Elinor Florence, Author

Bestselling Historial Fiction Author

Lest We Forget

Hard Life on the Home Front

November 12, 2023
Read More

Life on the Home Front in wartime wasn’t just hard, it was crushing. While gathering on Remembrance Day to honour the men who fought for freedom, we tend to overlook the painful sacrifices made by the women and children left behind.

RCAF Veteran Dot Proulx Tracked Enemy Subs

February 15, 2023
Read More

Royal Canadian Air Force veteran Dot Proulx was so modest about her wartime service that she wouldn’t allow me to publish this until after her death. She passed away on November 20, 2022 at the age of ninety-nine, and I am honoured to share her story at last.

Remembering the Queen

September 21, 2022
Read More

My own small collection of Queen Elizabeth souvenirs, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, will be cherished as mementoes of a distant yet very constant presence in my life.

German Navy Sank Their Own Ships at Scapa Flow

August 17, 2022
Read More

I have a personal connection with one of the oddest events in wartime history, when the German navy deliberately sank its own fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. My husband’s grandfather was serving on one of those ships!

The Shadow of the Berlin Wall

March 16, 2022
Read More

My husband was a twelve-year-old boy living in a peaceful suburb when the Berlin Wall went up almost overnight, just two blocks from his home. Thankfully, his family lived on the western side. Here are his memories of growing up in the shadow of the wall.

Ten Wonderful Wartime Women

November 11, 2020
Read More

These ten wonderful wartime women, four of them still living, volunteered to serve their countries in World War Two. Please read their stories and remember our veterans, today and always.

Willa Walker Led the Way for RCAF Airwomen

November 21, 2018
Read More

Willa Walker rose rapidly through the ranks in 1941 to become head of the newly-formed Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division. Only 28 years old, grieving the recent death of her baby son, her husband locked away in a German prison camp, Willa rose to the challenge with courage and dignity, breaking down barriers for future generations of women […]

About Elinor Florence<br>

Letters From Windermere

I’m a lover of history and all things vintage. My passion for the past is reflected in my novels, my collections, my travels, my home on Lake Windermere, and the monthly letter that I have been sending to my dear followers for the past eleven years. You are warmly invited to join my list. I don’t ask for anything but your email address. However, you are welcome to tell me something about yourself because I love hearing from my readers.
Sending since 2013.
Subscribers: 1,600.
Expect your letter the third Wednesday of every month.

Lest We Forget

While researching my wartime novel Bird’s Eye View, I interviewed people who lived through the greatest conflict the world has ever known, both on the home front and overseas.
I uncovered some truly inspirational stories, indexed here by subject.
Please feel free to read, reflect, and share.
Please Note: All stories and photos are copyrighted to Elinor Florence unless otherwise indicated. You are welcome to copy and share them as long as you give me proper credit.

Join my Newsletter