Jacky Hyams is a London based freelance journalist, editor, columnist and author of non fiction books. She has over 25 years of experience in writing on a wide range of topics for leading mass market magazines and newspapers in the UK and Australia. Her passion for 20th Century history led to the publication of a number of successful books including a fifties childhood memoir ‘Bombsites and Lollipops’, an exploration of the world of the Edwardian stately home, ‘The Real Life Downton Abbey’, and a WWII historical title, ‘The Female Few: Spitfire Pilots of the ATA’. She is also the author of ‘Jennifer Saunders – the Biography’.
Jacky’s most recent book, Bomb Girls: Britain’s Secret Army,the Munitions Women of WW2, was published in August 2013 by John Blake Publishing.
Many Journalists become authors. What prompted you to write books?
I’ve been a journalist for over thirty years, mostly working in newspapers and magazines. Writing non fiction books was always an option– but I didn’t start it
until a work slowdown prompted an approach to a book publisher for a self help book for families which was accepted and published in 2007. Even then, it wasn’t until
2010 that another journalist encouraged me to consider writing a biography about growing up in London’s East End in the 1950s. And at that point I realised I loved
researching and writing about 20th Century history.
What made you decide to write non-fiction rather than fiction?
Unlike many journalists, I’ve never been drawn to writing fiction or creating fictional characters. There is certainly a freedom in writing fiction that you don’t have in
non fiction — but my view is, real events and people are fascinating enough!
Your latest book “Bomb Girls: Britain’s Secret Army: The Munitions Women of World War II” describes the female war effort in the munitions factories. Do you believe they were a secret army whose stories should be recognized, and why?
Bomb Girls certainly were a forgotten secret army during WWII. There were many reasons why their work was never acknowledged but the main one was that ALL wartime munitions production had to be conducted as secretly as possible, to avoid the risk of bombing raids and, of course, the huge fatalities — and the damage to Britain’s war effort — that could occur if such an important target as a bomb factory were to be seriously attacked. At the same time, everyone in the country knew, thanks to huge propaganda campaigns like ‘Be like Dad, Keep Mum’ that in wartime, you couldn’t openly discuss anything relating to your war work and the munitions women were no different to anyone else. Even within the factory complexes, the women worked at their assigned job on the factory floor — but were forbidden to go anywhere else in the building. Nor were they ever told if there was an accident or fatality, unless they witnessed it themselves.
It’s difficult to comprehend the level of secrecy nowadays, because our world is so different but this was wartime and the country’s survival was at stake. The Bomb Girls never wore a uniform outside their workplace either, which meant they couldn’t be easily identified like everyone else. Patchy official record keeping was another reason for the long silence around their contribution. All newspaper reporting was heavily censored at the time.
And, of course, the women themselves mostly returned to everyday life as soon as they could, raised their families and just got on with life. They didn’t see themselves as being special or worthy of commendation. It’s a cliché but people really did see themselves as being all in it together.
Nearly 2 million women were part of the war effort in this way, why are their stories only beginning to emerge?
Their stories are only starting to emerge now thanks to the efforts of the British Legion — who helped organise the first ever march of munitions workers on Remembrance Day in 2012 — and a Cross Party group of MPs across the country who joined with their constituents, usually families of the munitions women, past and surviving, in a big campaign to see some sort of formal recognition for the women, i.e. a permanent memorial. This is now likely to be set up within the next couple of years.
How did women find themselves in that line of employment and dangerous situation?
The munitions women found themselves on the factory floor, helping assemble the bombs, the spare parts, filling the bullets, making the Jeeps because conscription for women — the call up — was introduced, somewhat cautiously, for the first time in 1941. Women had worked in all sorts of roles in World War One, including munitions, but they had stepped forward voluntarily. The idea of women being legally obliged to step up for paid war work was seen as controversial at the time because the thinking then was very much women’s place was in the home. But there was no other option: the men were away fighting — and there was a desperate need for women workers to take their place. Some women did volunteer for munitions war work, especially in rural areas where employment options for women were very scarce, but the majority were required to register for paid war work. So they did. Everyone knew they had to ‘do their bit’.
