A Moment in Time

Last week we traveled north for the funeral of my husband's uncle, the last male relative of that generation. After the 2nd World War he had lived for about ten years with his elder sister, my mother-in-law, and family, so he seemed as much an elder brother as he did an uncle. He'd been a rear gunner in Lancaster bombers during the war, a 'tail-end Charlie'. Although the war years were only a few in a long life it is significant that the photo used for his memorial service was of Ron in his airforce uniform.

He was certainly more fortunate than many of his wartime companions. Thoughts of Uncle Ron's experiences prompted me to read H.E. Bates, 'A Moment in Time' which is set in Southern England in 1940. It describes the lives of a group of young fighter pilots and is a love story. H E Bates was a knowledgable gardener and countryman and his knowledge is very evident in this book, which makes it a bonus for me.  It's a period piece and rather sentimental but I enjoyed it.