Memory Lane is a love story of a British Wren (Women’s Royal Naval Service) and a Canadian sailor set against epic events of late World War II and the upheavals of war demobilisation.
Based on a treasure trove of original diaries and letters from 1944–46, it is the memoir of Lilian Harper, now 92, then a coder in the British navy. This book tells the story of her romance with Murray Phibbs who belonged to the Royal Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) and was one of the Radar Officers seconded to the Royal Navy as part of Canada’s contribution to the war effort.
Memory Lane follows Lilian’s and Murray’s respective enlistments in the War, their meeting on a crowded dance floor In Newcastle upon Tyne on the eve of Victory Europe Day, and their subsequent courtship, he the radar officer on HMS Trafalgar, a flotilla leader in the planned invasion of Japan. The memoir provides unusual and intimate insight into military and civilian experiences at of a time enormous personal sacrifice, as ordinary people carried on their day to day lives of survival, loss and love.
Memory Lane is published on the 74th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (8th May 1945) and the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings (6th June 1944).