World War II London Blitz Diary: A Woman's Revelations Enduring War and Marriage, Volume 1

World War ll London Blitz Diaries #1

by Ruby Side Thompson

While hundreds of Messerschmitt war planes fly overhead and the sound of hundreds of bombs exploding, Ruby Side
Thompson’s writes her personal during the terrifying World War Two London Blitz. Her diary is a true and detailed account of what she experienced during that horrific time. The diary chronicles Ruby's struggle to survive in the midst of a horrendous war, where London is bombed nightly. In this true account Ruby speaks frankly and honestly.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, World War II, Biography, War, London

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Friday, September 1
War started today. After another week of lies and duplicity, Hitler launched into actual warfare early this morning. At five thirty this morning he announced the enclosure of Danzig in the Reich, and at five forty five he bombed his first Polish town . . .

The BBC has just announced that King George held a Privy Council this noon, and has signed papers completing the mobilization of our Army, Navy, and Air Forces. Further news to be broadcast at four p.m.”

So begins diary of Ruby Side Thompson, a middle-aged Londoner in a highly unsatisfying marriage who lived through the Blitz and who recorded with ink and pen whatever was utmost on her mind. Generally, her writing served as therapy for her bad marriage – and she chronicles her husband’s faulty behavior in great detail -- but when cataclysmic world events crash into her consciousness, they gain top priority and she writes fluidly as they unfold before her:

“Wednesday, May 15
At seven a.m. we heard that the Dutch have laid down their arms. After the Germans re-captured Rotterdam yesterday, the Netherlands Commander-in Chief issued an order to his troops concerned, to cease fighting. To continue resistance was hopeless.

“Now the struggle for Belgium proceeds . . .”

“Saturday, June 22
. . . The French Cabinet has been sitting most of today, and no armistice has been signed up till now, eight-fifteen p.m. Winston Churchill broadcast on Tuesday night, saying we would fight on “till the curse of Hitler was lifted from the brows of men.”

Such writing blasts history out of the realm of dry, dusty names and dates and nearly places the reader in the midst of events as they unfolded, very heady stuff for history buffs.

Her reaction to the Blitz is fascinating and reminded me very much of the personal testimony found within the pages of Osprey’s recent pictorial title, “The Blitz”:

“Sunday, September 1.
The raids at one p.m. and five-thirty are the worst Romford has yet experienced. At mid day fifteen bombs were dropped in the very center of town. The first one fell in Victoria Road, only missing the railway bridge by a half block. Then in a straight line across all those little roads towards Hornchurch and the Romeo, fourteen others were dropped, demolishing shops and houses and killing many people. Rumor gave the estimate dead as fifty, but we do not know the actual number yet. Perhaps it was more. I sat alone here in the most awful terror I have ever known. The noise was devilish, the house shook so much I expected it to fall upon me, and the suction in this air is indescribable. Machines were dwelling right over the house, and each bomb as it fell sounded as though it might be in the back garden.”

This is very important documentation and will have tremendous appeal to those who have an avid interest in the effect of the war on ordinary Britons.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounded interesting, being a diary, warts and all, of a middle aged, middle class woman who apparently kept a diary for her whole lifetime (she died in the 1970s). Her granddaughter transcribed the volumes covering WWII in a series of four publications. The diarist used diary writing as a safety valve for all the personal frustrations and dissatisfactions of her life, mainly centred around her husband who comes across as a very self-satisfied bully. Given the social attitudes of the time and the fact that her husband was a Roman Catholic and she was nominally such, divorce was out of the question, plus she had no money of her own. Therefore, the diary revolves around how she can't stand him and his Catholicism - though she often lapses into it herself - and how she blames men for all the ills of the world especially the war. There are descriptions of raids, and of damage on the local area, and some of this is interesting, but a lot of the material is very repetitive along the lines of her problems with her husband and his relations, who she also can't stand. And she also finds fault with a lot of women too.

Some of her opinions are non PC by today's standards, such as derogratory remarks about Irish people etc, but the book recounts the unadulterated thoughts of someone from the period and such opinions are to be expected.

