*** Contains Spoilers ***
01 Women on the Frontlines
Wings Unseen doesn’t shy away from the brutal reality of women being bombed and machine-gunned by German aircraft. Were you expecting to read about women in such dangerous, frontline situations? Did it change how you think about women’s roles in the war? Do you think these parts of women’s war experiences are often left out of history books or films? Why?
02 Societal Expectations
Despite being active military, working and fighting alongside the men to defend England, women are unable to open a bank account or even go to the pub for a drink without a man. Did this surprise you? If you were in Diana’s shoes, which rule or expectation would you have found hardest to accept? Do you see any echoes of these restrictions in women’s lives today?
03 HIStory
After the war is won, women are expected to quietly return to the home and raise children. They are discouraged or even forbidden to speak of their war service.Before long, their stories faded, while the history books focused on the exploits of men. Can you name any women — in any field — whose work was hidden or claimed by men? What might change if more of these hidden stories were told?
04 Let’s Talk about Sex
World War II was a turning point when many women quietly rejected the expectation to ‘save themselves for marriage.’ Yet society wasn’t ready for this hidden revolution — especially when it freely supplied birth control to male soldiers but judged women for claiming the same freedom. Do you think we still see this double standard today? How does it show up in everyday life — or in the stories we tell about women now?
05 Mental Health
Like many active military, the women who fought in WW2 suffered with untreated PTSD and sometimes turned to substance addiction just to cope – but they rarely got help. Do you think we are better today at supporting people, especially veterans, with their mental health? What stigmas around mental health do you think still linger today, especially for women?
06 A Family Heritage
Wings Unseen is inspired by my Mum’s own memoirs – she was an RAF/WAAF Officer who fought in WW2. Do you have heroic women in your family whose stories inspire you? Are they celebrated in your family, or have their stories faded with time? Did reading this novel make you want to learn more about them, or maybe ask questions you haven’t asked before?
Maybe this is a good time to share a memory, a photo, or a family story about a remarkable woman in your family — and remember that sometimes the bravest people in our lives never called themselves heroes at all.
