The cider girls were keen to do their bit to support the war effort, so they were excited when they got the chance to go to Yeovil during Wings for Victory Week.
This was a nationwide fundraising event to help finance the construction of new aircraft for the war effort. The people of Yeovil were keen to help because many were employed in the nearby Westland Works, where they were building Seafires – the naval version of the Spitfire. In fact, they pledged to raise £425,000 – enough to build eighty-five planes, which was a huge amount of money in 1943.
The Wings for Victory Week started with a march-past from the Army, Navy, RAF and civil defence personnel, led by the band of the RAF Flying Training Command, the salute being taken by Air Chief Marshall Sir Phillip Joubert. The townspeople threw themselves into the fundraising events, which included concerts, sports events, demonstrations, auctions and competitions. There were a mystery man and woman lurking around Yeovil, and folks had to follow clues to find them to claim a prize.
A real bomb (explosives removed!) was placed by the indicator board in the Borough and people were encouraged to stick savings stamps onto it. Two local car showrooms got involved – in Vincent’s in Princes Street, Wrens gave parachute packing demonstrations, and in Douglas Seaton’s Clarence Street showroom, they set up a Link Trainer, an early flight simulator, for people to try.
It is at Seaton’s while Jimmy has a go on the Link Trainer that Rose and Daisy spot some suspicious characters making notes about the simulator. The cider girls expected to enjoy a welcome day off, only to end up apprehending some German spies! Even in the middle of a crowded market town in Somerset everyone had to be on guard against enemy agents.
The Wings for Victory Week was a great success involving all the services and many civilians, including a group of children evacuated to Somerset from London who entertained an audience of two hundred people with songs and dances. The final total raised in Yeovil in just seven days was £476,661 – enough to make ninety-five Seafire planes. In a time of great deprivation, everyone came together to support the war effort, and the cider girls and their friends were able to quietly make a special contribution.
The Cider Girls Under Fire is the third in the Cider Girls series, and the stakes are getting higher for Rose, Daisy and Elsie. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have some fun and fall in love along the way. I hope you enjoy the latest story. The fourth and final book will be out soon.
Happy Reading!
May Ellis x