I didn't understand why she went to a lot of trouble initially to get the paperwork done for going to America - where she had lived in the early years of her marriage and had loved - but then dropped the idea. One of her sons who lived there (and it seems a couple more did too), had indicated she could live with him, but one of her twin sons still in England talked her out of going by saying she would not have a home of her own there. But given her constant complaints about her husband it does seem she would have been happier living with an American son, especially since her two younger ones join up and one is soon a POW. After a while it became too dangerous, with ships of evacuees being sunk as she describes, but if she had followed through on the appointment to obtain a visa, she surely could have gone early on and the biggest obstacle - her husband's possible objection - didn't materialise as he was apparently happy for her to go.

One problem in just reading the book was that during the transcription process a vast number of errors have crept in. Words are missing or misspelled, including place names which makes things confusing, there is liberal use of grocer's apostrophes for plurals, and various other issues which interfere with reading enjoyment. It really did need better proof reading.

Given all this, I don't intend to read the other three volumes. Unlike one or two other memoirs I've read of the war, this didn't give much insight into what it was like to live in those times. Especially as the writer was from a fairly privileged class and had access to things that ordinary working people did not. I have found ordinary people's experiences more interesting to read about. So overall, 2 stars.

[Lisa of Hopewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally read the 2nd volume of this diary first, so this is backtracking, but well worth it. While Ruby does get on my last damn nerve moaning about Ted I do appreciate how claustrophobic marriage can become! Better she let it out in her diary. I cannot imagine living thru the years in this volume which cover the actual Blitz--the Battle of Britain.

Merged review:

Got sick of her whining about her husband, but as the editor/grand daughter pointed out she did only do this in her personal diary--not to his face and she did not write this for publication, but as an emotional release. Also that she really didn't have the option of divorce socially. Since this volume was very early in the war the blitz was the overall hardship (life and death--pretty darned important!). If other volumes are available I will likely read them. I am fascinated by the cooking of the rationing era and hoped she'd say more about what she made.


Excited to discover this is VOLUME 2! I LOVE diaries!

Got this on my kindle--so far it's very interesting. She's an "honest" observer. Interesting to read this while I was reading Philip Ziegler's "London at War."

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book World War II London Blitz Diary Volume 1 edited by Victoria Aldridge Washuk is a special work that will appeal to different group of readers. For the readers that wish to read about how a woman lived during this tumultuous time in history for their personal edification will have an informative read that will be completely satisfying. These readers will obtain a new outlook on how the war prompts and stresses everyday life and how a woman struggles within life, marriage, and religion. This book gives these deeper insights that are not normally written about, as the writer, Ruby Side Thompson, does not focus on the well-known gritty, factual results of the bombs, or rationing. Instead the reader gains lesser-known details of her life and how these years impacted her life. For these reasons I believe that this book will be a rewarding read.
For readers that want to read this book for personal pleasure read no further, as this next part will most likely bore you and is for readers that wish to read this book as a primary source of a historical document.
Let me say here that the editor Victoria Aldridge Washuk should be given a hand for having the foresight, and courage to release this work for future scholars and interested people. She had the courage to release the work without diluting and or polishing the dairies. I feel that the importance of this work cannot be overstated as it gives us a source for the common person. We all know that many primary and secondary sources are from official, and prominent people and very few are from mostly unknown common persons. Within this work scholars can gain important insight into a woman’s struggle with religion, marriage and how stress of war affected women in general.
For students or scholars of psychology and or religion will find this work of great use to see how stresses affected a woman’s life, religion and outlook on marriage. She kept meticulous records of not only when, location, and length of raids and bombs. But she also writes of what books she was reading and why and how they effected her during that time frame. Giving the scholar a priceless work to obtain deeper knowledge of all these issues.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting look into the lives of those not on the line, but still very active players in World War 2 (the innocent people who have to live through the atrocities due to location and circumstance). I can't imagine what it would be like to live day to day not knowing who/what would be around when you woke up the next day. And with a husband who is not more attentive, I cannot image what that would be like.

Besides the day to day events, she discusses her thoughts on politics, religion and marriage. She was definitely a woman before her time.

[Alexis Pasquier · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best diaries that I have read. I highly recommend it

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must read volumes 2,3, and 4.

[Caroline Pointer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling Stories from the Grave
Consider this quote:

"I want them [the author's children] to be able to look into the mirror of a book, and find me." [Nook Tablet, p.398]

If that's not not talking from the grave, I don't know what is. Ruby Alice Side Thompson is the author of the diary entries contained in the books, World War II London Blitz Diary, Volumes 1-4. Only volumes one through three have been published, and I'm in the middle of volume two. However, I wanted to share what a great read this book is.

