Queen Camilla has expressed her "delight" at a new book designed to educate children about the Second World War, emphasising the crucial importance of ensuring "the sacrifices of that generation are never forgotten".
In a letter to author Victoria Panton Bacon, the Queen stated that the illustrated work would "do much to help children understand those years that secured our freedom".
The book, titled Their Second World War, is aimed at readers aged eight to 14 and compiles a collection of true, previously untold memories from the conflict.
These accounts were given directly to Ms Panton Bacon by veterans and their family members, supplemented by their letters and diaries from wartime Britain.
Among the compelling narratives is the story of 100-year-old Ivor Foster, one of the few remaining survivors of a "thousand-bomber raid" conducted by the RAF over Essen, Germany, 81 years ago on Wednesday.
While the majority of such "thousand-bomber raids" occurred in the summer of 1942, Ms Panton Bacon’s book details this vast attack by RAF Bomber Command on 11 March 1945, which specifically aimed at destroying German bomb-making factories and transport links.
Mr Foster, an air gunner from Plymouth, was aboard a Lancaster bomber – one of 1,079 RAF aircraft in the sky simultaneously on 11 March. This particular mission was one of several substantial raids that took place over German cities towards the end of the war.
Recalling the intense operation, Mr Foster told Ms Panton Bacon: "I looked over the side of our Lanc and couldn’t see the ground, there were so many planes. Lots of bombers went off ahead of us because they had visual targets to strike, whereas we were attacking using radar. The whole operation took five and a half hours. There was so much smoke, and so many bombs bursting that our bomb aimer didn’t see any targets at all. He just dropped the metal sheets of paper for the radar attack when he saw the bleeps on his screen, then we headed home."
Mr Foster’s vivid recollection is one of ten true wartime stories featured in 'Their Second World War'. Other chapters delve into significant aspects of the conflict, including the Holocaust, the Home Guard, the Merchant Navy, D-Day, navigation, evacuation, and Enigma coding.
Queen Camilla has consistently championed Ms Panton Bacon’s efforts to preserve wartime histories. Having been sent a copy of the children’s book, the Queen reiterated her support, stating: "Many thanks for your kind letter and for the copy of your book, ‘Their Second World War’, which will, I am sure, do much to help children understand those years that secured our freedom."
In an earlier letter, dated June 2025 (likely a typo for an earlier year), Camilla had already expressed her delight that the author was "writing a book to educate children about World War II – it really is so important to ensure that the sacrifices of that generation are never forgotten."
The Queen also expressed support for previous books by the Suffolk-based author, including 'Six Weeks Of Blenheim Summer', based on Ms Panton Bacon's grandfather Alastair Dyson Panton’s diaries from his time as a pilot during the Battle of France in 1940, remarking: "You must be very proud of your grandfather!"
She also praised 'Remarkable Journeys Of The Second World War', an immersive collection of wartime stories, congratulating the author on her "vitally important work of sharing different experiences of the Second World War."
Ms Panton Bacon underscored the significance of her work, telling the Press Association: "These stories are very important. The truth is the best way to correctly understand a historical event and also, of course, each and every recollection tells the story of so many. I feel very privileged indeed to have been given each and every testimony these books contain." She added that for younger readers, some stories required careful editing, which she attempted "without, in any way, diminishing the gravity of the different situations each of the veterans were living through."
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