The Challenge of Research in Lockdown

The Challenge of Research in Lockdown 

It’s been a difficult time for most writers to carry out the research during lockdown, but it’s particularly challenging for authors like me who write historical fiction. 

I started A Sister’s War, the third of The Victory Sisters trilogy, set in the Second World War in January last year, not dreaming that a few weeks later the world would be rocked by the Covid 19 virus. And that here in the UK our freedom would be constrained in ways unrecognisable from any other catastrophe in living memory.

However, I knew nothing of this impending disaster when that same January I visited the Canal Museum near King’s Cross as my heroine was one of a small number of women who worked the narrowboats on the Grand Union Canal during the war. 

 It’s a small museum with fascinating memorabilia. Best of all it contains three- quarters of a pre-war narrowboat, which would have been 70 foot long, and was colourfully painted with roses and castles by the original boat people. At only 7 foot wide, how could the boat possibly accommodate two and sometimes three trainee boatwomen, all cramming in and living there, let alone the traditional boat families who frequently had six or more kiddies (as they called them)? On top of that, the boats had to be loaded with cargo such as steel, ammunition, flour, coal, cement, food, etc. to take to and fro from London to Birmingham.

I made notes and took photographs and bought several memoirs of these remarkable women from the museum’s bookshop. Coming home, I felt confident I had enough material to write a story interwoven with accurate details of these brave women’s lives. 

It wasn’t the case at all. I realised the difficulty was that my heroine and the two other girls who made up the team would be on a pair of narrowboats practically all the time, except when they had a night at the pub or I gave them a few days’ leave. It meant I had to double check every move they made in loading and unloading the boats, thoroughly cleaning them, the routes the women took, not to mention their living, sleeping and cooking conditions.

But by far the trickiest were the technical issues of handling the boats. I just couldn’t seem to get some of the procedures straight in my head, even though I watched YouTube videos on the subject until I was dazed. I seriously wondered if I’d taken on something too difficult to write about, even without lockdown. 

Luckily, one of my research books saved the day!

I was reading the foreword by Jo Bell, a poet, in the classic book Narrow Boat by L.T.C. Rolt. I could tell Jo had a deep knowledge of narrowboats and suddenly had the bright idea of asking if she would read my novel to check my technical facts – obviously for a charge. She emailed a lovely letter but was too busy to take it on. However, she had a friend, James Tidy, whom she said would be perfect. He jumped at the chance.

Not only was he a historian but lived on a vintage narrowboat that was actually used by some of the female trainees during the war! He emailed me hundreds of black and white photos of these girls in various stages of loading and off-loading their cargo and sent me three very helpful books I hadn’t come across. Not only did he read the novel to correct the technical detail – I’d sometimes got it very wrong! – but also knew the stopping places where they moored and where to buy provisions.

He even told me which pubs allowed the girls to take baths – particularly welcome after carrying coal all day! I love that kind of historical detail and is something I strive to include to bring my novels alive. 

James has since invited me to visit him on his narrowboat this coming summer when we hope restrictions will be lifted sufficiently. Unfortunately, it will be too late for any revelations as A Sister’s War is published this March.

Avon HarperCollins have contracted me to write two more Second World War novels – and frustratingly, we’re still in lockdown. Happily, several years ago I visited the setting where my heroine will be working, and already read a couple of memoirs of these women doing the same work, so at least I have a head start. But I’ll still need a guru to check the technical details. This is where my late husband would have stepped in, so I’m fortunate that one of our close friends, Richard Milton, a published writer who is as knowledgeable as he was about military history, has taken on the challenge. 

At the end of last year, disaster struck. I managed to fracture my pelvis! As if lockdown hadn’t trapped me enough. At first the pain was so agonising I couldn’t do any kind of creative writing on the new novel, but at least while I was forced to rest I read several more research books ordered on line during lockdown and scribbled notes by the hundred. 

Roll on the time when restrictions are lifted and we writers can carry out research to our hearts’ content. Goodness, that might even entail visiting places abroad – purely for research purposes, you understand. Oh, happy days to come!

Denise Barnes, AKA Molly Green

A Sister’s War

Molly Green creates realistic characters and situations that keep you turning the pages’ Katie Fforde, Sunday Times bestseller

‘A moving, gripping story set during WW2’ Kitty Neale, Sunday Times bestseller

Britain, 1943
Ronnie Linfoot may be the youngest of three sisters, but she’s determined to do her bit…

Against her strict mother’s wishes, Ronnie signs up to join the Grand Union Canal Company, where she’ll be working on a narrowboat taking critical supplies between London and Birmingham.

But with no experience on the waterways, she must learn the ropes quickly. She’s facing dreadful weather, long days, and rough living conditions. At least she isn’t on her own.

In the toughest times, will Ronnie and her fellow trainees pull together? For even in the darkest days of war, hope and friendship can see you through…

An uplifting tale of courage and camaraderie, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Elaine Everest.

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