Books relate impact of First World War on two villages

‘If I Should Die’ and ‘A Foreign Field’ are the second and third books in a series of four by Yorkhire by author David Seymour.

David, who was born in south Yorkshire but moved to Misterton in 2012, said: “The war changed the villages forever, bringing economic decline and a different outlook.

“These books chronicle those changes, using lots of local resources, such as photographs, newspaper extracts and oral history records to give a local slant to something felt across the world.

“These are local books for local people, and I am grateful to all who have contributed to them.

“They have taken four years to research and compile. As we commemorate the end of the First World War this year, it is timely to look back on our villages’ involvement and the impact on our communities.”

Fifty residents, including a woman nurse, were killed during the war. Many others returned home from the battlefields with life-changing conditions.

’If I Should Die’ covers the optimism of the opening months of the war, reflecting a belief that it would be over by Christmas. ‘A Foreign Field’ describes local people’s involvement in the big conflicts, including Gallipoli, Ypres, the Somme and Passchendaele, and also village life after the war.

Both are limited-edition paperbacks, available from the author at £12 each. E-mail him at [email protected] or ring 07952 544604.