War-time evacuee Derek Smith recounts his wild and exhilarating evacuee stories in a new book

July 21, 2011 - PRLog -- This is the true story of a nine year old boy who, at the height of the Birmingham blitz, is transported from his ‘all mod cons’ big city home to the safety of a house in a remote south Staffordshire hamlet, a mile and a half from nowhere, where he finds himself living in domestic and sanitary conditions that have remained unaltered for over a thousand years – the culture shock to end all culture shocks.

It describes his acceptance of and assimilation into the country ways of life; his struggle for an education in a village school built to house ninety local children, but then grossly overcrowded by more than a hundred evacuees from not one but two Birmingham schools; his first faltering love, and the adventures that he was able to undertake by virtue of the fearless freedom afforded to children in that far off time exactly seventy years ago.

A contagious affliction sees him whisked away from the now familiar village of Yoxall and he finds himself living in a grand country house where a whole new series of adventures begin, resulting in an episode that tests the resolution of a tough little ‘Brummie’ almost to the limit.

“Writing this book took me on a journey in time that went back 70 years to the height of the Second World War; a time that few people now remember. This was a time when young children were taken from their city homes and transported to the supposed safety of the countryside. Writing this book was at times a strange experience, so intense were the memories that I often felt that I was that nine year old boy again. It was while in the country I was turned from city fool–into a country boy at heart” says author Derek Smith.

For more information or to arrange an interview with the author of this book, please contact Olu Akinpelu on 07790432029 or email: Press@pneumasprings.com


Wild Strawberries can be obtained from Pneuma Springs Publishing at the following address:
http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/WildStrawberries.htm

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About Pneuma Springs:
Pneuma Springs Publishing is an independent publisher and has been providing established and budding authors with publishing expertise since 2003.
We recognise that putting together a quality manuscript involves a great deal of hard work by authors and that any published work should be judged on its merit, unbiased critique, content, presentation etc. We are absolutely passionate about assisting authors to turn their writing dreams into reality. We believe that talented authors deserve to be published and read. We offer a bespoke, comprehensive and quality service, publishing the best material from talented authors. We specialise in quality fictional works as well as non-fiction books e.g. theological, self-help and inspiration.