With grateful thanks to:
My inspiring and hard-working agents, Diane Banks and Kate Burke. My super-supportive and lovely editors at Pan Macmillan, Caroline Hogg and Victoria Hughes-Williams, both such a dream to work with, along with all the other talented folk at Macmillan, including Eloise Wood, Natasha Harding and Lauren Welch.
I am by no means an expert on many of the subjects covered in this book, but fortunately others are, and were only to happy to share their expertise and take time to proofread my words:
Author and broadcaster Joshua Levine, for his unfailing enthusiasm in answering my questions on the Blitz.
Alf Morris for showing me where he slept in the Underground as a boy; Derek Spicer, my Bethnal Green tour guide; and Sandra Scotting for pie, mash and East End expertise.
Legendary one-hundred-year-old communist and antifascist campaigner Max Levitas from Whitechapel, East London, who brought to life for me with such passion the desperate plight of the working classes during the Blitz, and how he and his fellow communist campaigners helped take over the Savoy shelter during an air raid to protest against the closure of the Tubes. A truly remarkable man. Thank you, Max, and congratulations on reaching a hundred! A more detailed account of this event, lead by communist councillor Phil Piratin is held at the Imperial War Museum in London.
Richard Meunier, archivist and curator at the Royal London Hospital, Barts Hospital Trust Archives, for his help in researching rheumatic heart disease, and Dr John Ford and Dr Chris Evans, medical historians, for answering my many questions.
Terri Coates, consultant midwife on Call the Midwife, for being such a stickler for period detail.
Corinne Bradd from Sew magazine.
Martine King, archive manager at Barnardo’s, for her help in researching children’s homes.
Matthew McMurray, archivist at Royal Voluntary Service, for his help in researching the Women’s Voluntary Services (WVS).
Emmy Tither, library and archives assistant at the Bishopsgate Institute.
Jennifer Daley, historical researcher, for her expertise on the Second World War.
Malcolm at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives for his unbeatable local knowledge.
Vicky Harrison from St Hilda’s East Community Centre in Club Row, East London, and all the other Tower Hamlets organizations who have kindly allowed me to come and gatecrash their community groups.