Sunday, 7 September 2014

The Empress of Australia by Harry Leslie Smith



It is now 1948 and Harry is beginning a new life out of the RAF and with new wife Friede, they move back to Halifax, and begin their married life back living with Harry’s mother.  Britain is left broken after the war; the future is looking dull and dark for the couple, with not many prospects on the horizon in Yorkshire, poverty and hardship is all that await them. Can Harry and Friede who survived a war, now survive the harsh and coldness of a life with nothing on the horizon?

This is the third in the series of the author Harry Leslie Smith’s memoirs, and having read the other two books in the series; I could not wait to read what would happen next in Harry’s life. There is something very special about reading a memoir, something that is so personal, and I would like to say a BIG thank you to Harry for taking the time on letting us all in and sharing his life with us, because for social history these books leave a legacy of learning for not only ourselves but for future generations too. We can learn what life was like and how it was lived. For me personally this is so much more interesting than reading a cold text book about events in general. I personally prefer real life accounts that I can connect with.

We should treasure accounts of history that are recorded down by people like Harry and written and recorded so well, the good and the bad that you can imagine being there and experience what it was like at the time, and leaves you wanting to find out what happens next, and I cannot wait to read more of Harry’s books.


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