Please welcome fellow #RRBC AUTHOR, ROBERTA EATON CHEADLE, on her tour “While the Bombs Fell” Day # 3
While the Bombs Fell
The joys of flowers and nature
While the bombs fell is a collaboration between my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton, and me and tells a fictionalized account of her life as a small girl growing up in the small English town of Bungay, Suffolk during World War II.
Despite the food, fuel and clothing shortages faced by people during World War II in Britain, children still derived joy from the natural environment and took pleasure in the flowers, trees and other beautiful things around them.
I can always remember my mother telling me about all the gorgeous flowers that grew on Bungay common when she was a small girl. After a long, cold winter, the first flowers to show their face and announce the coming of spring were the snowdrops. The snowdrops were pretty, with a single small,
white bell-shaped flower that drooped on their stems.
The snowdrops were quickly followed by other flowers, as the weather gradually started to warm. Elsie and her siblings would go for long walks and look for pale yellow primroses, sky purple violets and yellow cowslips, which were quite difficult to find.
During the warm summer days and long evenings, the breeze would carry the delightful smell of the flowers through the windows and into the small three bedroomed cottage that housed my mother’s family.
I read a lot of Enid Blyton books when I was growing up and I was familiar with gorse bushes as a result. I can remember my mother describing these pretty bushes with their sharp thorns and telling me about how her brothers used to force their way into the middle of these bushes and hide there. When she told me these stories, my eyes always felt prickly and I had to close them as I imagined the horrible thorns scratching at them. As I write this, I still fancy that my eyes are being scratched by thorns.
One of the most beautiful places my mother and her siblings liked to play, was a hill called Target. It sloped down to Ditchingham House which was the home of author, Sir Henry Rider Haggard’s daughter, Lilias. The following is an extract about Target from the book:
“After breakfast, the children set off to walk to Target.
The public path that took the children to Target ran along the top of a steep and heavily treed hill. Bluebells carpeted the woods at this time of year. The path ran through the grounds of Ditchingham
House which had been occupied by Sir Henry Rider Haggard and his wife, Louisa, before their deaths.
Their daughter, Lilias Haggard, currently occupied the house.
From the path, the children could see the beautiful two and a half storey red-brick house which seemed
enormous to Elsie. A lush garden and an orchard with apple and mulberry trees, and even a quince
tree surrounded the house.
Sir Henry Rider Haggard had lived in South Africa and visited other parts of Africa. The children
thought him a most interesting character. A famous author, he had written many adventure books set in
Africa including She and King Solomon’s Mines.
When they reached the top of Target, the children all dared each other to slide and scramble down the
hill as fast as possible. Down they went, clutching onto the saplings, roots and anything else available
to them to grasp.
Elsie clung tightly to Jean’s hand so that she would not fall and roll down the steep hill.”
BOOK BLURB:
What was it like for children growing up in rural Suffolk during World War 2?
Elsie and her family live in a small double-storey cottage in Bungay, Suffolk. Every night she lies awake listening anxiously for the sound of the German bomber planes. Often they come and the air raid siren sounds signalling that the family must leave their beds and venture out to the air raid shelter in the garden.
Despite the war raging across the English channel, daily life continues with its highlights, such as Christmas and the traditional Boxing Day fox hunt, and its wary moments when Elsie learns the stories of Jack Frost and the ghostly and terrifying Black Shuck that haunts the coastline and countryside of East Anglia.
Includes some authentic World War 2 recipes.
AUTHOR BIO:
Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with six published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about my mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of my children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.
I also have a book of poetry called Open a new door, with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.
I have recently branched into adult and young adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my adult writing, I plan to publish these books under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first supernatural book published in that name, Through the Nethergate, is now available.
