Local literary and drama guru Geoff Fox gave those who attended our November lecture a fascinating insight into the way war has been presented in children’s literature over the years. Geoff started by recounting his early memories during the Second World War - Mum & Dad in their armchairs by the fire, dad asleep (works 7 days a week at Manchester docks, which were heavily blitzed) and Geoff, aged 6, lying on the sofa reading ‘Knockout’ from a Christmas annual he had read again and again, and his brother out at bible class in Altrincham. Two minutes later Geoff had lost the book for ever.
Geoff and his family rushed to the French windows to investigate a roaring sound overhead. They saw a very low flying RAF plane which evidently had engine trouble. Suddenly, the dining room wall flew towards them, dad kicked in the French windows with his Home Guard boots (they were good for gardening!) and they ran through it and into the garden. The wings of the aircraft aiming for the field beyond their house had clipped a tree and spun round hitting the front of the house. Graphic black and white photographs displayed by Geoff showed the front of the house had been totally demolished and it was surprising that the house had not totally collapsed.
Geoff was taken to neighbours (must have had money because their son had four comics a week!), and he was invited to read piles of comics. This did lots to take Geoff’s mind off the narrow escape his family had just had. Having well and truly got his audience’s attention, Geoff then embarked upon a summary of comics read throughout the 20th century and the annuals that often accompanied them. Most of these glorified war, encouraging young men to ‘play the game’ and sign up. School children didn't get Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen like they do now. Lots of poems before and during the war failed to describe the horror of war, the dreadful casualties and the loss of life involved.
Moving on to children’s novels, Geoff quoted passages from P. G. Wodehouse, John Buchan, ‘Just William’ and ‘Biggles’. Many had been printed in other languages and he had been surprised to find 30 volumes of ‘Biggles’ in the Czech Republic!
In conclusion, Geoff referred to the more enlightened and realistic accounts of war given in some children’s literature in more recent years, citing Morpurgo’s ‘War Horse’ and others.
David Nation