A Carol for the Dead - Facts

 

This book is set in 1940. Ravenley, the house that belongs to Carol and her husband, is near Exeter. Exeter is an ancient city on the River Exe in Devon in southwest England. 

When Charles was hit, he was taking part in the raid on Mannheim. The major RAF raid on Mannheim in 1940 occurred on the night of December 16-17, codenamed Operation Abigail Rachel, as retaliation for German bombing of Britain; it was an experimental large-scale attack using over 130 bombers, dropping high explosives and incendiaries, resulting in 34 civilian deaths and significant damage, marking an early shift towards area bombing German cities and influencing future bomber tactics. 

When Charles is first arrested, he is told that he will be treated according to the Geneva Convention. The first Geneva Convention, adopted on August 22, 1864, was a foundational treaty for International Humanitarian Law, establishing principles to protect the wounded in armed conflicts, inspired by Henry Dunant's experiences at Solférino, leading to the creation of the Red Cross and the recognition of neutrality for medical personnel and facilities. Key principles included caring for wounded soldiers regardless of nationality and using the red cross emblem, making it the first universal treaty for war-wounded. 

Charles is caught a second time after trying to escape, and he is sent to Colditz. Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. After the outbreak of World War II, the castle was converted into a high security prisoner-of-war camp for officers who had become security or escape risks or who were regarded as particularly dangerous. Since the castle is situated on a rocky outcrop above the River Zwickauer Mulde, the Germans believed it to be an ideal site for a high security prison.

The children often listened to Lord Haw-Haw on the radio and mocked him. Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce and several other people who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the United Kingdom from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling," spoken in an affected upper-class English accent. Through such broadcasts, the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda tried to discourage and demoralise both Allied troops and the British population. Although the broadcasts were known to be Nazi propaganda, they often offered the only details of Allied troops and air crews caught behind enemy lines.