One evening in 1947, Margaret Smith put her two daughters to bed and sat down at her typewriter. The war was over. Her husband, recently "demobbed” from the RAF, was away at college. Now she had time to write.
Over the following months she wrote the novel that was, eventually, to become Bombweed. She created a story of family tensions, love and loss, survival and recovery. Everything was drawn from her own experiences during the previous ten years, she said, although she was clear that it was not an autobiography. Her characters were amalgams of herself and her friends. The incidents really happened, though not necessarily to the people and in the places as told in the story.
In the late 1940s, publishers were not interested in Home Front stories. Their readers were too close to the real thing. They wanted heroics. Margaret wanted to remember the reality of wartime Britain; the struggles and fear, and the love and friendships that got them through. Then, when her husband came back from college, she became pregnant again, and her typescript was put away – but not forgotten.
Twenty years later, Margaret’s life had changed. Her youngest child had died, she had divorced her husband, and both her daughters were married. She had become a school teacher. Through all these changes, the manuscript lay safely on top of a wardrobe. She continued to hope that one day it would be published.
After her death her daughters inherited the typescript. Now, after four years editing, they feel Margaret’s story is ready for a 21st century reader. They hope they have done justice to their mother’s vision and talent.
Gillian grew up in post-war Portsmouth in a family steeped in amateur dramatics. She lacked confidence, and would often be watching rehearsals and performances from the back of a darkened hall. The good thing, she says, is that by 12 years old she had seen almost all of Shakespeare’s plays. She is no longer shy.
After completing a social science degree, Gillian stepped sideways into education where her curiosity about children who were failing in school drew her to therapeutic training. She has published and contributed to conferences nationally and internationally.
Bombweed is Gillian’s first novel. It is based on an unpublished story written in 1947 by her mother in the aftermath of WWII. Assisted by her sister Maureen, she has turned their mother’s extensive, rambling, narrative into an engrossing story of love and loss, and sibling rivalry, in wartime Britain.
You can view Gillian's author website here.
