Debut novel tells of families’ lives amid Bath Blitz

A new novel based on the Bath Blitz is told from the stories of those who lived through it.

When Bombs Fell On Bath, the first novel by Margaret Rayner, follows two families brought together by war.

Margaret, inset, said: “I’ve been working on the book over the last couple of years, doing research, planning the twists and turns of the plot and character development, and took the opportunity during lockdown to bring the work together, edit it and publish.

Margaret also designed and produced the artwork for the cover of the book, which is available online. Her other work includes a book of short stories entitled Moonflight and Other Tales from Wiltshire and the West.

She said: “I have always enjoyed writing but it is only since I retired that I have had time to pursue this as a hobby.”

Margaret’s family moved to Bath when she was 11 and lived in Weston for many years. She attended the City of Bath Girls School (now Hayesfield) and worked in the Ministry of Defence in Bath, London and Paris.

She said: “I wanted to write about the experiences of my parents’ generation during and after the Second World War, drawing on family stories as well as researching the period.

“The Bath Blitz remains relatively unknown and is a subject worth drawing attention to.

“The action in the book moves to Italy where my father served in the Eighth Army and into other parts of Europe. Bath remains at its centre, and the later chapters reflect my own memories of the city in the 1960s and 70s.”