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The Exeter Blitz
On top of the Exeter cathedral when a Nazi bombing raid begins, 14-year-old Colin Lockwood survives the attack and searches for the rest of his family.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 17, 2023
Honestly speaking, and if I am to be totally truthful here, the intellectual and academic part of me (also known as my older adult reading self) certainly does (or perhaps more to the point did) rather want there not to be any historical anachronisms of time featured in David Rees' 1978 Carnegie Medal winning young adult novel The Exeter Blitz, and mostly so because so much of Rees' text for The Exeter Blitz is obviously and solidly based on actual events and is written like a detailed historical account and document of Germany's 1942 bombing of Exeter, Rees' author's note where it is demonstrated why he really has no qualms about changing the timing of the Nazi bombing Exeter quite notwithstanding (because indeed, the German air raid on Exeter actually took place around 2 AM on May 4th 1942 and not during the day as how in The Exeter Blitz the attack is being presented).
However and the above now having been stated, I do (albeit more than a bit grudgingly and really only because my inner teenager insistently tells me so and I am listening to her) now accept and understand that Rees' main purpose of The Exeter Blitz is actually not to just present the Nazis' attempt to destroy Exeter and its world-famous cathedral. Because The Exeter Blitz is also and maybe even primarily so the coming of age story of main protagonist Colin Lockwood and how not only Colin but the rest of the Lockwoods fare and react during the bombing, and with David Rees realistically presenting each of the family members' thoughts, feelings and activities up to, during and after the blitz attack through the use of an omniscient narrator (because in this way, the readers of The Exeter Blitz are privy to the way Colin and his family deal with the loss and damage that surrounds them during the attack). And therefore, I guess it does not really textually matter all that much that in actual fact, the raid on Exeter took place at night and not during daylight hours (and that David Rees kind of even needs to put the bombing during the day for his story and in order for the family members to be in different areas of Exeter and on different errands). Since of course, if in The Exeter Blitz Rees would have the bombing raid happening at night, Colin and his family all would be asleep (and at home) and there would thus not be much of a story for David Rees to tell (so that yes, I do certainly now accept and understand after listening to my inner child that what makes The Exeter Blitz really worthwhile as a novel is watching each person changing and also maturing and growing over the two days Colin's story covers, and if that requires a bit of an artistic temporal license from David Rees, so be it).
An intense and well written novel is The Exeter Blitz and one that is both historically interesting and also a relatable and textually appealing portrait of family and of how a group of diverse members of one family (the Lockwoods) react to and deal with horribly nasty, human caused mayhem and terror, with David Rees' story having been a surprisingly enlightening and also pleasurable reading experience for me (and where I am glad to be listening to the voice of my inner child, turning off my critical always historical accuracy demanding adult reader and actually finding the often for and to me tedious novels of WWII and WWII bombings neither boring nor dragging in any way with The Exeter Blitz and majorly appreciating this, as indeed, there are far far too many WWII stories that are simply same old, same old, and it is so refreshing that in my humble opinion, David Rees totally avoid this).
However and the above now having been stated, I do (albeit more than a bit grudgingly and really only because my inner teenager insistently tells me so and I am listening to her) now accept and understand that Rees' main purpose of The Exeter Blitz is actually not to just present the Nazis' attempt to destroy Exeter and its world-famous cathedral. Because The Exeter Blitz is also and maybe even primarily so the coming of age story of main protagonist Colin Lockwood and how not only Colin but the rest of the Lockwoods fare and react during the bombing, and with David Rees realistically presenting each of the family members' thoughts, feelings and activities up to, during and after the blitz attack through the use of an omniscient narrator (because in this way, the readers of The Exeter Blitz are privy to the way Colin and his family deal with the loss and damage that surrounds them during the attack). And therefore, I guess it does not really textually matter all that much that in actual fact, the raid on Exeter took place at night and not during daylight hours (and that David Rees kind of even needs to put the bombing during the day for his story and in order for the family members to be in different areas of Exeter and on different errands). Since of course, if in The Exeter Blitz Rees would have the bombing raid happening at night, Colin and his family all would be asleep (and at home) and there would thus not be much of a story for David Rees to tell (so that yes, I do certainly now accept and understand after listening to my inner child that what makes The Exeter Blitz really worthwhile as a novel is watching each person changing and also maturing and growing over the two days Colin's story covers, and if that requires a bit of an artistic temporal license from David Rees, so be it).
