by Fiona Ford
The problem of wartime morality
When I started writing this book I didn’t know an awful lot about the Public Morality Council. I’ve been writing sagas for a while now and thought I knew almost everything there was to know about life in wartime Britain. So, I was somewhat surprised when I stumbled across this rather strange sounding organisation that played such a huge part in British wartime life.
The Public Morality Council was set up in 1899 and was originally concerned with the moral welfare of the public but largely concentrated, at least at first, on fighting vice and indecency in London.
Members of the council came from all walks of life but most were from the Christian, Catholic and Jewish churches. Leaders in charity, medicine and education also made up the numbers.
Initially, the council was concerned with clamping down on female prostitution and made a great show of turning up to railway stations and ports to stop the trafficking of women. The police force liked what they were doing and, together with the National Vigilance Association, they turned their attention to books, plays and films they considered indecent. Between them they had a strong desire to protect the public from themselves and to stamp out any behaviour they considered might upset the moral fibre of the British people. They would regularly wage war against councils, insisting certain theatre licences were revoked because showgirls were baring too much flesh, for example.
Then in 1930 the council were asked to monitor gay pubs and clubs in the West End of London. It was a new direction and they took to it with zeal, believing homosexuality would destroy British family life. The council were always on the lookout for anything they considered to be immoral. Women like Evie Allingham regularly reported indecent behaviour to the police, which led to large numbers of male prostitutes being arrested. This new cause to out homosexuals proved popular, and two anonymous donors gave the council £100 each to continue the campaign against homosexuality.
When the Second World War broke out the council became even more concerned about moral standards in Britain. Their chief worry was the behaviour of men in uniform while they were away from their families – with all the great temptations the capital city had to offer. Not only did the council continue to monitor gay pubs and clubs, they also kept a close eye on London’s Theatreland with the council expressing almost daily concern over striptease acts. It wasn’t just the amount of flesh on show that concerned the council during wartime, it was the lack of standards as a whole, as well as a new style of alternative comedy which saw risqué jokes become commonplace.
After the war, the council continued its work with gusto, campaigning for the censorship of certain books and theatre shows in addition to their daily campaign against homosexuality and vice. Interestingly they also increased their concern over family values following the demise of many marriages during the war, expressing an issue with artificial insemination, which they believed to be adulterous.
In 1969 the Public Morality Council was taken over by the Social Morality Council. Now, over fifty years on, it seems hard to believe such a body existed. The joy of writing historical fiction is that as an author you can examine changes in society, even if not all of them are good. I think one thing we can all be thankful for is that in this country, at least for now, we are free to live our lives and be who we want, deserve and ought to be.
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September, 1941: Mary arrives in war-torn London nursing a broken heart and a painful secret.
When she is offered her dream post as an assistant in the fabric department at Liberty store, she knows this is the fresh start she needs. Amid the store’s vibrant prints and sumptuous interiors, Mary finds a new family who can help her to heal.
But not everyone will give Mary such a warm welcome, and the trauma of her past will soon catch up with her.
As Mary and the Liberty Girls endure the heartache and uncertainty of war, it will take a steady heart to keep the magic of Christmas alive.
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March, 1942: new mother Alice Milwood is itching to return to her job as a shop assistant at Liberty’s.
Despite her husband still being missing in action, Alice is determined to give baby Arthur the best possible start. She soon settles back into the rhythm of life on the shop floor, and the Liberty Girls rally to help keep everything on an even keel.
But when the American GIs start swarming into London, there are more complications to come. And each of the Liberty Girls has their own impossible storm to weather.
As they each fight their battles on the home front, only their close friendship will give them the strength they need to carry on.
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THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
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Copyright © Fiona Ford 2020
Figure © Silas Manhood. Background photography © Shutterstock.
Fiona Ford has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
First published in Great Britain by Arrow Books in 2020
www.penguin.co.uk
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781473572799
Table of Contents
Title Page
About the Author
Also available by Fiona Ford
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
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