The Kingdom by the Sea (20 page)

He studied Fine Art at Durham University, before serving two years’ National Service in the army. He completed a post-graduate degree in Sculpture at the Slade School of Art in London. He was a teacher for many years, and later a journalist.

Robert, usually known as Bob, first began writing articles for newspapers and periodicals. However, when his son Christopher reached the age of twelve, he felt the need to share what it had been like for him, aged twelve, during the war, so that their experiences would stand side by side.

Westall wrote the memories to read to Chris, then put the notebooks away in a drawer, with no thought of publication. When Lindy McKinnel later read the notebooks, she encouraged him to submit them to a publisher. This eventually became
The Machine Gunners.

The Machine Gunners
tells the story of a group of children living in the North of England during the Second World War. One boy can’t believe his luck when he is scavenging for war souvenirs and finds a fully-operational machine gun in a crashed aeroplane, complete with dead pilot. The consequences of such a find are far-reaching.

The Machine Gunners
won the prestigious Carnegie Medal in 1975. It was the first of many accolades. Westall won this award for a second time in 1981 for
The Scarecrows.
In 1989 he won the Smarties Prize for
Blitzcat
, and in 1991 he won the Guardian Award for
The Kingdom by the Sea.

As well as books set in the war, Westall is equally renowned for his ghostly novels. Cats are also a recurring theme in his work.

In 1983
The Machine Gunners
was dramatised as a TV serial for the BBC.

Robert Westall died April 15
^th
1993 aged 63. He wrote about fifty books, some of which were published posthumously.

His partner, Lindy McKinnel set up The Robert Westall Charitable Trust, which contributed to the founding of Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The Machine Gunners (1975)

The Wind Eye (1976)

The Watch House (1977)

The Devil on the Road (1978)

Fathom Five (1979)

The Scarecrows (1981)

Futuretrack 5 (1983)

The Cats of Seroster (1984)

Urn Burial (1987)

The Creature in the Dark (1988)

Ghost Abbey (1988)

Blitzcat (1989)

The Promise (1990)

The Kingdom by the Sea (1990)

Stormsearch (1990)

Yaxley’s Cat (1991)

The Christmas Cat (1991)

The Christmas Ghost (1992)

Gulf (1992)

Size Twelve (1993)

The Wheatstone Pond (1993)

Falling into Glory (1993)

A Place for Me (1993)

A Time of Fire (1994)

The Night Mare (1995)

Harvest (1996)

Robert Westall used his childhood home of Tyneside as the backdrop for many of his books. Much of the countryside that Harry passes through, and the landmarks that he mentions, are real places that Westall drew upon for inspiration.

Modern day Tyneside has changed since the since the war - there is even a road in North Shields called Robert Westall Way! But it is still possible to visit the area and, with a little imagination, summon up sights and sounds of the author’s youth. The Robert Westall Walk is a trail which starts at his birthplace at 7 Vicarage Street - marked by a blue plaque - and travels approximately two and a half miles to its finish in Front Street, Tynemouth, through the landmarks of Westall’s own boyhood and those of his characters.

The following are some of the landmarks in the area that that feature in
The Kingdom by the Sea:

St Peter’s Church

There are a few remains of this building that was later moved to Balkwell Green. Known locally as the Sailors’ Church, this is the church Harry tells the man on Lindisfarne that he attends every Sunday with his mother.

Prior’s Haven

The small cove where Harry discovers the abandoned dog Don and then lives under an upturned boat.

Tynemouth Pier

Tynemouth Harbour is protected by two piers. It is under the arches of the North Pier that Harry hides from an air raid.

Marshall’s Fish & Chip Shop

Sited in Front Street, this is where Harry buys his tea in his first days on the run.

You can find out more about the
Robert Westall Walk at:
www.northtynesidewalks.co.uk

For a slightly different route, you can download
an audio tour to follow from:
www.westallswar.org/2007/10/robert_
westall_trail_audio_gui.html

Also known as Holy Island, Lindisfarne is a small island off the coast of Northumberland. A causeway connects the island to the mainland and is flooded by the tide twice a day.

Just like Harry, visitors are able to walk between the mainland and the island, following the marked path. Just like Harry, it is also possible to get caught by the rapidly rising tide, so it’s important to check the local timetables before attempting a crossing. And be warned - it’s three miles, so it’s probably better to go by car!

Although there is a small population on Lindisfarne, it is now largely a nature reserve. It is a haven for birdwatching and many rare breeds have been spotted in its quiet seclusion.

There’s also the ruins of a monastery, founded around AD635. Saint Cuthbert, the patron saint of Northumberland, was later an Abbot there, and also became Bishop of Lindisfarne.

The most distinctive landmark on the island is Lindisfarne Castle. Originally a Tudor fort, the ruins were restored by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1903. It stands on a rocky promontory overlooking the coast and is now owned by the National Trust.

You can find out more at:
www.lindisfarne.org.uk

In
The Kingdom by the Sea
, Harry uses an old deserted pillbox as a temporary hiding place.

What is a pillbox?

A
pillbox is a low concrete fort, built on the coastline of Britain, where soldiers would stand watch for enemy planes. They were built in a hurry prior to the invasion of Britain that was expected in 1940. They were positioned at strategic points around Britain, largely on the eastern and southern coasts, but also on some parts of the west coast.

Why are they called pillboxes?

The answer to this question can not be known for sure, but supposedly the name comes from the varying shapes of the forts and the fact that from above they look like the boxes used to store medicinal pills.

How were they used?

Depending on their size, they were intended to hold a garrison of up to ten men, armed with rifles, machine guns or small anti-tank weapons. Some were equipped with mountings for anti-aircraft fire.

How were they disguised from the enemy?

The army had different ways to hide the structures from view. One way was “merging”, which means they were built into the ground and hidden by the landscape around them. Another way (as in the case of the one found by Harry) was to disguise the pillbox as another kind of building. This was commonly some kind of house or cottage, but other types were used also such as barns, mills, haystacks and even cafes.

How many pillboxes were there?

During WWII over 18,000 pillboxes were built. It’s estimated that less than 7000 are still standing today.

1939

31st August: Evacuation plans announced in Britain in preparation for the outbreak of war.

1st September: Hitler invades Poland.

3rd September: Britain declares war on Germany.

1940

7th January: Rationing of basic food items starts in Britain.

10th May: Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.

14th May: The Home Guard is formed.

26th May - 4th June: Evacuation of Dunkirk.

10th July - 31st October: The Battle of Britain. This was an aerial battle, the first major campaign to be fought entirely by the air forces.

23rd August: First all-night bombing raid on London, marking the start of the Blitz. Over next few months important industrial and military centres around the country were targeted, including Coventry, Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and Tyneside.

1941

1
^st
June: Rationing of clothes and furniture begins.

7
^th
December: Bombing of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii by Japanese planes.

8
^th
December: United States of America enters the war.

1942

January: The first American troops arrive in Britain.

23
^rd
April: The Luftwaffe start bombing Exeter, Bath and other historic cities in Britain. These became known as the Baedeker raids because they were targeting cultural centres.

1943

18
^th
January: The Luftwaffe resumes bombing London.

1944

6
^th
June: D-Day, the Normandy Landings. The first operation in the Allied invasion of Europe.

13
^th
June: First V1 Flying bomb lands on Britain.

8
^th
September: First V2 Rocket lands on Britain.

1945

8
^th
May: Victory in Europe (VE) Day. War in Europe ends.

15
^th
August: Victory in Japan (VJ) Day. War against Japan ends.

Find out more about what life was like for
children in WWII:
www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2children/

WWII timeline:
www. worldwar-2.net/