Amongst the turmoil of war
Reviews

No Ordinary Life tells the story of my parent’s experience of World War II in Europe and its influence on their lives. Although they weren’t the heroes of war recorded in the history books, they were heroic; they were part of the backbone on which victory was built.

The book follows my father’s service in the battlefields of France, North Africa and the small Greek Island of Kos, to life in a German POW Camp. It also follows my mother’s story and the changing role of women as they joined the auxiliary services and took over the jobs previously held by men. My mother left war-torn Glasgow for the safety of the highlands and the life of a lumber jill. She cut down 6 – 8 pine trees a day while she waited for my father to return.

Their love survived the six-year separation, but the war left its scars on both of them. They left Scotland as ‘Ten Pond Poms’ and established a new life in Australia, far away from memories that were best left behind.

No Ordinary Life is as much about the times in which they lived as it is about them. It’s a story of love and its resilience during extraordinarily difficult times, the time before, during and just after World War II.