Billy was born to a working-class family in suburban London. This book is about his life during the period 1940 to 1951 when he progressed from infant to teenager.
For adults these war and post-war years were ones of great fear and hardship. The war, at its worst, looked lost. Many were killed and many lost homes and livelihoods. Immediately after the war, despite the relief and comfort of peace, appalling austerity made life very difficult and survival was, for some, impossible. The county had been forced to borrow heavily to pay for the war. Marshall Aid from America was a lifebuoy but it all had to be repaid with interest. The United Kingdom was effectively bankrupt.
There was no chance of reparations from the defeated foe. Germany had been almost obliterated by the relentless bombing and the overwhelming attack of the Allies.
It took time before British industry started rolling, innovation boosted the economy and morale started to recover. Exports came in, farming went into full production and finally rationing, that had been imposed for well over a decade, could be dropped.
For Billy and children born during or just before the war life was life. They knew no different. They sensed fear but they got on with it in the enthusiastic way of children. Games were invented, scraps of card and paper were used to create toys and Christmas and birthday cards were drawn by hand. This was Billy’s World!
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