Sheffield Blitz: 'I found inspiration for my debut novel in an unlikely place - a Yorkshire hospice'

Their memories of Sheffield during the Second World War became the heartbeat of her novel Dreams and Shadows, which has recently been released to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the conflict, and the forthcoming 85th anniversary of the Sheffield Blitz.

The story follows the lives of two young people, Tommy and Dora, whose budding romance is ripped apart by the horrors of the blitz and by the criminal gangs that exploited the turmoil created by war. When the war ends, both Tommy and Dora realise their lives will never be the same again.

“It shows the darker side of civilian life at the time," says former teacher Elaine, “like the black market and criminal gangs which were rife.

"My hero and heroine get caught up in that underworld…It was a very turbulent time and law and order was breaking down.”

The book transports readers back to a time when the sound of bombs was a nightly threat, and community spirit was the glue that held stoic neighbourhoods together.

"The title comes from the dreams of the characters and what they hoped to do before the war came,” Elaine says. "Their hopes and dreams were shattered in one respect but they were able to do other things and went off in different directions following the war.”

Elaine researched the era, exploring the armed forces, Sheffield steel works and the contribution of women to the war effort.

The book sees her blend real locations with fictional storytelling, with recollections from two people in particular, who she knows only as Colin and Barbara, shaping the tale.

Barbara, she says, painted a vivid picture of community spirit and the challenges of coping during the war, with air raid shelters, gas masks and rationing.

Colin, meanwhile, was a D-Day veteran, who gave insight into the life of ordinary servicemen who found themselves experiencing the horrors of war.

“Colin used to joke that his stories deserved a TV documentary,” says Elaine, who lives in Totley. “He was convinced no-one would believe his wartime escapades otherwise.

"Unfortunately, that’s beyond my power, but I hope both Barbara and Colin would have been happy to see some of their experiences woven into the story.”

"Their memories help to preserve what life was like,” she adds, “and the many hardships they endured but also their stoicism and their many happy experiences.”

The book is a first undertaking in fiction for mother-of-four Elaine, who worked in education in Sheffield and Derbyshire for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2014.

As well as teaching English in secondary schools, her career saw her support children with special educational needs.

Her previous three books – A Welsh Childhood, A Welsh Girl in Bristol and and Under Cornish Skies – are autobiographical but Elaine says she was determined to write a novel too.

“I have loved writing from a young age and had always wanted to write books but didn’t get much opportunity until Covid struck,” she explains. “It was during the lockdowns that I really got into it.”

Although raised in Wales and the South West of England, Elaine was inspired by Northern writers during her teens, when she read works by Yorkshire’s beloved Brontë sisters, as well as Ted Hughes and Barry Hines.

“Dreams and Shadows wasn’t published until I was 70 years of age, so it just shows that you should never give up on your dreams,” Elaine continues.

“I’ve got the writer’s bug now and I have just started thinking about another book which will also be set in Yorkshire."

- Dreams and Shadows is published by New Generation Publishing and is available now, through Amazon and in bookshops.