Towards the end of this first volume Ruby mentions why she is wanting to write a book about her life. Though these diary entries are now what has been published via Vickie Aldridge Washuk, Ruby's great-granddaughter. They are the brutally honest accounts of Ruby's life as she saw things as they happened. They are her innermost thoughts, feelings, jubilations, and frustrations.

And I found her quote listed above as being a huge eye-opener for me as well as touching. I'm always writing about and, at times, casting judgement on my ancestors through my sarcasm, and I hardly ever think about what my descendants will think about me and my decisions. Will they be able to look at me ~ ugly parts and all ~ and see who I truly was? Without too much derision or sarcasm? [They definitely won't be getting it in diary form as I've not written in one since I was 14 years old, and I've not seen it since then either. Unfortunately.]

While I don't always see eye-to-eye with Ruby, I can see that I wish I'd known her in person. I wish that I could have been the one to ask her over for tea and listen to her joyous descriptions of her sewing projects, her opinions of the very progressive books for her time that she read, and her thoughts on religion and politics. She truly was born too early for her time, but because of when she was born and because of the awful situations she found herself in, we are allowed have a small peek into the past from which we can see a family trying to survive the London Blitz during World War II. Luckily for the reader, Ruby has a tight grasp of the goings-on of the war, and she isn't afraid to add her opinions to the mix.

Every up and down in her moods and in her life is documented, and her candidness is what makes this book a page-turner. If you have ancestors who were alive during World War II, especially in the UK, then this book is a good place to find how towns, households, and family members lived and what life was like during WW2 during the London Blitz. Though she didn't have the toughest row to hoe during World War II, so to speak, her life ~ understandably ~ was forever affected by it. And these diary entries afford us a trip through time looking at life through Ruby's eyes.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This diary is a very illuminating look at what life during the London Blitz was like. Life-long diarist Ruby talks about both the external events of WWII and her personal experiences on a day-to-day basis living through the Blitz, as well as general family and society events and opinions. Being able to read something that was being written each day, without the benefit of hindsight as to what was historically significant, was very refreshing. The sheer repetitiveness with which the various air alerts each day are recorded gives you a real sense of what it might have been like - without going through the lack of sleep and shattered nerves, of course!

Ruby makes particular comment about how she fully intends her children to read the diaries some day so that they know a bit more about who she really was - the impact of various societal constraints meant she felt unable to truly be herself. This also gives the reader permission to experience her sometimes harsh comments about life and her husband without feeling that you are intruding.

The diaries have been edited by Ruby's great-granddaughter. She has let the content stand as is, and accordingly some comments will likely make modern readers cringe a bit, but thankfully there has been no editing to make the diary more dramatic, as a novelised version might have been. The copyediting could definitely be improved, for example there are a couple of sentences in two entries that were duplicates of other entries, and there are apostrophes where there shouldn't be. While Ruby's family members are listed at the beginning of the book, I felt it would have been more useful to the narrative to add these as footnotes or editorial parentheses as each new person (or place/issue of significance) was mentioned, to explain who they are and their significance in Ruby's life.

The content itself and the fact the diaries survive is a true gift to Ruby's descendants, and now to us as well. This is volume 1 of an intended 4-volume WWII set.

[Amanda Meuwissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I love so much about these diaries, published by the writer's great-granddaughter, is that it isn't historical accounts of specific war events that other records drone on and on about, but real life during the war, how Ruby suffered through it all, and her daily life and tribulations during these years. It's a character study of a real person, a real woman with real troubles and strong opinions she often only felt she could relate in her diaries, never out loud.

I fell in love with Ruby from the start, and find her very blunt feminism amazing and refreshing given the times. Some of her comments and beliefs may shock me, such as her views on other cultures and religions, but it's her personal honest opinions from a very different time, and never fails to fascinate me even when I disagree with her. This isn't yet another tale of battle accounts and broad history that exists in piles and piles of other books on WWII, but the chance to look into the window of a real person's life, and what things were really like for a woman during these strange, stressful years.

These diaries might not appeal to every reader, but I found myself engrossed, amazed, and ever entertained. For the first time I felt a personal connection to the war that no other publication has given me, and Ruby is one in a million. If this sounds even remotely interesting to you, or if you're a lover of these historical times and what real, normal life was like from a woman's perspective, this is a must read.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even more than the London blitz, this journal provides insight into how married women were viewed by their husbands in the first half of the Twentieth century. The granddaughter, who edits the journal, warns the reader that her Grandmother's words may be offensive--so I didn't know if I would be able to finish the book. However, when it came to it, many of her venting entries were on the status of the married woman, treatment by men, and men and religion. (However, there is one entry where she uses an off color word for the Italian people, after their country is allied with the Germans.)