I have participated in a number of anthologies:
- Two short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Dark Visions, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle;
- Three short stories in Death Among Us, an anthology of murder mystery stories, edited by Stephen Bentley under Robbie Cheadle;
- Three short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Nightmareland, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle; and
- Two short stories in Whispers of the Past, an anthology of paranormal stories, edited by Kaye Lynne Booth under Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Robbie Cheadle
Website
https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite
Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Website
https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle
https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour
AMAZON OR OTHER PURCHASE LINKS:
TSL Publications:
https://tslbooks.uk/product/while-the-bombs-fell-robbie-cheadle-and-elsie-hancy-eaton/
Lulu.com:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Robbie-Cheadle/e/B01N9J62GQ
Enjoy your tour, Robbie!
D. L., you’re an angel! But, you already know that, don’t you? 🙂
Thanks, Nonnie:) I only hang around angels.
Thank you, Nonnie. I agree that Denise is an angel.
Thanks, Robbie. I do collect them.
Hi Denise, thank you for hosting me for day 3 of this tour. I appreciate your support.
I’m happy to have you here today, Robbie:) Glad I can return some of the support you always give.
Hi, Robbie! Another great post! I have a friend who is British, and I love when he tells me stories of when he was a child and just picked fruit off of the various trees in his yard and neighborhood. I wish my neighborhood was filled with flowers and trees as such.
We visit England during August every year and it is packed with amazing flowers and fruit trees. A most quaint and beautiful country. Of course, we have some wonderful wild animals and countryside here in South Africa too but it is not cultivated like it is in the UK.
It’s great when we get to share in family memories like this book, Yvette! Thanks for dropping by:)
And life goes on. I love the image of the lush fruit trees in the midst of the ugliness of war. Just stunning.
Thank you, Sarah. Suffolk is very lovely during the summer and full of flowers and trees. The English had a Dig for Victory campaign during the war and everyone grew vegetables and fruit.
I agree, Sarah. It is a stark contrast. Thanks for stopping by!
Great to see Robbie here with While the Bombs Fell!
Wishing her an awesome tour. Great hosting as always, Denise!
Thank you, Mae. I enjoyed writing these posts about the aspects of this book I enjoyed writing about the most.
Thanks, Mae:) I am pleased to have Robbie share her book and tour here!
I love that this book is the result of a collaboration with your mom. Best wishes, Robbie.
Thanks, Denise.
Thank you for visiting and commenting, Staci. This tour is a lot of fun for me and my mother.
That’s a wonderful part of the book, Stact, mother and daughter working together to create it:)
Love seeing Robbie’s book around. Congrats on a great tour, Robbie!
Thank you, Jacqui. I enjoyed writing these posts. They help me focus on what I enjoyed writing about the most with this book.
It is fun seeing her book make the tour rounds, Jacqui! Glad you dropped by.
Robbie is having a blast! Wishing you great success Robbie. Thank you Denise.
I am enjoying the tour, Balroop. I appreciate all your support.
She sure seems to be, Balroop:) Happy you stopped by!
Kudos on another great tour post for “When the Bombs Fell.” Keep shining… <3 Sharing.
Thanks for dropping by, Bette, and sharing:)
Thanks, Bette, I am glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing.
Another fascinating post, Robbie. Enjoy your tour!🥰 Thanks for hosting, Denise.
I’m always happy to host, Vashti:) Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Vashti, I am pleased to be able to share a bit of the background and inspiration for this book.
Great stop, Robbie. Thanks, Denise for hosting
Always happy to host, John:) Thanks!
Lovely to see you here, John. Thanks for visiting.
😁
Thank you for sharing your story (and your mother’s) with us. I love the imagery of the flowers. Bliss in time of war. It’s nice to have the quiet moments to make us appreciate what we have.
Rebecca Carter
Thank you for dropping by:) I agree about the flowers bringing a bit of bliss in wartime.
Thank you, Ronesa. I am glad you are enjoying my posts and I appreciate your support.
Its very nice to meet you Robbie and have a great tour.
