On The Home Front

About the Book

"For weeks the grownups at home and in the shops had been whispering together. I'd heard the word 'war' more and more often, but if I tried to ask questions, they changed the subject. Mum and Dad only said that they did not want to worry me. They told me I was too young to understand what was happening. They always seemed so serious now. War obviously that meant things would be a lot different.

On Sunday, September 3, 1939, at 11:00 A.M., Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. At 11:27 A.M. the first air raid siren wailed across London. We heard its mournful, chilling sound over the wireless, which we listened to all that day. King George spoke to the nation on the wireless. His voice was trembling. At the end of the speech, he announced, 'We are at war.' Hearing these words gave me a funny feeling in my stomach. I was scared!"

About the Author

Ann Stalcup was born and raised in England, and now resides in California, where she is retired from teaching third grade. She has written articles for Faces and Skipping Stones magazine. This account of her wartime childhood is her first book.