WREN
JANE BEACON
Wren Jane Beacon Goes To War
Dunkirk 1940. The British Army is saved from annihilation by the Royal Navy and a myriad of small boats. But why is a girl there, driving a naval motor cutter to take troops to the ships lying off the beaches under constant bombardment? “This was no place for a woman” is the Navy’s official view of her presence, yet to Wren Jane Beacon it seemed a natural place to be. Joining the Wrens (the Women’s Royal Naval Service) in October 1939, she had become their first experimental boat crew Wren and by May 1940, she was an expert in handling small boats.
A strong, determined and independently minded young lady, always at a bit of an angle to authority, her natural impulsiveness has taken her to Dunkirk; “to do her bit” and she succeeds brilliantly, despite direct orders not to go.
Description
Wren Jane Beacon goes to War is about much more than her exploits at Dunkirk, however, central though they were to her development; the book tells the whole story of her coming of age under extreme conditions. Being a Wren would not have been her chosen path in life – a place at Oxford University was open to her, but the call of duty to serve her country in its grim fight for survival, overwhelms this. A tough choice in 1939 for a girl not yet out of her teens, but she makes an outstanding, if chequered, success of it. At the beginning of World War Two, women still lived limited lives. Without consciously trying to, Wren Jane Beacon is in the vanguard of young women striking out to new relationships with authority and the male of the species, while shaking the social order to its foundations. Not least, her independent approach to her sexuality is of a new order. From early days in Plymouth to Dover to the beaches of Dunkirk she follows her star, her brilliance and bravery always keeping her one step ahead of vengeful authority. She finds the living spirit of the lower deck seaman, loyal and true. She finds the solidarity and friendship of fellow wrens. She finds herself as a person and as a woman. And she finds first love, against the tragic backdrop of the all-engulfing war. The Second World War saw the greatest upheaval ever for women in society, and Wren Jane Beacon is in the thick of it as a person and as she becomes a hardened professional. All this and more is to be found in this first novel in an exciting new series. Within the framework of a ‘rattling good read’, this is a portrait of life in historic changing times, set against a sweeping panorama of the War. It is a well told, well-researched and deeply-considered book about human relationships; the Royal Navy; and women’s place in the world.Related products
I have vivid memories of tales told to me as a youngster by my mother about her life as a Wren during WWII. My mother’s experiences were as a Radio Operator while Wren Jane Beacon is ‘Boat Crew’. Nevertheless, the background and detail are as I recall being told. The world the book recreates is one where the normal social order was overturned, people’s expectations were challenged and individuals found themselves learning new skills, finding new responsibilities and making new friends from places beyond their pre war ken. This accuracy and detail, together with D J Lindsay’s vivid writing and a believable story make this book well worth reading. As has been said – this is a ‘ripping yarn’ and recommended.
AMAZON REVIEW