Another interesting fact to me was that all of their letters sent through the post were censored. Thompson receives some of her own letter back that we're to be sent to her children in America.

In all, this is an interesting memoir of the war, a mother with children at wor, and women's roles in the 1940s. Thompson'svoice is compelling and erisinalbe. Of course, as this is a journal I am aware that we only get her side of the story, but it is compelling nontheless. highly recommended.

(Do note that she makes a lot of criticism of the Catholic faith, mostly as her husband is obsessed with it, even attending Mass daily.)

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is volume 1 and a very down to earth, honest diary about the London Blitz in World War II. It is also the same thing about Ruby Thompson's private life and her feelings about her family and husband.
As the bombs drop, she tells of the fear and then the numbness of the experience. She also hates all men for perpetrating the war and destruction of her country, city and personal life.
Ruby's husband leaves her alone much of the time and, when the air raids come, she is terror stricken. This is the time she silently berates her husband and turns to her diary to at least tell the truth somewhere.
I like this woman. She pulls no punches in her diary, but she doesn't stand up for herself, either, except when she is shoved to the wall. I'm looking forward to Volume 2.

Even after reading this diary it is impossible to imagine what it must be like to cope with daily life with bombs falling all around. The day time raids would have been bad enough, but the night raids had to be worse simply because you would be exhausted and wouldn't be able to see where the bombs were dropping or how much was being destroyed. We must all hope this never happens again anywhere.

[KA N Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that can be read by 14 +

I got this as a freebie and was overcome with the quality of the writing and the interest it kept going while I was reading.

You have to remember that this book and the others in the series were drafted from actual diaries that the lady must have written in between air raids or during the air raids if there was light.

Worrying about finding enough to eat and if she was bombed out finding clothes.

Worrying if her home would still be standing in the morning, worrying about family not in her sight during air raids, worrying about family members serving somewhere else.

The writing of the diary may be part of what got the lady through those terrible nights and days.

There are four volumes. I got the first three as they came up as freebies but could not wait for Volume 4 and paid for that one.

One of the volumes has the author's name written differently and you may have to find that volume using the title only.

[Patricrk patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read someones diary, you get to know them better than you ever would any other way. Read this book and get to know Ruby Thompson. Ruby's diary from the start of World War II is an amazing look at her inner thoughts. The sheer terror and exhaustion she felt as the bombs started falling for seemingly hours on end, day after day is hard for us to imagine. In these days of Internet and mobile phones it is difficult to grasp her isolation with most of her sons in America, her youngest two in the British armed forces and her husband preoccupied with his own concerns. In between the lines there is a glimpse of how life must go even in Britain-at-war as she deals with health issues, in-laws, censors, rationing and fashion. An excellent look at one woman's view of World War II from before the war to England's darkest hour.

[Peyton Reeser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just what the title promised, a diary about being a London housewife during WW2.
Not intended to be a work for sharing or something which would end up a book, these are the private thoughts from the POV of a 1940's female and as such provides the reader with an interesting look at how women of this era thought, how they navigated society, how they were treated by husbands, etc. Lots of food for thought and while some of it was clearly whining tinged with some self pity, that judgement seems a bit harsh for who amongst us hasn't whined in the pages of a private journal? Some of the real world descriptions of life at 50 were very telling and made me realize how different my life at 50 is from hers. All in all an interesting read. Am glad I took a chance ~ love me some kindle! I'm reading so much more and exploring so many different genres:-). On to the next ....!

[Tay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally gave this only 2 stars, and very nearly stopped reading it halfway through. I had been reading the Nella Last diaries, and this suffered in comparison.

Nella, although she had a tendency to go on sometimes, gave us a look at the time and place as well as her personal life. For the first half of this book, Ruby never managed to convince me she cared about anything but herself.

