Thank you to the people whose lives I based this book on. My husband’s father, Claude, who joined the British Army from the colonies, and whose wartime diaries when he arrived in England from Guyana were a treasure trove of stories. Thank you also to my talented grandparents, Renie, a dancer, and Ernest, a pianist, who ran a dancing school together. This book is written in memory of them and of the many ordinary people who led extraordinary lives in World War Two.
Special thanks to my agent, Judith Murdoch, and my editor, Gillian Green. Thank you also to Peter, my best friend, for his humour and patience when I drift off for many hours of the day. Thank you also to my sons Louis and Joel for continuing to be the distraction that keeps me grounded. Finally, thanks to my mum, who spent happy times dancing with my dad at the Grafton in Liverpool before they were married, is still dancing and shows no signs of hanging up her tap shoes just yet.