Vicki Washuk

About

Victoria Aldridge Washuk

Great Granddaughter ofRuby Alice Thompson Side

Received a B.A. inPsychology from Fairfield University

Currently working in thefinancial services field

Married and Mother ofthree daughters living in Milford, Ct

I inherited a set of 43diaries that span from 1909 – 1969. They were given to my grandmother RuthFerris Thompson and she passed them down to me. The years covering 1909-1938were published in a book called “Ruby” in 1995 by my Aunt Bonnie ThompsonGlaser (a granddaughter) of Ruby’s, daughter of Ruth and John Thompson. Bonniewas given legal right to publish any and all of these journals for a time spanof five years (ending on12-31-1997) after which all rights to publish any remaining unpublishedjournals reverted to me.

I started re-reading theWorld War ll journals and found them extremely worthy of note on manylevels. I realized how little Iknew about the events surrounding World War ll and what the Londoner’s inparticular had to endure. Thesejournals are a combination of the historical and the exceptionally personal.

I thought that others mayalso find them intriguing and started a blog. In doing so I received reactions from people from around theworld and this inspired me to publish them in book form for all to enjoy.

Peter and the Whimper-Whineys

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Description

Peter and the Whimper-Whineys is about a small rabbit who whines all the time. His mother cautions him that if he keeps on whining and crying, he’ll have to go live with the Whimper-Whineys. One night Peter hops into the dark forest. He meets some Whimper-Whineymen and discovers that not only do the Whimper-Whineys whine all the time, but they are very ill-mannered and rude. He discovers that everything is sour in Whimper-Whineyland and decides his mother was right! If only he can get back home… a recent critique, “Though there are other books out there for children about whining, I cannot imagine any parent or guardian not wanting to read this book to their child!... Parents everywhere applaud you!”

Story Behind The Book

I am the great grand daughter of Ruby Alice Thompson Side. I inherited forty-three diaries that span from 1909–1969. These diaries are personal experiences and opinions of Ruby's marriage and the war she lived through, often not knowing if her house would be the next target of destruction. I cannot imagine having to endure these experiences. Ruby was not able to express her opinions or feelings about either the war or her marriage except in the privacy of her diary. Being able to do so was her saving grace. These are Ruby’s outpourings of her experience during the World War ll Blitz bombings that she could not always speak about. Many of the things she says in today's world would be considered politically incorrect. In this very personal and historical account Ruby writes about her truth of the war and her marriage which she shares with no one but her diary. Some of her opinions will be disturbing to some people. To edit out Ruby's opinions would be a disservice to Ruby so her words will stand as she wrote them.

Media Links

Hawaii Reporter

🔗 http://www.hawaiireporter.com/kindle-author-interview-victoria-aldridge-washuk-on-publishing-her-great-grandmothers-world-war-ii-london-blitz-diary/123

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London Recorder

🔗 http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/romford_house_wife_s_diaries_detailing_everyday_life_during_the_london_blitz_are_revealed_1_1023923

