The effect on the local population must have been considerable, not least because the incoming population, despite the Wrens, was overwhelmingly male. There was some atrocious behaviour from offduty, often traumatised servicemen, much drinking and frequent fights, not helped by the glamour of many of the overseas servicemen and their consequent attractiveness to local women.
But like Clydebank, Greenock was also bombed several times during 1941, most heavily in early May; and while Greenock’s bombing was not as intense as Clydebank’s, many parts of the town were also devastated, including a section of the town hall itself. The good people of Greenock did not have far to search for their woes.
Security was necessarily of the highest importance and information hard to come by. There were even women stationed to listen in at phone boxes for information being passed on. ‘Loose lips sink ships’ was a motto that was nowhere more true.
Some reviews for Mavis’s Shoe
‘Sue Reid Sexton doesn’t flinch from giving her readers a gritty and sometimes heart-rending account of the trials confronting her young heroine... This is ultimately a story of courage and survival as well as a highly readable and vivid account of one of Scotland’s worst wartime disasters. Esther Read, The Scots Magazine
‘This haunting, beautifully written blend of fact and fiction captures the strength of humanity, the courage in adversity and the heartbreaking loss caused by one of the most tragic episodes in our nation’s history.’ Daily Record
‘Sue Reid Sexton’s work with war veterans gives an insight into Scotland’s most devastating wartime event.’ STV’s ‘The Hour’
‘A moving new novel about a child living in Clydebank during World War 2... Sue Reid Sexton’s work with war veterans gave her plenty of resources to draw upon when it came to capturing the feelings of survivors of war.’ The Sunday Post
‘Mavis’s Shoe reveals the shared trauma of war from Clydebank to Baghdad.’ Sunday Mail
‘A remarkable story of a young girl’s survival of the aftermath of the 1941 Clydebank Blitz.’ BooksfromScotland.com
‘This is the first book to be simultaneously published in Braille in Scotland. And it’s a great book. It’s also good that it isn’t in dialect – Glaswegian – it is Lenny Gillespie talking, so folk all over can understand it.’ Allan Balfour, Head Editor and Braillist
at the Scottish Braille Press, who transcribed Mavis’s Shoe into Braille
‘Captures wonderfully well the community spirit of the time, and is a heart-warming illustration of family loyalties.’ Raymond Young, Education and Lifelong Learning,
Clackmannanshire Council
‘Great subtlety in the writing, which made the story all the more moving. If all of Sue Reid Sexton’s and Waverley’s novels are going to be of this calibre, I can’t wait to read them.’ Moira Foster, Waterstone’s Review
‘The book took me right back, I felt just as lost as the wee girl in the book during the bombing.’ Isa McKenzie, Clydebank Blitz survivor
‘I recommend this book – I thought it a really moving story – fiction based on the facts of those terrible nights of 13 and 14 May 1941.’ J Peel, Amazon review
‘This book is important. It is moving and well researched, and should be read by everyone.’ J Wilson, Amazon review
‘Just to let you know how much I enjoyed “Mavis” – twice! I cheated the first time – couldn’t resist starting at the bit when Lenny arrived at Carbeth, then went back to the beginning, and the next day read it all again in the right order! It really conjured up the whole atmosphere, and the intensity of Lenny’s feelings was conveyed so well. I’m sure it will do very well indeed and will sustain interest over the years as it’s so evocative of that nightmare period.’ Marlene Macowan, who was evacuated from
Glasgow to Carbeth in March 1941
‘A compelling and moving read for all ages... a page turner from the very beginning.’ Katie May, Amazon review
‘Not just a good read – it is a book to talk about.’ John Sprott, Amazon review
‘Compelling and contemporary fiction for our time.’ Jane Wilson, Amazon review
‘A thoroughly engrossing read and a convincing evocation not just of the Clydebank Blitz... The author captures beautifully this young voice, which is simultaneously childlike yet disarmingly wise.’ A Hunt, Amazon review
‘A fantastic read well worth the purchase.’ rugrat, Amazon review
‘Sue Reid Sexton very convincingly brings that time, and its atmosphere, back again.’ Mr Arthur M Blue, Amazon review
‘This is a lovely, compelling book.’ Simon Skinner, Amazon review
‘Incredibly moving, at times made me smile and at times made me cry. Once I started it, I could not put it down.’ Pamela Hall, Amazon review
‘I’ve heard many stories of the war years in Clydebank but nothing brings it to life as does this book.’ Scotland Jenny, Amazon review
‘From the moment I picked it up I was there with Lenny a character that was so well written I could almost touch her, almost smell her... This is a fantastic book, a must read... Thank you so much Sue, please hurry up and write the sequel!’ Amazon review
About the Author
Sue Reid Sexton grew up in Glasgow. Sue worked with the homeless for ten years and then in counselling and psychotherapy, specialising in trauma, for another ten. She lives and works in Glasgow, but escapes to wilder places whenever she can, and for a period she had a hut in the Carbeth Hut Community. She is an active member of Scottish PEN and sees stories everywhere. Sue’s first novel was Mavis’s Shoe, a powerful book about the Clydebank Blitz, and what happened immediately afterwards in Clydebank, Carbeth and Glasgow. Rue End Street is Sue’s second novel, and follows the steps of Lenny Gillespie, and her family during the Second World War.
www.waverley-books.co.uk
[email protected]
This edition published 2014 by Waverley Books, an imprint of
The Gresham Publishing Company Ltd.,
Academy Park, Building 4000, Gower Street,
Glasgow, G51 1PR, Scotland, UK
Text copyright © 2014 Sue Reid Sexton
Cover images: copyright © Elzbieta Sekowska, KUCO, Sergey Kamshylin and Mikhail Olykainen – courtesy of shutterstock.com
Author portrait copyright © Jan Nimmo
The author hereby asserts her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holders.
ePub format ISBN: 978-1-84934-176-9
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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