Digging for Victory
In this brilliantly engaging verse novel, twelve-year-old Bonnie is frustrated. Her brother, Ralph, is going off to fly for the RAF. Why does he get to be a hero and she doesn’t? All that she is allowed to do is dig for victory and she finds this incredibly inane. Then Mr. Fisher is billeted with them at their North Devon farm. Bonnie must clean his muddy shoes every night and ask absolutely no questions. Mr Fisher has an RAF uniform but doesn’t appear to fly. What is his story and is he a spy?
This book covers a little-known facet of World War Two: the role of the decoy men. They had to go to fake airfields and maintain them to look like they were fully functioning, with the aim that the enemy would drop their bombs on the disused airfields rather than the real ones. Faulkner portrays this as the dangerous and heroic job it was. The decoy men were one of a few groups who were required to go outside during an air raid to draw the enemy bombers towards them and away from the working airfield and other sensitive targets. The relationship between Bonnie and Mr Fisher, as it develops, is one of deep trust and friendship. In the end Bonnie is able to be a hero, although she cannot boast about it or accept praise because of Mr Fisher’s occupation. This is an interesting concept to introduce to children, to do something good without the expectation of reward.
The novel will be very useful to widen children’s knowledge and understanding of World War Two and to encourage a new and less polarised view of the period.
