The film project started more than 18 months ago as the 70th Anniversary of the Blitz inspired me to gather WW2 stories from people in the Bromley area, which I used to help create the script for our WW2 family drama.
The story is about a 4-year-old girl, Bessie Smiley, who is inspired to do ‘war work’ to help people who’ve lost everything during the Blitz. So Bessie and her sisters organise a secret operation – but Bessie’s kindness brings her face to face with the scariest man in town – the ‘Grumpy Old Grandad’, played by TV actor, Brian Murphy!
Bessie’s adventure also forces her to make big decisions concerning evacuees, Prisoners of War and even … a banana!
During 1940 my father was the Lt. Quarter Master for the 6th Regt. RA Heavy Anti-Aircrat regiment. This regiment had the responsibility for the protection of London and I was told that they had Batteries at Sundrdge Park, Keston Common and possibly Jubilee Park. The regiment was later posted to the far East, and captured by the Japs in Java. Father was a POW in Japan 1942 to 1945 and returned home on the Queen Mary in 1945 where my mother and I met the liner at Southampton. Father retired in 1953 at RA Woolwich where he was Lt-Col.(QM)a service of 42 years WW1 and WW2.