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1941: The war needs people from all walks of life to do their bit for the war effort
1941: The war needs people from all walks of life to do their bit for the war effort
It’s 1941 and the country has been turned upside down. For the aristocratic Walsingham family this means being pushed unceremoniously upstairs while their grand home is taken over by the Army. But for newcomers Ava and Maudie this is a chance to get something more from life. They are at Walsingham Hall to become code girls and break German encryptions.
So being sent downstairs to work in the kitchens isn’t exactly what they had in mind. But they do their duty, make new friends and soon even romance looks to be on the horizon. Though life is tough, it has never been more exciting.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Lord Walsingham is hiding something. And Maudie and the girls realize that the safety of their country might actually be in their hands after all . . .
There is no hall of this name in real life Norfolk but the village of Holkham has a hall which is not unlike the one in the novel.
Holkham Hall has everything you would expect of a stately home which has been taken over by the war effort and requisitioned. Of course this story is based on the secrets and hidden histories of those who lived and worked at Bletchley Park and the codebreaking world of life there. This is where any story of the period and time has to start to really immerse yourself in the story and history of the background to this novel.
This was the centre of code breaking during the world war and is situated about an hour north of London.
Author/Guide: Daisy Styles Destination: Norfolk, Lancashire Departure Time: 1941
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