War Comes to the Dales (Made in Yorkshire Book 2)

A historical novel set in World War II by Mary Jayne Baker, writing as Betty Firth. It was published by Hera on 19th October 2023.

Can she help the village survive the war?

April 1941.

When Bobby Bancroft arrived in Silverdale to take a job as a reporter on The Tyke magazine, the sleepy Yorkshire Dales village felt like a little pocket of a past long gone.

While much of the country was suffering nightly bombing raids as the Blitz raged, life in isolated Silverdale carried on just as it had for a hundred years or more. But as the summer of 1941 approaches, war finally seems to have come to Silverdale. The villagers face new hardships when shortages and rationing begin to bite, young men become scarce as more and more are called up, and Bobby finds herself juggling her job on the magazine with a new role as an ARP warden. Even her surly editor Reg and his wife are doing their bit, taking two young evacuees from London into their home.

Meanwhile, Bobby has been growing closer to village vet Charlie, who is preparing to leave Silverdale to begin training with the RAF. The villagers are whispering that wedding bells will soon be chiming, but then Bobby is confronted with an impossible choice. Can she bring herself to give up the job she adores to be with the man she loves?

Don’t miss this heart-warming, captivating World War Two saga series set in the Yorkshire Dales. If you like James Herriot, Gervase Phinn, Pam Howes or Maggie Mason, you’ll love this.