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Family Tree Magazine

🔗 http://family-tree.co.uk/2012/02/family-tree-magazine-march-2012/

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Reviews

<div style="line-height:normal;margin-left:.5em;"> <div class="tiny" style="font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"> Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI) 5.0 out of 5 stars A choice pick, not to be overlooked, November 6, 2011 World War II London Blitz Diary: A Woman's Revelations Enduring War and Marriage (Volume 1) (Paperback) As war rages on all around you, it can be hard to cope with the pressures of warfare. "World War II: London Blitz Diary" is a diary of Ruby Side Thompson as she tells her story of living under the pressure that the Luftwaffe put on London during the countless bombings throughout the war, pushing England to the brink of destruction. A personal story of a mother trying to keep her life together along with simple survival, "World War II" is a choice pick, not to be overlooked. 5 stars Enter the heart and mind of a thoughtful London woman during the Blitz, 2 Jan 2012 By Linda L. Gartz - Published on Amazon U.S. This review is from: World War II London Blitz Diary, Volume 2, 1941 (A Woman's Revelations Enduring War and Marriage) (Kindle Edition) Do you find yourself watching reality tv? Well, if you do, click off that set and head for the real thing. These diary entries, written 70 years ago by Ruby Thompson, who had to simultaneously put up with the Blitz bombing of London and a marriage that was as damaging to a woman's psyche as those Nazi bombs were to the city, will take you back to a time and put you in the middle of the history the way no boring textbook summary of the war could. What was it really like for the individuals who bore the fear, rationing, and destruction created by the Blitzkrieg against London? How were women stuck in bad marriages, held captive not only by convention, but by their own mindset that had been drilled into them from birth? Ruby's fierce intelligence, powers of observation, clear writing, and analysis of her miserable husband and unhappy marriage provide insight into both history and the psychological state of a woman stuck partly by her era and partly by her own sense of what was possible. A fascinating revelation for anyone interested in World history and women's history. Also check out the blog by the same title. Fascinating! <div class="posttitle" style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;"> <h2 style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:1em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font-size:1.4em;letter-spacing:1px;font-weight:normal;"><a href="http://boekbesprekingentweedewereldoorlog.wordpress.com/recensies/sectie-engelstalig/2682-2/2684-2/" style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;color:#265e15;" title="Permanente verwijzing naar -World War II London Blitz Diary- Volume I & II -Victoria Aldridge Washuk">-World War II London Blitz Diary- Volume I & II -Victoria Aldridge Washuk</a></h2> </div> <div class="entry" style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:1em;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:1em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:0px;"> <div style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;">World War II London Blitz Diary -Volume I & II A Woman’s Revelations Enduring War and Marriage</div> <div style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;">English review. ( For the Dutch review, click <a href="http://boekbesprekingentweedewereldoorlog.wordpress.com/recensies/sectie-engelstalig/2682-2/" style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;color:#265e15;border-bottom-color:#996633;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dashed;">here</a> )</div> <div style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;"> <a href="http://boekbesprekingentweedewereldoorlog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/washuk-12.jpg" style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;color:#265e15;border-bottom-color:#996633;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dashed;"><img alt="" class="alignleft wp-image-2719" height="213" src="http://boekbesprekingentweedewereldoorlog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/washuk-12.jpg?w=133&h=213" style="padding-top:4px;padding-right:10px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:4px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:7px;margin-bottom:2px;margin-left:0px;float:left;background-image:url(http://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/mistylook/img/shadow.gif);border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-top-style:solid;border-left-style:solid;border-top-color:#eeeeee;border-top-width:1px;border-left-color:#eeeeee;border-left-width:1px;background-position:100% 100%;" title="Washuk-1" width="133" /></a><a href="http://boekbesprekingentweedewereldoorlog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/washuk-21.jpg" style="padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;color:#265e15;border-bottom-color:#996633;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dashed;"><img alt="" class="alignright wp-image-2720" height="213" src="http://boekbesprekingentweedewereldoorlog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/washuk-21.jpg?w=133&h=213" style="padding-top:4px;padding-right:10px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:4px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:2px;margin-left:7px;float:right;background-image:url(http://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/mistylook/img/shadow.gif);border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-top-style:solid;border-left-style:solid;border-top-color:#eeeeee;border-top-width:1px;border-left-color:#eeeeee;border-left-width:1px;background-position:100% 100%;" title="Washuk-2" width="133" /></a>Author: Victoria Alderidge Washuk Book form: paperback, illustrated Pages: Vol.I-212; Vol.II-262 Publisher: CreateSpace Released: 2011 ISBN: Volume I- 978-1463783693 ; Volume II- 978-1466434219 Remark: also available as e-book Review:War is never just a matter of soldiers; many citizens are also suffering under the force of arms. World War II is no exception. The bourgeoisie had mostly suffered from air raids and in many families, husbands and sons were drafted into the military. Ruby Thompson, a London housewife, was one of those citizens, who burdened by the war. She was born in 1884, married and mother of seven sons, including twins. When the twins were in service with the RAF, the war came closer to Ruby. All of her feelings like the fear of her fate and that of her family and the anger because of the war she described in her diaries. With those journals she had started years earlier in order to give expression to her marital problems, because she could not share those problems with anyone else. By inheritance, these diaries -43 in total-holds- came in possession of her granddaughter Victoria Aldridge Washuk. She was especially fascinated by the four volumes, covering the Second World War. Their interesting contents she did not want to deny to the general public and so she decided to publish these 4 diaries. Meanwhile two volumes are published: “World War II. London Blitz Diary Volume I “and” World War II. London Blitz Diary Volume II “and there are yet two more volumes to come. The first volume includes the years 1939-1940, the second volume includes the year 1941. The first journal begins on September 1st, the day on which Poland underwent the first German bombardment. The war still seemed far away from England. Ruby wrote therefore mainly about the problems in her marriage. Between the war descriptions the reader is witness of Ruby’s drive towards independence. She felt trapped in her marriage, because her husband Ted limited her in everything, including her own development. But at the same time she thought of herself being too old to get divorced. The only way out for her intellectual freedom to the mind, were the many books that she read about art, literature, history and theosophy. In addition she had her diaries, in which she could freely express her feelings, which held her occupied at that moment. Feelings such as anger at both her husband and to the outbreak of war. Meanwhile two of her sons had joined the R.A.F. In May 1940, she received a letter about one of them, Cuthie was reported missing. After a while Ruby found out he had become a prisoner of war and was held in camp Dulag Luft. (short for Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe). But then the war expanded further on Europe. Especially in volume II the war became more attention. Ruby did not only report on the bombing of England in her diaries, she also described what she learned about the invasions in other countries such as the Netherlands, France and she even wrote about the attitude of Germany. Even the discussions that took place in America about whether or not to participate in the war in Europe she followed with great interest, partly because some sons of her lived in America. Until then Ruby was not much concerned about her Christian faith, unlike her husband Ted, who was a devoted Catholic, but now Ruby started to pray more and more to find peace. After all the fear of being hit during a bombardment and the care for her family became tangible larger as the hostilities of war increased. Thanks to her talent for writing and her keen insight Ruby was able to depict an interesting image of time in these diaries, both of the Second World War, as of the prevailing society. She gave for instance an impression of the daily worries, at the same time she wrote how the bombings disturbed the everyday life. Also some things were suddenly no longer so obvious during the war. For example Ruby could no longer write everything in her letters to her sons in America as she used to, due to censorship. She was ordered not to mention when and where bombings had taken place. Such cases led to more rage again and again to Ruby Thompson and she got less and less appreciation for men, because men had caused the war. Men were fools, was her opinion. Her own husband was no exception, he was also not a realist, but a daydreamer. Her personal reports are very direct and candid, because at the moment Ruby could not have imagined that her diaries would ever read by outsiders from later generations. She considered her thoughts in her journals to be safe. Thereby the feeling of being an intruder comes over you. After all, you participate in a world that originally was not meant for your eyes. Then again, a representation of reality is now created, that otherwise probably would have become blurred if the author had already been aware of a wider readership. In particular in those parts in which the war has been raised. “World War II. London Blitz Diary Volume I & II “are therefore without doubt to be considered as remarkable documents. Assessment: X X X X Very good </div> </div> </div> <div class="tiny" style="font-size:x-small;margin-bottom:.5em;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;" width="90%"> <div style="margin-left:.5em;"> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> </div> </div> </td> </tr></tbody></table></div> </div>

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