Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Last week, I reviewed Mortal Follies for a Valentine’s Day post. Tina reviewed The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke, a nonfiction book about the two families involved in a heart transplant, one in Devon and one in Cheshire. Margaret reviewed two books. The Woven Lie by Liz Harris is set in an English village during the post-war period, focused on a museum and the new changes arriving with the National Health Service. The Secrets of the Rose by Nicola Cornick weaves a modern story with two historical ones, one set in England during the Jacobite movement.

The Six Triple Eight, the film currently streaming on Netflix, is a story about Americans, but the most dramatic part of the story occurred in Birmingham, England. After landing in Glasgow, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (the only all-black women’s battalion to be sent overseas) took a train to Birmingham.

According to an article in The Cinemaholic, a number of scenes were filmed in Georgia, using architecture in Atlanta and in small towns that exhibited the appropriate historical characteristics. Train and railroad scenes were filmed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Production did eventually move to England where the streets around the “Little Germany” neighborhood of Bradford in Yorkshire stood in for Birmingham. More filming took place at the International War Museum in Cambridge.

I knew about the Six Triple Eight before the movie. Since my novel is about women working in World War II, I’ve been on the prowl for stories. I first encountered this story in an article in Smithsonian Magazine. I also enjoyed the BBC Sounds version, hosted by Helena Bonham Carter: History’s Secret Heroes. Charity Adams and the 6888 – BBC Sounds

The Six Triple Eight followed the motto “No mail. Low morale.” The task that they were assigned to complete was considered low priority earlier in the war when it was deemed that supplies were needed more than mail. When it dawned on the higher ranks that morale could be improved, both at home and abroad, if mail flowed, the priority shifted.

There was so much mail piled up, millions of pieces, many that had been damaged in storage, that the project wasn’t thought to be possible. Other units had tried and failed. The 6888th used creativity and perseverance to get the job done much more quickly than anyone imagined. And they did it in the face of racist and sexist obstacles.

After the 6888th finished in England, they moved to France for similar work. Here, they are marching to honor the scene where Joan of Arc was executed.

We can use all the stories we can get, right now, about bravery in the face of obstacles and about how to pursue projects that seem impossible to complete. The Six Triple Eight is a terrific film for this moment and finally gives recognition to a group of black women who were ignored for far too long.