Yvonne Child of the Somme

Yvonne Millet was born into poverty in Paris during La Belle Époque in the shadow of Notre-Dame cathedral. Taken to a childminder in the countryside a few days after birth she became a ward of state at the age of three when her mother disappeared. A stable childhood in the beautiful Somme region of northern France was shattered when aged fifteen she was sent to work as a maid in a military town during the First World War. Her devastating experiences would change her life and haunt her forever. <br> <br>As a troubled young woman facing a precarious future chance led Yvonne to marry a former British soldier. Hopes of fulfilment with a husband and family were marred by profound insecurities and the Second World War. <br> <br>A moving true account of one girl's formative years in early 20th century France Yvonne Child of the Somme is also the story of thousands of children like her who shared a similar fate. Most were too ashamed of their background ever to reveal their heart-rending stories. The echoes of their pain reverberated down the generations unexplained. <br> <br>'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.' <br> <br>? Søren Kierkegaard Danish Philosopher 1813-55