This latest project by the History Society began in 2018 to commemorate and record the impact of the Great War on Shepherdswell.
The two previous projects were 2018’s Big History Day presentation ‘Shepherdswell at War 1914 – 18’ and this years ‘Walk of Remembrance’. This, the third project, is the product of collaboration by many people in the village, and beyond, and will result in the publication of a historically important book – a record of life and society in the village in the first decades of the 20th Century.
At its heart lie the stories of all those people from the village who served in the Great War in any capacity, military or civilian, at home or overseas.
Their backgrounds, how they came to serve and what happened to them and their families after the War are explored to shed a remarkable light on pre-War life in the village and the local legacy of the conflict. In this Great War centenary period, the IWM and others have sought to extend understanding of the conflict to the wider social context. This book, to be published by the History Society, will do exactly that and stand as an exemplary history of early 20th Century life in a typical village.
Research for the project has identified 136 people for inclusion.
We aim is to finalise research this autumn and to publish by the end of March 2020.
The illustrated book will be available for sale, at cost, in order to encourage descendants of those featured in the book to acquire a copy as a family heirloom, village residents to acquire one to increase their sense of identity with the community, and local history enthusiasts to acquire one as a source document for further research projects.
More information will be made available as soon as we have it.
Three completed entries from the book are shown below as a glimpse of what is in store:
