so good and why you should read it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blitz kids
Read and enjoyed the nostalgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Published 1 month ago by P. J. Newman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hardly inclusive
The book was spoiled for me in that the author seemed to be under the impression that the young people who joined the forces or the fire service or voluntary organisations all... Read more
Published 8 months ago by agnos
5.0 out of 5 stars
BLITZ KIDS
THIS WAS BROUGHT AS A GIFT,SO HAVEN'T READ MYSELF. HAVE ASKED THE PERSON BROUGHT FOR AND THEY SAID THEY ARE FINDING IT VERY GOOD
Published 14 months ago by Mrs. L. Gray
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