Joe Gingell set to release new book ‘The War Came Home’

Local author Joe Gingell is set to release his newest book ‘The War Came Home’ in aid of Clubhouse Gibraltar.

The book details a timeline of the events that took place during the evacuation era and the role Gibraltar played during the Second World War.

Mr Gingell has researched the evacuation for years and his third book features information gathered from across the globe.

“I've got more than 2000 photos and information from all over the world, from the National Archives in the UK, United States, from Germany, Italy, and Spain,” Mr Gingell said.

“I call it a bank and I've been using that information for everything I write, plus the recorded the interviews I had with the people who went through the evacuation.”

Mr Gingell has a wealth of information from families who were evacuated to London, Madeira and Jamaica.

‘The War Came Home’ was written during the Covid-19 lockdown and the aim was always to fundraise for Clubhouse.

Mr Gingell hopes to raise £20,000 through the sale of this book, with his previous two books raising a combined £50,000 for charity.

He began writing books 12 years ago after the passing of his daughter Michelle who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

She encouraged him to begin this endeavour.

Mr Gingell remembered how he was in London with Michelle where she had the idea for him to write his own books on the evacuation.

It took him six years to find all the information for the first book.

With each picture sourced from archives, Mr Gingell spent years trying to match those in the photo with their names, while also interviewing families to find out their stories.

He described the thousands of names he has jotted down in his research and how meaningful the books are for the families of evacuees.

Clubhouse CEO Tania Aguilar said it has been a privilege for the charity to have been included in Mr Gingell’s fundraising efforts.

She said the members know Mr Gingell well and he has become part of the Clubhouse family.

The funds raised will aid Clubhouse to continue their work and remain open six days a week.

The charity also plans to extend their kitchen and build a professional kitchen, so the funds can be used to refurbish and buy equipment.

“We are evolving all the time, so we need money for that to be able to provide better services and better resources for members,” Ms Aguilar said.

“We are very grateful and we are really over the moon that Joe has become part of the family.”