An intense and well written novel is The Exeter Blitz and one that is both historically interesting and also a relatable and textually appealing portrait of family and of how a group of diverse members of one family (the Lockwoods) react to and deal with horribly nasty, human caused mayhem and terror, with David Rees' story having been a surprisingly enlightening and also pleasurable reading experience for me (and where I am glad to be listening to the voice of my inner child, turning off my critical always historical accuracy demanding adult reader and actually finding the often for and to me tedious novels of WWII and WWII bombings neither boring nor dragging in any way with The Exeter Blitz and majorly appreciating this, as indeed, there are far far too many WWII stories that are simply same old, same old, and it is so refreshing that in my humble opinion, David Rees totally avoid this).
April 17, 2020
A 12+ wartime story set in the West Country, the Exeter Blitz was not the first of Rees' novels but it was his first to pick up the Carnegie. Although the story follows the story of Colin Lockwood and his family there is no doubt that it is Exeter itself that is the star of the show.
Oddly, it seems to have completely disappeared off the radar but it stands just as strongly as Westall's The Machine-Gunners and Cooper's Dawn of Fear although I might argue that Fireweedis the finest homefront novel for a younger audience.
In his autobiography, Rees mentions how he sat next to Philippa Pearce at the Carnegie event (pipping The Battle of Bubble and Squeak at the post) and is found lauding her self-effacing nature when he reminds her of her own success with Tom's Midnight Garden - a book, he states, that all children's literature should be measured by.
Oddly, it seems to have completely disappeared off the radar but it stands just as strongly as Westall's The Machine-Gunners and Cooper's Dawn of Fear although I might argue that Fireweedis the finest homefront novel for a younger audience.
In his autobiography, Rees mentions how he sat next to Philippa Pearce at the Carnegie event (pipping The Battle of Bubble and Squeak at the post) and is found lauding her self-effacing nature when he reminds her of her own success with Tom's Midnight Garden - a book, he states, that all children's literature should be measured by.
May 30, 2011
May 3, 1942 starts out like any other day. Colin Lockwood, 14, is falling asleep in class and his despised history teacher, Mr. Kitchen, catches him, earning Colin an extra homework assignment that night – a four page essay entitled “Why I am a Fool.” Terry Wootton, an evacuee from London and no friend of Colin’s even though they share a desk, finds Colin’s predicament very amusing.
After school, Colin seems to get under foot with everyone. His mother is busy preparing for a wartime fashion show at Nimrods, the shop where she works; his older sister Mary, a nursing student, is in the living room with her soon to be drafted boy friend, Lars; younger sister June, 10, was having her tea with her best friend Pamela. Colin decides to go off to see his father at Exeter Cathedral, where he is a verger.
Returning home with his dad a little later, Colin’s bad day isn’t over yet. He is told he must help serve snacks and sherry at the fashion show, where, as it turns out, Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen are also in attendance. Despite this, Colin does very well until he is hit with a bad case of the giggles over the name of the show’s organizer, Mrs. Wimbleball. His mother tells him to leave, and he runs out of the store, remembers he left his jacket in the top of the south tower of the Cathedral, and decides to go and fetch it.
While walking up to the tower, Colin hears the first drone of planes, but continues upward thinking there is plenty of time between sirens sounding and the arrival of the planes. But not this time.
Up in the tower, Colin watches as the bombing of Exeter begins almost immediately. By the time the all clear sounds, a little over an hour later, Exeter is in shambles. On his way home, Colin runs into his enemy Terry Wootton and his mother outside their destroyed fish and chips shop/home. Mrs. Wootton goes to stay with her sister, while Colin and Terry go to the Lockwood house. Colin’s home has been destroyed, but his sister June and his father survived in their shelter – a reinforced cupboard under the stairs. His mother, he later learns, was trapped in an elevator in Nimrods with Mrs. Wimbleball and Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen. His sister Mary has managed to get to the hospital to help out.
