HUMP DAY HUNK: Louise Roberts

 

Hump Day Hunk with Louise Roberts

 

Born in Holloway, North London on 20^th March 1918 Sergeant William “Bill” Brooks was a tall, blond-haired, well-built young man. He had been apprenticed to his father, an electrician by trade, since he had left school at the age of fourteen. Bill was the second eldest of twelve living children. The eldest, a sister, May stepped in to the role of “mum” when their own mother had died at the young age of fifty six.

When war was declared in September 1939 Bill quickly joined up with the Royal Artillery as an anti-aircraft gunner and was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Later he would be one of the last men to be taken off the beaches at Dunkirk. He would then serve defending southern England at the height of the Blitz.

As part of a morale boosting exercise the Red Cross were asking women for volunteers to write letters to frontline troops.

In Letter from a Stranger Sergeant William “Bill” Brooks first “encounters” Jean White when he receives a letter from her in late 1940.

From when they begin to exchange correspondence Bill is captivated by the woman he has never met. However when they finally do meet it is an experience neither could have anticipated…

 

…It had been a wonderful afternoon. Bill had felt very relaxed amongst Jean and her family, so much so, that when he asked if Jean would accompany him on a short walk there was no question their friendship had been sealed when she accepted the invitation. When her parents seemed to encourage them to go for the walk, his heart leapt for joy.

They walked hand-in-hand along Southwark Park Road in the direction of the river ignoring the bomb-damaged buildings. Side-stepping craters in the road created by parachute mines as they spoke on a variety of subjects getting to know each other. By the time they had returned to the pub, it was almost evening, and they had been grateful to Mister Hitler for not ruining their day. There had been a lull in air raids over Christmas, and it had been nice it had extended into Boxing Day.

“It has been a wonderful day, Bill. Thank you for my present, I shall enjoy reading it.”

“Well, you did say you liked Jan Tempest.”

“It was sweet of you to remember.”

“I will be heading up to Buckinghamshire at the weekend to visit my youngest brother and sister—”

“Yes, I would love to come along,” Jean said quickly interrupting him.

As he looked down at this beautiful young woman before him, his heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t experienced such a feeling before and wondered if this was what falling in love was like. He gazed into her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She reached up on the tips of her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips.

 

Letter from a Stranger is released as an e-book by Luminosity Publishing UK and is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on LP’s Book Store:

Head to Louise‘s website to find out more about her writing.