¹ civility – вежливость
² prevalent – общепринятый
³ basics – основы
⁴ frustrated – расстроенный
⁵ disillusioned – разочаровавшийся
⁶ fed up – (разг.) сытый по горло
⁷ courtesy – учтивость
⁸ to cut in front – (автом.) подрезать (вклиниваться спереди)
⁹ Fried Green Tomatoes – худ. фильм-мелодрама (США, 1991)
¹⁰ sassy – нахальный
¹¹ assertively – напористо
¹² smugly – самодовольно
¹³ to back up – давать задний ход
¹⁴ to ram into – врезаться
¹⁵ insurance – страховка
¹⁶ insignificant – ничтожный
¹⁷ in short supply – дефицитный
¹⁸ consideration – предупредительность, уважение

^I The Second World War which lasted from 1939 to 1945 – also known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War after the breach in 1941 of the so-called Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, officially (in English) the Treaty of Non-aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
^II A town and district in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands.
^III A Dutch (and German) word for a police raid or round-up.
^IV Those who resisted or were unfit for work, eg too old, crippled, etc.
^V A district in the north of the Netherlands which has its own dialect, different from that spoken in Roermond or Geleen where George and Truus now live. Some people there even want it to be an independent country!
^VI Many of the French did collaborate and were allowed a degree of self-governance in what was called Vichy France. Other countries like Spain, Ireland and the Vatican helped the Nazis in less conspicuous ways. Italy joined Germany in the Axis until it was clear that the Allies were going to win when they changed sides again.
^VII This is the date when the Armistice was signed in 1918 bringing to and end the fighting in WWI.
^VIII He was sounded out for the post of Poet Laureate, the title for the National Poet, and for a knighthood, but declined both honours. He was the Nobel Laureate for Literature in 1907 when he was the first English language winner and was (and is) the youngest ever winner.
^IX Named after a Lake in Staffordshire, not far from Runcorn (my home town), where his parents courted. He died a few months before I was born.
^X One of his most famous poems on this theme is “Tommy” – the archetypical name given to British soldiers of that era, like ‘Fritz’ for Germans, ‘Ivan’ for Russians, ‘GI Joe’ for US, etc. These names tended to be given to those whom we even grudgingly respected for their professionalism – I cannot recall one for French or Italians, they were more commonly known generically as Frogs and Wops respectively! Of course, one would not dream of using such pejorative and non-PC names today.
^XI I still think of WWII as the war!
^XII Originally Krankheidt – he had Dutch and German grandparents.
^XIII He lived and worked for the United Press in Moscow for some years.
^XIV The first of these was the V1, or ‘flying bomb’, a massive but slow and inaccurate weapon; followed by the more fearsome V2 which approached unseen and unheard.
^XV German air force.
^XVI A French word pronounced like deh-bree, which we appropriated as spoils of war! It can have various meanings depending on the context: ruin; the remains of something which has been destroyed; pile of rubbish or garbage; remains from landslides, volcanoes, avalanches or storms; floating rubbish in the sea or ocean cf flotsam; odd bits and pieces in space; etc, but for me, it will always conjure up memories of bombed out houses.
^XVII Usually we kept bantams, which were smaller than common hens, but were hardy, needed less food and were prolific layers.
^XVIII Nobody had refrigerators in those days – not in our part of the country anyway.

¹ to shelter – укрываться
² to render – приводить в какое-л. состояние
³ conscripted – рекрутированный
⁴ ghost town – опустевший город
⁵ sorrow – скорбь
⁶ harrowing – душераздирающий
⁷ severe – суровый
⁸ by comparison – при сравнении;
⁹ semi-detached – имеющий общую стену
¹⁰ to collapse – разрушаться
¹¹ aggrieved – огорчённый
¹² looter – мародер
¹³ to creep – красться
¹⁴ tarpaulin – брезент
¹⁵ vital – жизненно важный
¹⁶ ration coupon – продовольственная карточка
¹⁷ gravy – подливка
¹⁸ staple – основная еда
¹⁹ segregated – разделённый
²⁰ fluffy – пушистый
²¹ heater – обогреватель
²² obnoxious – отвратительный
²³ bran – отруби
²⁴ to hoard – запасать
²⁵ suet – нутряное сало
²⁶ defiance – пренебрежение, сопротивление
²⁷ to shake off – избавляться
²⁸ tinned – консервированный