Writing historical fiction can be fascinating and frustrating, an effort that often feels like digging for buried treasure. Sometimes you find what you’re looking for. Other times the facts are elusive. And then there are the moments when intriguing new evidence emerges, details that put your story in a new light.

That was the case in regard to my most recent book, Your Forgotten Sons, a story inspired by Sergeant Joseph “Bud” Richardville, who served in the Graves Registration Service in Europe during World War II, arguable the most difficult assignment in the military. Bud and his men were tasked with the job no soldier wanted: locate, identify, and bury the dead.

But there was another side of Bud’s story. A love story. In fact, quiet family rumors suggested there may have been two women in Bud’s life.

During the course of my research, I learned about Allotment Annies, women who married men just as they were headed off to war. My thanks to Linda Pennell, a fellow historical fiction author, for sharing my story on her website History Imagined

Allotment Annies: A homegrown hazard to servicemen during World War II by Anne Montgomery

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to a Graves Registration Company, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?