FRAGMENTS of World War II history were pieced back together into a book from the perspective of Frances Daphne, a wife and mother of four World War II combatants who kept a wartime diary detailing her family’s day-to-day struggles and her role as a woman during the war from 1939 until 1945.

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The book titled A Woman at War was a labour of love edited by Laura Taylor, a Lower Illovo lover of history. Taylor is the mother of Matthew and Daniel Daphne who are in turn the great grandchildren of Frances Daphne, the author of the diary, which went unpublished for 80 years.

One of Frances’ children, Ursula, died peacefully at the age of 95, making her the last of that generation of Daphne’s to die.

“Ursula’ stuff half-filled my storeroom and I needed to deal with it. There were old suitcases, a broken-down trunk, several cardboard boxes and some odd bits of furniture. I slowly sifted through the items, throwing out what was useless and keeping what had value. I have a great love for history and was the ideal person for the job. The surprise came when I went  through the contents of the trunk and discovered three bound volumes neatly typed. I had unwittingly stumbled upon the ‘forgotten’ Second World War diary of Frances Daphne,” said Taylor.

She began reading in her spare time and was immediately captivated by how well Frances wrote. She said that Frances’ life on a sheep farm in the Eastern Cape and her intense love of nature resonated with her, since she too had grown up on a farm.

“The more I read, the more I grew to know her and love her. She constantly faced an incredible fear that her children would die at any moment, which she described as an unbearable hurt. Her husband fought in the First World War and went on to become part of the reserve force for the following war, while her children joined the fight,” said Taylor.

She and her sons retyped the books, which she said turned out to be a mammoth undertaking. Thereafter, it had to be proofread, corrected and edited twice over. She selected many photos to include in the book from family albums and decided to add footnotes to explain aspects of the story to keep readers abreast of context and history. She included a prologue explaining the Daphne family’s roots and an epilogue to let readers know what came of each after the war.

“With A Woman at War, we can learn how differently the world operated 80 years ago, while also seeing how in many ways, it is much like the world today. Talk of a third World War, however, still constantly echoed around the world. It is a time we can all still learn a great deal from and for a change, it is a woman’s story, a mother’s story,” said Taylor.

For more information about the book or to get a copy, WhatsApp 073 979 1902, call 031 285 0584, email francesdaphnediary@gmail.com or visit A Woman at War on Facebook.

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