Yvonne, child of the Somme - Sara Rowell

Yvonne Millet wasborn into poverty in Paris during La Belle poque,in the shadow of Notre-Dame cathedral. Taken to a childminder in the countryside afew days after birth, she became a ward of state atthe age of three when her mother disappeared. A stable childhood in the beautiful Somme region ofnorthern France was shattered when, aged fifteen, she was sent to work as a maid in a military town, during the First World War. Her devastating experiences would change her life and haunt her forever.As a troubled young woman facing a precarious future, chance led Yvonne to marry a former British soldier. Hopes of fulfilment with a husband and family were marred by profound insecurities and the Second World War.A moving, true account of one girl's formative years in early 20th century France, Yvonne, Child of the Somme is also the story of thousands of children like her, who shared a similar fate. Most were too ashamed of their background ever to reveal their heart-rending stories. The echoes of their pain reverberated down the generations, unexplained.'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.' Sren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher, 1813-55