Percy W Chattey

'Reign of Terror' 1940 Percy W Chattey

This is a factual account of the second world war both from a historical point of view and from the authors own memories. From evacuation and how children were chosen by their adoptive families to descriptions of how things were at the time. things such as cars not even having heaters- something unimaginable today. The hardships of the times and how community spirit won though. This was an easy way of learning of a time long gone and I think this would be enjoyed by the older generation who remember this and maybe those interested in a factual read with little embellishment. This is a serious subject however I felt the book could perhaps have been lifted a little by having some humorous anecdotes as I am sure they happened. There are the personal stories but nothing that raises a smile which then puts the serious things more into perspective and makes for a more interesting account, other than one very short anecdote from Norman Collier. It is lovely to see some pictures and posters of the time and would be interesting to see some of the adverts to again to bring home the reality. That said it is well thought out and a fairly short easy read (146 pages). A book of memories of a time some of us cannot begin to imagine what went on and as time goes on there are less and less first hand experiences to be told so getting them down on paper is a valuable resource. A book of reminiscence intermingled with the facts.