THIS TIME NEXT WEEK is an intensely personal memoir by Barbara Kelland of her experiences growing up in the care of the Freemasons during the 1930s and Second World War.

Widowed unexpectedly in 1928, Barbara's mother was left to cope with bringing up a baby on very limited means. In the days before the Welfare State, this was an extremely precarious position for any woman to be in. But by a stroke of good fortune, Barbara's father had been a Freemason.

Barbara's book draws extensively from the weekly letters she sent home to her mother, while attending both the junior and senior Masonic Schools—an unbroken writing routine lasting eleven years. Funny, candid and at times sad, she describes growing up without a father in the early part of the last century.

She reveals how her childhood, while lacking the material richness enjoyed by today's children, was nevertheless a happy one, filled with a great sense of freedom and simplicity.

As war approaches, she tells us about the extensive preparations made by the school governors to ensure the girls' safety and what life was like away from home during the turbulent war years of 1939-45.

Barbara also highlights the quiet and steadfast role played by her mother and other women during the conflict. Although lacking in experience, they did not hesitate to take over many of the jobs previously performed by men.

Now for the first time, the behind the scenes workings of Masonic philanthropy are revealed from the viewpoint of someone who was an actual beneficiary—a refreshing departure from the predictable accounts of Freemasonry that dwell on an organisation more often associated with unpalatable conspiracy theories.

This Time Next Week will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading personal memoirs about World World II and innocent childhood days long passed.It will also make an ideal introduction for those curious about Freemasonry and what it truly stands for.

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