Army wife reveals story behind book

LIFE as an Army wife can be tough. Relief at learning you haven’t lost your loved one to war quickly turns to guilt that somebody else has, and you always wonder if you’ll be next to receive “the knock on the door”.

Fiona Stanford felt it was time the stories of the wives, girlfriends and parents were told. She decided to write Don’t Say Goodbye after the death in Afghanistan of Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, who took over command of the Welsh Guards from her husband, Richard.

“The title of the book doesn’t just mean the ultimate goodbye,” she told the audience at yesterday’s Yorkshire Post literary lunch.

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“It’s all the others, too – to friends when you or they come to the end of a posting, between children as they leave one school for another and, of course, to your husband when he leaves for another tour.

“What I want to get across is that these are ordinary people – they just happen to be living in extraordinary circumstances.

“I want to challenge the perception of the typical ‘Army wife’, whipping up a dinner party with one hand and arranging flowers with the other.

“Many are living very stressful lives – and sometimes, of course, they have to deal with heartbreaking news. I really hope this book bridges the gulf in experience between Army families and the civilian population.”

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Also speaking at the lunch, in Harrogate, was former editor of The Dalesman Bill Mitchell.

Herriot: A Vet’s Life is a glimpse into the life of Alf Wight, the real person behind the much-loved James Herriot books. True life was sometimes a far cry from the version presented on screen, said Mr Mitchell.

The third speaker was Kevin Brooks, the acclaimed children’s author, who has just published his first novel for adults – A Dance of Ghosts.

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