Sensitivity…

In nine days, my new book, The Postcard from Italy will be published.

It was inspired, in great part, by black and white photos in my mother’s album of a good-looking, fresh-faced young man, dressed in his RAF uniform and my mother’s fond memories of her little brother.

My Uncle William, affectionately known as Billy, was a rear gunner, crewing on Lockheed Liberators for the RAF. The last mission he flew had a mixed crew, including Canadians. They were shot down over what was then known as Yugoslavia on November 5th 1944, on a mission to deliver supplies to partisans. Billy was only twenty.

He was the only son of five children, born into an Irish Catholic family living in England. My mother was the oldest child. In this photo, there are only three siblings: my mother (the tallest), my godmother Aunty Joan and Billy. They are about to go to a fancy dress party. My other two aunties were born later.

Off to a fancy dress party – Billy is the little boy in the centre

My youngest aunty is still alive and I dearly hope she and other members of my family will not mind that I have used Uncle Billy as my inspiration. Billy in my book is not the same young man as my uncle. He is half-Italian, half-English and he survives his last mission, but I have used some of my uncle’s details. I borrowed his identity number (1584477) and I made him a rear gunner, or tail end Charlie – having the unenviable role of sitting in the back of the aircraft with the lonely task of scanning the skies for enemy aircraft.

Sergeant William Francis Beary – my handsome uncle

With the present state of war in Ukraine and images on our television screens of brave young fighters and so many displaced families, Billy has once again been at the forefront of my mind. Once upon a time he was a little boy.

I am anxious about upsetting my surviving aunt.

My brother has researched events surrounding our uncle’s last flight and there is a lot more I could have used, but I did not, out of respect for her. We have, for example, a detailed account written by the German pilot who shot down our uncle’s Liberator. Out of respect for my aunt, I did not include any of this.

Some of the detail provided by The Ministry of Defence. I have not shown you everything.

In all my books I research to the best of my ability as I do believe it is very important to record stories from our past, so that we tell the world what it was like. We need to learn from mistakes, understand the tragedies of war, the way ordinary people are affected, in order to protect the future. My uncle was not just a number. He was an only son, a brother to four delightful sisters. He had a girlfriend and his life was cut short. Far too short.

However, I also have a duty to the living survivors and should not sensationalise history. My aunty will probably never read my book and I am wary of telling her about it. However, I do not want Uncle Billy to be forgotten. He was more than number 1584477.

I’ve dedicated The Postcard from Italy to him and my father too. They both fought in Italy and they have both passed away.

I would love to hear your perspective on this.