It did finally pick up a little, but I currently don't think I'll go on to read the other three volumes. It's not so much that Ruby's life is uninteresting, as that I wanted to read about the Blitz. Ruby gives us what times the raids started and stopped, but it read like a railway timetable. Then we were back to her shopping and annoying husband and neighbors.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a book. This book is Ruby Alice Side-Thompson's diary written during WWII in England. Ruby describes bombs falling night and day for days on end. The house rattles and shakes. It really drives home the horrible conditions experienced in England at this time. But this isn't only a diary about war. One gets to know Ruby, her family and neighbors. And her inner personal thoughts about her husband, who she despises and finds intellectually boring. Ruby is also an early feminist, expressing thoughts no woman could express in those days. It was so good I immediately ordered the next 3 volumes of her diaries. Highly recommend.

[Katherine Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fascinating at first, but then mind numbingly tedious. A woman in a bad marriage while bombs fall. Repeat.
After a while I felt no sympathy for the writer. She displayed in her diary that she had every fault she found in her husband. By the middle of the book you realize they are two sides of the same coin. With bombs.
The bombs were not as front and center as her bad relationship, and that was the interesting part. We all know England was bombed, but how people survived day after day was tragic but heroic. If you are interested in World War II and the Blitz, read something else. If you want to listen a really annoying person whine and whine, read this.

[Myrna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the published dairy of a woman who lived through the London blitz. She is interesting because the life she leads is vastly different from her diary writings. She is very intelligent and writes accurate about the war and her personal feelings about it but what is interesting is the revelations of how she really feels, especially about her marriage. She is a true feminist way before it is popular to be one. I am on to volumne 2.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into another person's private thoughts is always a bit spooky, but in this case it's also hard to put down. We are looking at World War II in Britain from a very personal perspective. As this book shows, the constant stress - and terror - have an impact on everything about this woman and her relationship with her family. It's a fascinating look at history.

[Deana Porretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great view from a woman who lived through the bombings of World War II in England. Her take on how her husband reacts to the war by imersing himself in church and duty, how her sons are invloved in the war, and the sons back in America all give you a sense on the daily life of an English house wife. I'm currently reading the second volume of these diaries.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of four volumes of a diary that was written by Ruby Side Thompson. Volume one spans 1939-1940. In it is details about her marriage and the beginnings of World War II. She gives vivid descriptions of the bombing of London by the Germans. I could actually feel the terror she felt and at times I thought I was actually there with her. It was a very interesting read.

[Ceri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, not to sure I'm keen on Ruby I'm afraid, I find her slightly formidable. I did enjoy her writings on the war though. I wish she had included more of her background like why she was back and fore America and what Ted did for a living. Looking forward to the second volume.

[Maryellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read! I look forward to reading part 2!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always fun to read journals from the past. I was hoping she'd written a little bit more about the war and less about her husband but since that's probably what was more important to her I get it. Also since this is at the beginning of the war she may not have thought it important enough to talk about. Nevertheless it was interesting and I loved the few pictures in it would've been neat to see a few more if she had any.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book, and then I put it down for a year before I picked it back up. It was an interesting read and gave some insights into life during the war, but I did enjoy the candid openness of what was written. I think that it may have been so candid because these were personal diaries but it was nice to see a 3-dimensional view of a person rather than a fictional portrayal of a person.

[Dean Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Read

One seldom finds the thoughts of a person so eloquently expressed. This seems to be a an honest and heart wrenching account of a woman in or near London during the Blitz. Her inner struggles make this fascinating.

[Liz Suber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried reading this book but didn't get very far. I was thinking it was about her experiences, but all I was reading was complaining about her husband. Maybe I will try again another day.

[jmilesc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up in mid 2021- I've read it before, and I love real people's diaries, but lost interest. One I'll keep and someday pick up again. Need to be in the right mood.

[Claire Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this book is a published diary it isn't fair to submit the same review I would if it had been written fictionally, I say this, as the first half of the book is a little slow paced, mainly just complaining about her marriage and her husband, but this was real life, and this was her only outlet, having to suck it up in reality. Also, it is mean to want bombs to fall so the story can get exciting, as this was peoples lives, and when the bombs do start to fall, you realise the constant fear they lived in and for me left me wondering how they lived a normal life and got up and went to work having been sat up ALL night from constant raids nearby. I guess this is the kind of thing which makes us look to this generation in awe, at how tough they were, even if like in this story, they didn't feel it.

Definitely worth a read to get a firsthand account of living through the Blitz. This was only Part 1 for me, so I will now like to read Part 2, as in Part 1 Churchill is only just in power - so I want to read about the turning of the tide, and Britain's victory!