WIN! 1 of 2 copies of We’ve All Life Before Us

We’re giving two lucky readers the chance to win a copy of We’ve All Life Before Us, A Love Story of the Second World War edited by Caroline Cecil Bose.

the prize

Twenty-five-year-old Bob Keddie died on 16 May 1942 when his Catalina disappeared over the Norwegian Sea. He had been flying a reconnaissance patrol for the protection of convoys carrying vital supplies to the Russians. No trace of him, his nine crew members, or his aircraft was ever found. For Diana, his young wife who was four months pregnant, the disappearance brought an abrupt and agonising end to a two-year love story, innocent and intense, played out mostly in letters overflowing with tenderness and anticipation for a future free from the demands of war.

We’ve All Life Before Us: A Love Story of the Second World War is a unique collection of letters and diaries that, on the one hand, charts in fascinating detail Bob Keddie’s progression through every stage of RAF training to his fateful command of a Catalina flying boat at RAF Sullom Voe, and on the other, tells the complete, beautifully intimate and unguarded story of love between two young people, from shy, eager beginnings, keen to impress, to unbridled longing and rage at the war for keeping them apart.

Beautifully edited by Caroline Cecil Bose who grew up in Essex, it was her uncle, a decorated pilot, who first piqued Caroline’s interest in the Second World War.

To enter simply follow the instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The competition closes on Monday 12 May 2025 at midnight. The winner will be announced on our competition winners page. Good luck everyone! 

terms and conditions

• This competition is promoted by MoneyMagpie (“Promoter”). 
• Competition entry is only open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 18 years or older. No purchase necessary. 
• Prize is supplied by Caroline Cecil Bose.
• The competition is not open to employees (and their families) of the Promoter MoneyMagpie or partner Caroline Cecil Bose, their agents or related third parties who are directly connected with the administration of the competition. 
• The Promoter will not be responsible for lost or late competition entries.
• The winner will be chosen at random by an independent judge and will be notified via email or telephone. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• By entering the competition you consent to being communicated to by the Promoter and the company offering the prize. Following such notification, the winner will be required to send the Promoter full details of their postal address to which the prize will be delivered (if applicable) and contact number. You consent to your details being passed onto the company offering the prize so it can be sent out.
• The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any material associated with the competition, as well as their entry.
• If the Promoter cannot: (a) contact the winner (via the details provided at the date of entry) within 5 working days or (b) the winner does not return details of its postal address to the Promoter within 10 days of notification that they have won the Prize, the Promoter will re-draw a new winner until a winner on these terms is found.
• Please note, we will only ever contact the winner directly by email from an @moneymagpie.com email address. We never reach out to people via social media comments so if you ever receive communication via a social platform, please ignore it and report to [email protected]