Historian, author and broadcaster Julie Summers has spent well over a decade researching and writing about the human stories of courage, coping, hope and strength during a very dark time in our history, the Second World War. One of her books detailing the real stories of Women’s Institutes during WW2, Jambusters, became the inspiration for the hit ITV period drama, Home Fires, starring Francesca Annis and Downton Abbey’s Samantha Bond and Claire Calbraith.

In celebration of our premiere broadcast of Home Fires and the intriguing and moving historical insights that Julie has provided along the way, here’s your chance to win 1 of 5 prize packages, each featuring 3 of Julie’s most acclaimed books, autographed by the author herself!

This contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered. Winners will be contacted April 4 – 6, 2016.

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Our premiere presentation of Home Fires Season 1 continues Wednesdays at 9pm ET through March 9, with episodes available to watch online for 30 days after their premiere date. Season 2 premieres in the UK this April. Also, watch for our highly anticipated premiere of the riveting WWI drama, The Crimson Field, starring Downton Abbey’s Kevin Doyle and Jeremy Swift, to launch Wednesday, March 16 at 9pm ET.

Read Julie Summers’ “Setting the Scene” blogs for Home Fires Season 1 in our Articles section. 

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EACH PRIZE PACKAGE INCLUDES 1 OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:

Jambusters/Home Fires by Julie Summers (autographed)
The Story of the Women’s Institute in the Second World War

“The image of defiant jam making sums up the way many see the wartime contribution of the Women’s Institute but Julie Summers…shows its much wider contribution.” – Economist

The Second World War was the Women’s Institute’s finest hour. Making jam, gathering rosehips, housing evacuees, setting up canteens for the troops, knitting and singing were not only part of the everyday life of the WI but at the heart of their efforts during the war. Two decades of educating, entertaining and supporting women and campaigning on women’s issues culminated in a collective desire to ‘do their bit’ for Britain.

Through archival material and interviews with many members, Julie Summers gives us the compelling true story of how the WI pulled rural Britain through the war with pots of jam and an indomitable spirit of make-d0-and-mend. More…

When the Children Came Home by Julie Summers (autographed)

“A rich and moving book.” – Mail on Sunday

On 1 September 1939 Operation Pied Piper began, evacuating one and a half million children, pregnant women and school teachers from Britain’s industrial cities, beyond the reach of the Luftwaffe. The reality of evacuation is complex and interesting: some children went abroad, others to institutions or foster families. Some were away for weeks, others for years. Homecoming was not always easy, and while some evacuation was a wonderful experience that enriched their whole lives, for others it cast a lifelong shadow.

Using interviews and memoirs, Julie Summers weaves together personal stories to create a warm and compelling portrait of wartime Britain from the children’s perspective. More…

Stranger in the House by Julie Summers (autographed)

“It is in the courage, honesty and vividness of these first-hand accounts that the power of these reminiscences lies.” – Daily Telegraph

From 1945, more than four million British servicemen were demobbed and sent home after the most destructive war in history. But both the men themselves and the homes they were returning to had changed. Much has been written about men’s experiences of the war but uniquely, Julie Summers focuses on the women’s side of the story, women on the receiving end of demobilisation.

Summers interviewed over a hundred of the mothers, wives, sisters, fiancées and their children who were caught up in the maelstrom of history. Their stories are many and varied: wives who had to deal with an injured, emotionally damaged husband; children who had never seen their father before; women who had illegitimate children following a wartime affair as well as those whose steadfast optimism was rewarded with a delightful reunion. Stranger in the House is a moving and honest look at how war altered ordinary women’s lives forever. More…

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Contest closed Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 11:59pm ET.
One entry per day per valid email address.
Must be 19 years or older to enter.
Contest not open to residents of Québec.

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