Your extensive non-fiction writing includes several time periods. What is your favourite part of history to research and write about?
It’s difficult to say whether I have a ‘favourite’ time period to write about, I tend to be immersed in each one at the time, but I found the Edwardian era (the first years of the 20th Century) especially fascinating, the ‘upstairs, downstairs’ life of The Real Life Downton Abbey, mainly because of the contrast between those at the top and those who had no option other than to serve them.
The world was so different just over a century back, yet the very things we now regard as commonplace, aviation, cars, public transport, were already in their early days. As was the Welfare State.
Why did you choose to write Jennifer Saunders biography, and are there any other celebrities you would like to write about?
I’ve always had a fascination with showbiz, especially movies, mainly because the early part of my career involved stints as a movie reviewer and writer for publications like Rolling Stone.
However, once I became a magazine editor, I stopped writing about the entertainment industry and started commissioning showbiz features to freelance journalists. Then, over time, I started to focus on other topics like real life stories. The Jennifer Saunders book was commissioned by my publishers, John Blake Publishing because at that time, there was no official biography of Jennifer, despite her world wide fame.
It was fascinating to research, especially the early years of her career in the 80s because there was an important sea change in comedy then with female comic performers like Dawn French and Jennifer starting to take centre stage. Comedy itself was changing at the same time with stand up comedians in tiny venues creating a ‘new wave’ of outspoken and outrageous comic performance which soon moved onto our tv screens.
One of your books is about providing support to ageing parents. Was this based on your own experience?
The book, Time to Help Your Parents, was very much a consequence of my own experience. An only child with an ageing widowed mother. I had always been very close to her and my efforts to look after her when she became frail and needed more help were echoing those of many of my contemporaries. Ageing is a complex issue for many reasons, some of them non medical. So I decided to write a book giving practical pointers of where to get help but also looking at the emotional issues that many families face when caring for their loved ones.
It was difficult to write while I was living it, so to speak, but it was a worthwhile venture, knowing your work could be helping others.
The 50′s and 60′s are covered in two of your books. Was this nostalgic for you?
Writing about the 50s and 60s was an incredibly nostalgic experience for two reasons: it took me back to the London of my childhood and early adulthood. Some of that London is long gone — but some of it remains unchanged. London is an incredible city and being part of it as it emerged from wartime rubble evolving into the Swinging City of the Sixties and then writing about it was, for me, fantastically rewarding. The hairdos, the fashions, the cultural impact of the music and the movies….as I say, some is gone but so much remains, even now.
What was the most interesting thing you discovered from your research of any book you have written?
For me, the most interesting aspect of the topics I’ve researched was the way women’s lives changed so dramatically. It was gradual. But the social legislation of the late Sixties, the changes to divorce laws, the emergence of free contraception, i.e. the Pill, the decriminalisation of abortion and homosexuality, even the education system of the time that gave free access to university to ordinary low income families followed by the working options that slowly became available to women, made me realise how fortunate the baby boomers (those born directly after WW2) have been. We are a historically privileged group.
What do you like about events most?
I enjoy events like these because, for a writer, they give you the best opportunity ever for feedback from your reader. Nowadays you can have feedback at the touch of a key, certainly.
But I enjoy meeting people face to face, listening to their views and, hopefully, their appreciation of what I’ve written about.
What makes your event special, unique, or controversial?
As for my view on what makes my event special, I’d say it’s my willingness to engage with others. Writing itself is a solitary process. But you can’t create in a total vacuum, you need other people’s input for a million reasons, not just on a screen. A good online review or comment is encouraging but we can’t restrict ourselves to the addiction to the little device.
I think that’s one good reason why events of this type are becoming increasingly popular. We still need face to face, one on one communication. That is never going to change.
Thank you for your time Jacky, look forward to seeing you at The Thames Valley History Festival 2013.
Find out all about Jacky Hyams at http://jackyhyams.wordpress.com/
Jacky Hyams is a guest author at the Thames Valley History Festival
Jacky will be speaking at a Coffee Morning WWII: Home Front to War Saturday 16th November, at 11am
Tickets are £7.50 (10% discount with advantage card) available in October.
