Winifred Davis Rittenhouse

Broadwindsor is Where It Came to Be Winifred Davis Rittenhouse

Winifred is watching Ashley, her granddaughter and namesake, play field hockey, when suddenly the past comes rushing back to her. "That was me in 1939," she tells herself. For decades she hasn't given a thought to her teen years in World War II England, but as she watches her granddaughter play, her time as a teen consumes her thoughts. Unable to push the thoughts from her mind, Winifred starts writing down her teen memories from during the war years. Suppressed memories come to the surface of impending war, and of her retired parents packing up and moving the family safely out of London to the relative safety of Broadwindsor. The change in life has its hardships, but the country is peaceful. But in the midst of the war, to her parents' disappointment, Winifred returns to London to serve as a nurse in training. Missing home and family is natural, especially for young people, but more so during times of strife and hardship. Winifred served her country as most English teens did, and they all had stories to tell, but not all had the chance to tell them. Winifred has decided to tell a chapter of hers so that future generations can see how individuals from different walks of life contributed to the war effort in their own chosen way.