Ludlow author has her World War 2 childhood memoir published
Ludlow resident Valerie Braunston recently went into care at Churchill House, at which point her son had no choice but to clear out her house. Incredibly, sat there gathering dust in her attic writing room was Valerie's written account of her wartime childhood in London, dodging German bombs and spending night after night in an Anderson shelter at the bottom of the garden.
Her son, Miles Bingham stated: “Discovering her manuscript covered in cobwebs was like opening up a time capsule.” Miles added, “She spent many years touring Shropshire giving talks to groups such as the Women’s Institute about her wartime experiences. I just didn’t realise that she’d written it all down some years ago. Seeing her work come to life as we approach the 80th anniversary of the war’s end has an added significance as she’s one of the last voices of that generation.”
London Can Take It is a tale of triumph over adversity, transporting the reader, student or researcher back to the Home Front in war-torn London.
Valerie Braunston was born and lived in London through the war. In 1989, she retired to Ludlow with her husband Jack Bingham where they were active in the community and were regular after-dinner speakers across Shropshire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands recounting their wartime childhoods. Valerie was also a short story winner regarding her evacuation experience. She recently passed away in Churchill House, Ludlow, prior to publication.
