The two wars 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 defined the twentieth century and determined its course. In these short fictions I have drawn on true tales from both sides of my family — fictionalised as the Conroys in Lancashire and the Mooneys in Cork — which are set in daily life during these conflicts. For both families, war brings heightened tension, anxiety and discord at home, and in their communities. There are forebodings of imminent danger and loss, and occasions where patriotism comes up painfully against more personal feelings.

Why have I produced these stories for WaterAid? The reason is that water supply was my family's business. The Blake Hydram, a water pump powered by the renewable energy of water itself, was manufactured by them for more than a century in Accrington. WaterAid is the international charity working to provide water to communities in the developing world. As a result of chronic drought and world climate conditions, water resources for rural communities are often far away and/or dangerously unsanitary, and many farming families are for this reason driven off the land and forced into the uncertainty of migration. Their ability to maintain themselves is enormously improved by access to water that is both clean and near at hand.

You can get War Time simply by sending an email with your postal address — mentioning if you would like more than one copy — to Magoo Editions (magooeditions5@gmail.com). You are asked in return for a donation through this Just Giving page. I suggest £10.00 per copy. All of your donation will go to WaterAid.