Auntie F. came in announcing dramatically that Hitler is coming tomorrow at which my father remarked that he would now that he's just finished papering upstairs. At the outbreak of World War Two May Smith was twenty-four. She lived in a small village near Derby with her parents & taught at the local elementary school. The war brought many changes: evacuees arrived in the village; nights were broken by the wail of the siren as bombers flew overhead; the young men of May's circle donned khaki & disappeared to far-flung places to 'do their bit'. But a great deal remained the same: May still enjoyed tennis parties holidays to Llandudno & going shopping for new outfits
- coupons & funds permitting. & it was during these difficult times that May fell in love. These Wonderful Rumours! gives a unique & surprising insight into life on the Home Front. Through May Smith's observant witty & sometimes acerbic diary we gain a new understanding of how the people of Britain coped with the uncertainty the heartbreak & the black comedy of life during wartime.