June goes to stay with her friend Pamela and his father goes to check the damage to the cathedral. Colin leaves a note for his mom, climbs into the house to get some sleeping bags and food, and he and Terry go off to a field to sleep in the haystack.
The next day, when they return to Mrs. Wootton’s fish and chips store, they find all the thawed out fish and the potatoes, and set up shop amid the rubble, advertising it as:
“T. Wootton and C. Lockwood. Noted fryers of quality fish. Business as usual. Hot meals on sale. FREE.”
Realizing they have much in common and work so well together, Terry and Colin have by now gone from being mortal enemies to being fast friends. For Colin, the bombing of Exeter serves as the catalyst that helps Colin become a very different person than the boy he was when he woke up on the morning of May 3rd.
The purpose of The Exeter Blitz not to present the attempt to destroy the cathedral, and what a terrible loss that would be. Though this is Colin’s coming of age story, Rees has also realistically presented each of the Lockwood’s thoughts, feelings and activities up to, during and after the bombing through the use of an omniscient narrator.. In this way, the readers is privy to the way each of them deals with the loss and damage that surrounds them on the morning of May 4th. It is inevitable that that level of destruction of personal and public property would have an effect on each individual. What makes The Exeter Blitz such a worthwhile novel to read is watching each person changing over the two days that the novel covers.
This focus on people rather than the event may be why Rees had no qualms about using anachronism in the timing of the blitz on Exeter, which he fully acknowledges in his Introduction. The bombing actually took place around 2 AM on May 4th. Had Rees written his novel using the correct time of the bombing, he would not have been about to present the kind of diversity of view points changing the time enabled. All the Lockwood family would have been sleeping in their beds and not interacting with the other residents of Exeter.
Exeter was part of the air attacks known as the Baedecker raids. Hitler, angered by the fire bombing of Lübeck, gave the order for all of the famous, meaningful historic building listed in the Baedecker Guide to Great Britain to be bombed out of existence in retaliation. These included Exeter, Bath, Norwich, and York. Canterbury was targeted in retaliation for the bombing of Cologne.
David Rees was awarded the 1978 Carnegie Award for The Exeter Blitz.
This book is recommended for readers aged 10-14 years old.
This book was purchased for my personal library.
After school, Colin seems to get under foot with everyone. His mother is busy preparing for a wartime fashion show at Nimrods, the shop where she works; his older sister Mary, a nursing student, is in the living room with her soon to be drafted boy friend, Lars; younger sister June, 10, was having her tea with her best friend Pamela. Colin decides to go off to see his father at Exeter Cathedral, where he is a verger.
Returning home with his dad a little later, Colin’s bad day isn’t over yet. He is told he must help serve snacks and sherry at the fashion show, where, as it turns out, Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen are also in attendance. Despite this, Colin does very well until he is hit with a bad case of the giggles over the name of the show’s organizer, Mrs. Wimbleball. His mother tells him to leave, and he runs out of the store, remembers he left his jacket in the top of the south tower of the Cathedral, and decides to go and fetch it.
While walking up to the tower, Colin hears the first drone of planes, but continues upward thinking there is plenty of time between sirens sounding and the arrival of the planes. But not this time.
Up in the tower, Colin watches as the bombing of Exeter begins almost immediately. By the time the all clear sounds, a little over an hour later, Exeter is in shambles. On his way home, Colin runs into his enemy Terry Wootton and his mother outside their destroyed fish and chips shop/home. Mrs. Wootton goes to stay with her sister, while Colin and Terry go to the Lockwood house. Colin’s home has been destroyed, but his sister June and his father survived in their shelter – a reinforced cupboard under the stairs. His mother, he later learns, was trapped in an elevator in Nimrods with Mrs. Wimbleball and Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen. His sister Mary has managed to get to the hospital to help out.
