Brief

Based on a true story, a heartwarming tale of a young boy growing up in Liverpool during WW2. The losses and re-encounters of a life journey filled with love and pain.

What We Liked

This is a worthwhile story with a unique setup of a boy growing up in Liverpool during WWII, filled with interesting details of a child's and family's life in such a tragic historical period. All the characters that compose the Slater family are appealing and interesting. It's impossible not to cherish when they're safe and reunited post-war and mourn when they lose Cath in a tragic accident. Last but not least, Johnny's failed relationship with Nora, successful marriage with Clare, and reencounter with Nora after more than 50 years is a beautiful, heartwarming love story.

Film: As proven by the recent success of Jojo Rabbit, war stories from the perspective of kids and how the horrific hardships shape their lives captivate audiences. The visual potential of Liverpool in the 40s, undergoing a war, grants the film unique possibilities to explore. The heartwarming, true journey of a man's lost love, new love, and reencounter can deeply touch many hearts.

TV: This could be wonderfully adapted to a TV series as the serialized format would allow for the ideal representation of the many unique details of the everyday life of a Liverpool family during WWII. Each Slater family member has their own stories and arcs that would have space and time to be developed. The failed romance and the secret love story would deeply touch the audience's hearts after spending so much time getting to know Johnny's character.

Key points: - Details of life in Liverpool in the 40s
- Background of WWII
- Appealing characters
- Based on a true story
- Failed love story with a reencounter 50+ later

Synopsis

In 1933 Liverpool, the Slater family welcomes their newborn son: Johnny. Post and pre-war Europe's hardships lead the family to a tough period, one an older Johnny would remember, many years later with his own daughter, Carol. Carol suggests they write a book about the memories, and Johnny thinks of his first sweetheart's story, whom he met in Kirkdale.

Johnny recalls a Sunday morning when he was but 6 years old, and World War II’s commencement was announced. Life had become hard, and the neighborhood relied on each other to survive past the scarcity of food and supplies. One day, Johnny’s mother, Emily Slater, and her sister, Julia, decide they’ve had enough and gather the street to plan a secret bonfire to provide some distraction to the people.

On the day of the secret celebration, on Halloween 1940, Emily announces to her three kids they will move to a different house where they’ll have a piano. With their neighbors' help, they conclude the move, and the secret party goes on without any trouble. That day, Johnny learns about the importance of having friends and a community to love and cherish.

During the war, life went on very differently; everything was rationed, from food to paper and ink. The kids kept on going to school but on reduced hours and improvised classrooms. Johnny’s older brother, Jimmy, had a crush on a neighbor girl named Amy. One day, the local ice-cream shopped owners, an Italian family, is sent away for Britain was now at war with Italy. On the Christmas of 1940, Liverpool is bombed by Germany, and many neighbors lose their houses.

Many English kids were sent away to Wales to be safe from bombings. Emily joined her three kids, and they all went to a farmhouse in Wales, leaving behind the family dog, Punch, and their aunt Julia. In Wales, they’re greeted by their host, Mrs. Francis, a widow who runs a farm independently. They stay there for a while, having a happy time until Johnny’s father briefly returns home from the war on a break. The family reunion is very happy but short since older Jimmy needs to return to the battlefield.

Devastated by the patriarch’s departure, the family decides to stay one extra week in Liverpool before returning to Wales. A decision they would deeply regret as they got caught in the worst bombardment Liverpool had seen, eight straight days of bombs and destruction. Many friends died, many neighbors lost their homes. Emily and the kids return to Wales for a short period before going back to Liverpool after Emily misses Julia too much. A new chapter of the war begins after Pearl Harbor, and the United States joins in.
American soldiers arrive on English soil, and the kids celebrate the newcomers. The German luck begins to change as the Allies pledge to avenge the Nazi crimes. Slowly, the Allies build an upper hand in the war; as life goes on in Liverpool, kids play with the debris of destroyed establishments, and one of the lads gets a German helmet as a gift from his older brother. The helmet becomes the laughing stock of Kirkdale as the mood begins to soften.

One summer, Johnny gets a job at Billy’s Dairy and has a great time with other young boys and men. As the war signals its end, the family wonders about the return of big Jimmy. One night, a big storm hits Liverpool, and the family houses the neighbor Granny Murphy, a natural-born storyteller. When the D-Day comes, the adults celebrate the near end of the war, but the children, unaware of its importance, go on about their days. Like Johnny, who prepares for the bath night.

The war is finally over, and celebrations take place in Kirkdale and the whole country. An accidental explosion in an ammunition factory kills Aunt Julia’s husband and devastates the whole family. Weeks later, big Jimmy returns home, safe and sound, and the family celebrates again. He spends time with his kids and wife before returning to his on the seas duty. But, this time, without the constant risk of war. Soon after, Johnny has his 13th birthday and celebrates becoming a man.

One day, as Johnny and his friend Bombo are out on the street, they see a group of girls running. Johnny points out to Nora Kerr, a girl he believes to be in love with. One of the neighbors, a nosy girl named Maureen, overhears Johnny talking about Nora and arranges a date for the two. On Friday night, Nora and Johnny walk around the neighborhood holding hands and making plans. Johnny promises to God he’ll love Nora forever.

The two date for years; Johnny gets his first job, then moves up to other opportunities. Johnny soon gets too involved with his guitar playing at clubs and football playing, leading Nora to feel left out. She never shows up to their meeting spot one day, making the end of their relationship official. Johnny’s heartaches as he blames himself for losing her.

Later, Johnny is forced to join the military as all the men of age had to due to the war. One day, Johnny receives a letter informing him he’s been conscripted and will be away for two years serving the army, to his despair. He is shipped to Germany, where the post-war reconstruction was taking place. He has a good time serving the National Service until, one day, news of a tragedy arrives. His younger sister Cath had been killed in a bus accident. Devastated, Johnny goes back home to his family.

One of Cath’s friends, Clare, helps the family organize the service for Cath’s funeral. In pain and grief, Clare and Johnny find common ground. The two become close and, years later, the two get married. They have two kids, Steve and Carol. After 58 years of marriage, Clare passes away, leaving the family with yet another grief to overcome. For the many years the two had been married, a lot happened to the family. Johnny’s father retired and died shortly after; Jimmy fulfilled his dream of working as a Shipping Manager. Punch, the old dog, one day walked away and never came back. And Emily and Julia spent their time telling jokes at Flinders Street until the 60s when it turned into a green field.

After Clare’s passing, Johnny reveals to his daughter and family his story with Nora, a love still present in his heart. One day, he sees in an obituary that Nora’s sister has died, and he’s able to find her. She’s also a widower, and they get together. She reveals that the day when their relationship ended was a miscommunication, as she was late to meet him, and he left before she arrived. The two enjoy each other’s companies for a while before Nora, too, dies one day.

About The Author

Carol Wainwright is the self-published author of ""Sing Us A Song Ma, Before We Say Goodbye,"" a war memoir based on her father's life story. Wainwright's writing became a popular internet phenomenon, and the book's social media pages have over 30,000 followers.