The basis for the PBS Masterpiece series starring Samantha Bond ( Downton Abbey ) and Francesca Annis ( Cranford )   Away from the frontlines of World War II, in towns and villages across Great Britain, ordinary women were playing a vital role in their country’s war effort. As members of the Women’s Institute, an organization with a presence in a third of Britain’s villages, they ran canteens and knitted garments for troops, collected tons of rosehips and other herbs to replace medicines that couldn’t be imported, and advised the government on issues ranging from evacuee housing to children’s health to postwar reconstruction. But they are best known for making jam: from produce they grew on every available scrap of land, they produced twelve million pounds of jam and preserves to feed a hungry nation.   Home Fires , Julie Summers’s fascinating social history of the Women’s Institute during the war (when its members included the future Queen Elizabeth II along with her mother and grandmother), provides the remarkable and inspiring true story behind the upcoming PBS Masterpiece series that will be sure to delight fans of Call the Midwife and Foyle’s War . Through archival material and interviews with current and former Women’s Institute members, Home Fires gives us an intimate look at life on the home front during World War II. “Millions of words have been written about the military and social history of both world wars, but Summers carves out a little area of her own by examining the vital work performed by the Women’s Institute who, through its meticulous organizational skills and national network, found its finest hour in the face of conflict.” — Daily Mail (London) “That image of defiant jam making sums up the way many see the wartime contribution of the Woman's Institute.” – The Economist Julie Summers was born in Liverpool but grew up in Cheshire, where the Home Fires series was set and filmed. Her first book, Fearless on Everest , published in 2000, was a biography of her great uncle, Sandy Irvine, who died on Everest with Mallory in 1924. Her grandfather, Philip Toosey, was the man behind the Bridge on the River Kwai and her biography of him appeared in 2005. Fascinated by how people cope with extreme situations, she has turned her attention on the effect of the Second World war on non-combatants - the women and children. Recently she published Fashion on the Ration , a book that looks at what we wore during the Second World War. Her book Home Fires , the story of the WI in wartime, has inspired Masterpiece’s new Fall 2015 drama series HOME FIRES, featuring Samantha Bond, Francesca Annis and many others. Praise for Home Fires ‘That image of defiant jam-making sums up the way many see the wartime contribution of the Women’s Institute. But Julie Summers . . . shows its much wider contribution.’ — The Economist ‘Millions of words have been written about the military and social history of both world wars, but Summers carves out a little area of her own by examining the vital work performed by the Women’s Institute who, through its meticulous organizational skills and national network, found its finest hour in the face of conflict.’ — Daily Mail (London) ‘I thought I was fairly well up on the WI contribution to the World War II effort until I read Julie Summers’s book! I was wrong – every chapter was a revelation – full of information, reminiscences, humor, and social history. It is also well written, well researched, and easy to read. Reading it not only gave me great pleasure but also made me proud to be a member of such a long lasting, valuable, and vital organization – an organization which is still working actively to “improve the quality of life of communities” both urban and rural.’ —Helen Carey OBE, former chairman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (1999‒2003) ‘Julie Summers recounts how thousands of women rallied around during the dark days of Hitler, baking cakes and knitting jumpers as if their lives depended on it.’ — Mail on Sunday ‘Superb . . . Overall, this book tells a wonderful story – highly recommended.’ — Who Do You Think You Are? magazine ‘ Home Fires : Francesca Annis and Samantha Bond head the cast of this classy period piece about the friendships and hardships of a Women’s Institute group in Cheshire during World War II. The series is based on the bestselling factual book by Julie Summers about the role the WI played during the conflict.’ — TV Times PENGUIN BOOKS HOME FIRES Julie Summers was born in Liverpool but grew up in Cheshire, where the Home Fires series was set and filmed. Her first book, Fearless on Everest , published in 2000, was a biography of her great uncle, Sandy Irvine, who died on Everest with Mallory in 1924. Her grandfather, Philip Toosey, was the man behind the Bridge on the River Kwai, and her biography of him appeared in 2005. Fascinated by how people cope with extreme situations, she has turned her attention on the