Thanks for dropping by, Shirley:)
Hi Shirley, Lovely to meet you too. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
I don’t always have time to browse and read blog hops just when they appear, Robbie and Denise! So, I am delighted to read so many interesting facts about your childhood here in U.K., Robbie. I love snowdrops too – they really do herald early signs of Spring – or rather just the possibility of the weather warming up. Here, in Northwest it might not happen that quickly, either. Being a South African Italian with deep roots in Africa, my children’s series is also set against that background. I enjoy seeing how you’ve branched out. I hope to do the same with such good examples such as yourself and Denise, whose children’s books I’m now reading. Thank you both for this lovely blog post, and even though I’m not on the correct date, I would very much like to repost this to my children’s side of things – Fauna Park Tales Blog. Kind regards and all the best to you both with all your W.I.P.’s in progress. 🙂
Thank you, Maretha:) I’m glad you saw the post and stopped by. I love the first signs of spring and the flowers. Yes, all three children’s authors and I’m glad we can interact like this and support each other. As you know I enjoy your series and I’m going to read Robbies. I did enjoy When the Bombs Fell. I love to learn more about each other through these tours. Hope your WIP is going well for you, too! Hugs!
I’m getting WHEN THE BOMBS FELL as soon as I can. At the moment my Kindle Lending library is full, but I’m trying my best to empty it! 🙂
Thank you for visiting and writing such a lovely comment, Maretha. I had a very English upbringing despite living in South Africa for many years and I was born in the UK, so we have always visited frequently. My very first attempt at a children’s book, Silly Willy goes to Cape Town was set in South Africa. I recently read your first book in the Fauna Park series and thought its African links were lovely. I do love the English spring and summer and I have even been know to rave on about the wonderful winters when it snows.
Thanks so much, Robbie. I appreciate your support and your review. I left a comment for you under your review. I hope you don’t mind me explaining how I view reading in children – I believe that they must be challenged and helped to succeed while developing reading skills which they will have the benefit of right through school and their lives. 🙂
This is another wonderful stop on Robbie’s tour. I love how children can find joy in simple play no matter what is going on in the world around them! Thank you for hosting, Denise!! I agree with Nonnie and Robbie. You are an Earth Angel!
Adults can learn a lot from the children:) Thank you, Jan xox. I definitely hang around angels!
Hi Jan, it is amazing and wonderful that children are so adaptable in difficult situations. When I visit the squatter camps and underprivileged schools here in South Africa, it always amazes me how happy the children are, even when their circumstances are so poor.
Sweet memories, indeed! Great wars can have their brighter sides too. Thank you, D.L. for hosting.
They do, Joy, especially through a child’s eyes.
Hi, it is amazing how people continue to find pleasure in life even while they are at war. My mother’s family was fortunate to be in the country though, away from the worst of the bombing.
Thank you for sharing your story (and your mother’s) with us. I love the imagery of the flowers. Bliss in time of war. It’s nice to have the quiet moments to make us appreciate what we have.
I tried to post yesterday, but kept getting a 409, site not available error.
Rebecca Carter
Oops, now it’s here twice. Please feel free to delete these last two comments.
Thank you, Ronesa. I loved the imagery of the flowers and nature in this little tale. It showed how the children managed to find peace and joy despite the war and bombing. Of course, Bungay was only bombed once but the closest city, Norwich, was heavily bombed a few times over the course of the war.
Sorry you had issues, but happy you stopped by:)
Lovely picturing all these flowers.
Thank you, Wendy. The countryside where my mom grew up is very beautiful.
It was, Wendy, picturing all those flowers:)
Hi D.L. – it’s great to see Robbie featured here and learn more about When the Bombs Fell. Flowers and all beautiful things during wartime, and hard times in general, make things a little bit brighter. Robbie – I love your book cover promotion image on the wall. That’s very clever. Have a great day!
Hi! I agree the flowers added beauty in hard times. Thanks for dropping by:)
Thank you for visiting me here and commenting, Barbara. I am glad you enjoyed the post and my promotional image.
Hope you are enjoying your blog tour, Robbie. I look forward to reading your book, “While the Bombs Fell.”
Thanks for hosting, Denise.
Happy to host, Peggy;)
Hi Peggy, thank you for visiting me here and commenting. I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it.
A terrific book from Robbie. Thanks for sharing, Denise. Hugs to you both.
It was, Teagan:) Sending hugs back.