Yvonne, Child of the Somme

By Sara Rowell

Yvonne Millet was born into poverty in Paris during La Belle ?poque, in the shadow of Notre-Dame cathedral. Taken to a childminder in the countryside a few days after birth, she became a ward of state at the age of three when her mother disappeared. A stable childhood in the beautiful Somme region of northern France was shattered when, aged fifteen, she was sent to work as a maid in a military town, during the First World War. Her devastating experiences would change her life and haunt her forever.

As a troubled young woman facing a precarious future, chance led Yvonne to marry a former British soldier. Hopes of fulfilment with a husband and family were marred by profound insecurities and the Second World War.

A moving, true account of one girl's formative years in early 20th century France, Yvonne, Child of the Somme is also the story of thousands of children like her, who shared a similar fate. Most were too ashamed of their background ever to reveal their heart-rending stories. The echoes of their pain reverberated down the generations, unexplained.

'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.'

― S ren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher, 1813-55

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1398481696
• ISBN13: 9781398481695
• Release Date: August 2022
• Publisher: Austin Macauley
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"