A story of life, growing up, relationships and other people during the Second World War
Carrie’s War was written by Nina Bawden in 1973. It tells the story of a young girl, Carrie, who with her brother Nick is evacuated to a Welsh mining village during the Second World War. Once there she encounters a weird and wonderful range of people, from the strict Mr Evans to the eccentric Hepzibah Green: from the well meaning ‘Auntie Lou’ to the cheeky Albert Sandwich.
This is a story of growing up and learning more about the people around you. It is all too easy to pass judgements on people but until you really get to know them then that is what we all tend to do. In this heart-warming story now adapted for the stage, we are introduced to Carrie and her brother Nick who are evacuated into the country for their own safety. They along with countless other children were sent away from the towns and cities in order to protect them from the daily bombing raids at that time.
They were billeted on families in these rural locations and it was often pot luck as to who they ended up with. Some children were lucky and ended up with kind, caring families, but unfortunately, some were not. Carrie and her brother are sent to stay with the Evans’s. Mr Evans is a strict, repressive man who acts in a mean fashion towards the children. We do not know if this is because he is a cruel man or if he is a product of his upbringing and environment.
Mr Evans has two sisters: Dilys and Lou. Lou or as the children call her ‘Auntie Lou’ is a mild mannered, passive type of a person who nevertheless acts kindly towards the children. She cares for them and showers love and attention upon them. She is ‘under the thumb’ of her domineering brother though. The children explore the village and find themselves at Druid’s Bottom. This is the name of the impressive home of Dilys Gotobed – Mr Evans’s other sister who once lived in a grand and wealthy way until her money ran out. She is now widowed and dying and is cared for by the kindly yet shrewd Hepzibah Green and her son, the retarded Johnny Gotobed.
They too have an evacuee staying with them, the cheeky urchin Albert Sandwich. He is having a grand time living with the eccentric but kindly Johnny and the wise Hepzibah who Albert is convinced, is a witch.
Carrie enters into sorts of adventures with these colourful characters: this includes the story behind the famous ‘screaming skull’ which is kept in the library. The story goes that the house will be cursed if this skull is removed. How much of this is fact and how much is fiction is debated here along with Carrie’s attempts to understand the people around her.
Carrie’s War opens on the 18th June 2009 and runs until the 12th September 2009.