Under a Wartime Sky by Liz Trenow
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2
Read: 3rd June 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 20th February 2020)
★★★ 3.5 stars
I'm not sure what I expected from this book, given that it was based somewhat on fact, as I didn't want to be bogged down with a history lesson and a load of text that just went over my head. However, I was pleasantly surprised. UNDER A WARTIME SKY (also published as "Our Last Letter") by Liz Trenow is complex tale of wartime romance and duty with a bit of mathematical science thrown in - which did somewhat go over my head a little - with the development of radar and IFF instrumentation.
1936: Kathleen Motts has just turned 16 and dreams of more than just marriage, kids and happily ever afters. With the unrest in Europe and war on the horizon, news is buzzing around Felixstowe about the top secret business going on over the river at the old Bawdsey Manor. Kath decides to get a closer look and under the guise of bird-watching, armed with her father's binoculars, takes the ferry across and attempts to catch a glimpse of whatever may be going on. But she is caught red-handed spying through the fence along the outer perimeter that not even her birdwatching excuse suffices to the powers-that-be. She is suitably chastised and sent off with a stern warning...and still none the wiser.
Vikram Mackensie is half Indian, half Scottish and has lived in Britain since the age of 10 when he was sent to boarding school, having been born and raised in India on a tea plantation. It was soon discovered that he had a special aptitude for mathematics and science but not so much with people, lacking social skills and confidence. He then received a scholarship to Cambridge where his talents were soon noticed by a team of scientists who were looking for people with Vikram's particular skill set for a top secret project. His doctorate abandoned, Vic was sent to Bawdsey Manor in a place called Felixstowe on the Suffolk coast. It was here that his brilliant mind was put to work on developing radar, a tool kept secret which was to used to track incoming aircraft...and whether they were "friend or foe".
Kath had been working at a restaurant for a couple of years when she left after a disagreement with a colleague regarding her brother. Unable to find any work with the war looming closer, she learnt of a position in the kitchen of Bawdsey Manor, where she began as assistant cook and rose to the rank of pastry chef. After a test flight for the radar Vic had been developing went wrong, Kath met Vic along the cliff walk, overlooking the North Sea. He couldn't tell her much due to the nature of the work being top secret but she listened to what he could say...and the two became friends. They took to meeting on the cliff walk as often as they could to talk, and she would often bring him pieces of her carrot cake which was his favourite.
It was during one of these times that Kath expressed an interest in doing something worthwhile should the country go to war. Her brother Mark had already signed up for RAF and was training to be a pilot and she felt maybe she could something that would help. Mac suggested the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) or maybe an RDF operator. When all civilians were evacuated from Bawdsey with the threat of war looming ever closer, Kath and Vic went their separate ways but continued their friendship by way of letters.
Kath soon joined the WAAF, underwent initial training and was given the opportunity to express her interest as an RDF operator. Given her mathematical ability, she was suitably granted her wish and trained in her chosen field. All throughout, she kept Vic up to date with her progress via letter. He too was soon evacuated from Bawdsey with only RAF personnel remaining. After qualifying as an RDF operator, Kath was sent to Fighter Command for specialist training before being posted at Bawsdey Manor. By this time, Vic was moving about where his knowledge and abilities were needed. But the two maintained their relationship through letters, and the odd shared leave whenever able. The two were planning a future together when Vic was sent to the US to expand his knowledge in radars and teach the Americans on what was to be another top secret project. But then...the letters stopped.
What happened to them? Do they find one another again after the war ends? Or are they lost to one another forever?
The Epilogue fast forwards to 1973, where the Prologue to the book began, and Vic has returned to the little Suffolk seaside village to pay his respects to his former Commanding Officer from Bawdsey Manor - the man who began his career in radio wave technology. Will his visit lay old ghosts to rest? Or will he rekindle a lost love that he never forgot?
UNDER A WARTIME SKY is a wonderful story of love and war, of promise and hope, of loss as well as acceptance and diversity. But it's also the birth of radar technology which proved to be an asset to the allied forces in the air.
Although it was a little slow to start and I wasn't sure of the direction it was taking at first, but once it found its footing UNDER THE WARTIME SKY was an engaging story narrated alternately by both Kath and Vic in the third person.
A wonderful historical tale of romance during wartime against the backdrop of the invention of radar technology, UNDER A WARTIME SKY is a compelling read that will delight lovers of historical fiction...particularly those who enjoy the World War 2 era.
I would like to thank #LizTrenow, #NetGalley and #PanMacmillanUK for an ARC of #UnderAWartimeSky in exchange for an honest review.
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