The Copperettes at War

by Sue Wilsher

The BRAND NEW wartime saga from the much-loved author of THE TILBURY POPPIES. Perfect for fans of Annie Murray and Donna Douglas

The war is over, but their friendship has just begun . . .

Essex, 1918

Working at the local munitions factory has given Aggie the freedom she's long desired. But the Great War is coming to an end, and the men are coming home. Determined to hold on to her new-found independence, Aggie decides to join the Women's Police Service and become a Copperette.

Like Aggie, Mim wants nothing more than to do her bit for her country. Never one to shy away from hard work, she's eager to help her fellow women and keep up morale - even if that does mean opening her home to Aggie and helping her train.

With the last days of war upon them, Aggie and Mim face shocking loss. But in the face of great hardship, can they find a way to work together?

A heart-warming story of love, loss and friendship, set against the backdrop of wartime England

REAL READERS love Sue Wilsher's

' I loved reading about the wartime challenges Mim and Aggie faced - a great combination of historical fact, emotion and grit. I couldn't put it down '

' Another brilliant book from Sue Wilsher bringing history alive. Unforgettable characters and great storytelling'

Brilliant book . . . the third one I've read by this author and I can't fault it at all - would highly recommend '

' A great story with local interest for anyone who knows Thurrock. A tribute to those who lived through that time and endured so much'

Genres: Womens Fiction, Spirituality, Politics, Inspirational, History, Friendship, Death

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2019

About the author

Sue Wilsher grew up in South Essex near a shoe factory and the Thames estuary. The factory housed its workers, including Sue's grandparents and mother. Sue now lives in Kent with her family.

Sue's debut novel When My Ship Comes In is set in 1950s Essex and centres around a downtrodden docker's wife who joins a young wives club and is challenged to train for a 'man's job'. She must decide whether to sacrifice her dreams of a better life to keep her family together.

Her second novel, The Empire Girls, is also set in 1950s Essex and is a moving story of heartbreak and friendship. The Empire is a pub run by Vi, Doris's mother, but when Doris falls pregnant 'out of wedlock' she is kicked out and forced to fend for herself. As a homeless single mother, life is tough for Doris, and even harder when she makes friends with a group of 'Windrush' immigrants, outcasts like herself.

The Tilbury Poppies is Sue's latest novel. Set in a munitions factory in 1916 Essex, it tells the story of Lily and Charlotte, 'munitionettes' from very different backgrounds. Lily is caught up in a fight for women's and worker's rights but doesn't foresee how her newfound freedoms will affect her family.

Reviews

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t get into this book,

[Vanessa-Ann Dowsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It showed how women were treated in the workplace during WW1. Angie worked in a munitions factory and wanted to better herself and become a Copperette. The only ones in this profession were only women of higher class, many of whom had been suffergettes. One woman however, gave her a chance and she was billeted with Mimosa another Copperette and even though they were from different social classes , they became firm friends. Even though these ladies patrolled as police officers, they had no power of arrest , they dealt solely with females and were not given a truncheon. They dealt with prostitution which was rife especially with service men returning maimed and full of morphine and cocaine many of whom were addicted by the time they arrived home. Plenty of the openers in this book and I highly recommend this book.

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an extremely well-written book about all of the things that went on during WW1.
The author is British, which also makes it interesting.
This is true historical fiction...I learned so much about WW1, "The Great War", that I never knew before, and it was from the British point-of-view.
The book takes place in Essex in 1918. There is definitely a class system firmly in place, as well as the idea of women staying home and taking care of things there, while the men work. Unless a woman is married to a man that holds land, she can't vote. The Suffrage movement has just become to take hold, particularly with the wealthy women.
Aggie works at the local munitions factory; quite a grueling job. Her husband, Arnie, has his own business restoring ocean liners into battle ships. She wants more in her life. She wants to become a Copperette...a member of the Women's Police Service to help her move up in the world.
Mim (Mimosa) is from the upper classes, and is very disappointed to see all of her service people leave for factory jobs. She does, however, want to do her part for her country. She wants to help other women and keep up their morale. She works with the Women's Police Service, and takes Aggie under her wing.
Both face shocking losses because of the war, but learn to work together, and actually become friends.
This is a great panoramic view (with word pictures) of what the Great War was really like at home in Britain.

[S.E. Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the novel, it was well researched, with a different take on the Great War and had all sorts of snippets' both factual and emotional that you don't often read, eg; the publication of Maries Stopes book, Married Love, so controversial at the time, an exploration of Suffragists and Suffragettes, which means nothing now but at the time was a real schism far more women joined the suffragists. Through disabled veteran's anger being shown when they saw the King, and the outrage that soldiers didn't get a pension if their disability was above the neckline: men whose faces were shattered and disfigured got nothing as they could still labour, when the loss of an arm was 13 shillings a week. ( These issues explored well in Paxman's Great Britains Great War, but not the pension inequity).
Mim's tragedy was very well handled indeed.
It is a "girl" book, although not a conventionally romantic novel, and genuinely well executed.

[T.M. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book. My reading tastes are varied and I occasionally love a historical drama. I picked this book up and saw that it was set in Essex so I thought I couldn’t go far wrong with it. Very early in the read I discovered it was set in the very district that I grew up in, and have patrolled in as a Police officer myself (albeit many many decades later). I had no idea of the struggle of female police officers in the past and this book really opened my eyes. It was an absolute delight to read such an engaging story, but also one that included real streets I have travelled along, real pubs that I have drunk in and real landmarks that I have visited. I loved it.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lancashire.
Agnus Tucker and the workers are striking the men are returning from war wanting their jobs back. Some of the codite girls husband died and they had mouths to feed. Aggie is waiting for Arnie to return home and sees an advert for women to join the police as copperettes could she do the job even after the war? Would they employ a factory girl?
This book takes us through all the women with a fight on their hands to save their jobs.
Its a must read for everyone to enjoy i enjoyed it right through

[Lauren Gillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book and abandoned after 150 pages, which I hate doing. The characters don't seem to be very developed and there's no real story even halfway into the book. It went straight into the characters' stories without background and I actually thought this was a sequel as nothing was explained. Some good historical background on the WPS but on the other hand some aspects weren't really explained.

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good saga set in Britain at near end of world war 1 where a young girl enrols to be a copperette. Really good enjoyable read

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seemed like a well-researched novel, combining women's suffrage, war, class struggle and other themes from the time. Interesting read.

Library book

[Joanna Warrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. Great characters and very interesting WW1 history. I enjoyed every minute. It covers some intense topics but lovely.