June goes to stay with her friend Pamela and his father goes to check the damage to the cathedral. Colin leaves a note for his mom, climbs into the house to get some sleeping bags and food, and he and Terry go off to a field to sleep in the haystack.
The next day, when they return to Mrs. Wootton’s fish and chips store, they find all the thawed out fish and the potatoes, and set up shop amid the rubble, advertising it as:
“T. Wootton and C. Lockwood. Noted fryers of quality fish. Business as usual. Hot meals on sale. FREE.”
Realizing they have much in common and work so well together, Terry and Colin have by now gone from being mortal enemies to being fast friends. For Colin, the bombing of Exeter serves as the catalyst that helps Colin become a very different person than the boy he was when he woke up on the morning of May 3rd.
The purpose of The Exeter Blitz not to present the attempt to destroy the cathedral, and what a terrible loss that would be. Though this is Colin’s coming of age story, Rees has also realistically presented each of the Lockwood’s thoughts, feelings and activities up to, during and after the bombing through the use of an omniscient narrator.. In this way, the readers is privy to the way each of them deals with the loss and damage that surrounds them on the morning of May 4th. It is inevitable that that level of destruction of personal and public property would have an effect on each individual. What makes The Exeter Blitz such a worthwhile novel to read is watching each person changing over the two days that the novel covers.
This focus on people rather than the event may be why Rees had no qualms about using anachronism in the timing of the blitz on Exeter, which he fully acknowledges in his Introduction. The bombing actually took place around 2 AM on May 4th. Had Rees written his novel using the correct time of the bombing, he would not have been about to present the kind of diversity of view points changing the time enabled. All the Lockwood family would have been sleeping in their beds and not interacting with the other residents of Exeter.
Exeter was part of the air attacks known as the Baedecker raids. Hitler, angered by the fire bombing of Lübeck, gave the order for all of the famous, meaningful historic building listed in the Baedecker Guide to Great Britain to be bombed out of existence in retaliation. These included Exeter, Bath, Norwich, and York. Canterbury was targeted in retaliation for the bombing of Cologne.
David Rees was awarded the 1978 Carnegie Award for The Exeter Blitz.
This book is recommended for readers aged 10-14 years old.
This book was purchased for my personal library.
March 19, 2022
Published in 1978 this is definitely a ‘boy’ book in that the protagonist has some very dated attitudes towards girls and women, and is very much from his point of view. That said, especially given what’s happening in Ukraine at the moment, this does present a very real view of what it’s like to be caught up in war. It doesn’t shy away from the reality of war, especially when the lives of ordinary people are affected.
March 18, 2012
First, I must make a disclaimer. I may have enjoyed this book more because I lived in Exeter for couple of years while in grad school. I knew all the streets and places mentioned and that was lovely.
As for the book itself, it was a quick read. Easy to follow and charming. The events of the actual attack are such a page turner that I couldn't put it down. Is it ''great'' literature? Perhaps not, but the characters were a real little family.
The only complaint I might have is the final line of the book. I would have changed the final response to ''Nothing'' as opposed to what is written. It just seemed a cheesy end to such a good story.
As for the book itself, it was a quick read. Easy to follow and charming. The events of the actual attack are such a page turner that I couldn't put it down. Is it ''great'' literature? Perhaps not, but the characters were a real little family.
The only complaint I might have is the final line of the book. I would have changed the final response to ''Nothing'' as opposed to what is written. It just seemed a cheesy end to such a good story.
October 28, 2012
I lived in Exeter when I read this and liked it all the more because I could locate it accurately. I can't say I have a great memory of it as an accurate account of what it must have been like to live through the Exeter Blitz, nor is it a particularly good example of characterisation. I read it because it was recommended by the good folk who looked after my post graduate education for a while. My son's girlfriend has also read it. She is also a post grad at the University of Exeter. She also had it recommended to her by the local academics. Exeter is a small, loyal and cosy world.
The book is worth reading, but not worth making any great effort to read.
The book is worth reading, but not worth making any great effort to read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews