Write Away by Claire Fisher or Leighton Buzzard Writers:
In 2014 in will be 100 years since the start of the First World War and Leighton Buzzard Writers are planning a book to commemorate the event. Although we are at the early stages and still considering what form our book will take, it will most likely include stories and poetry inspired by the history of Leighton Buzzard in the First World War.
I am not from these parts, my family hails from the North West, but my family’s First World War experience will have been similar to many in Leighton Buzzard. My great grandfather fought and died in the trenches of Flanders and we, as a family, still remember him through old photos, family stories and a letter and postcard sent from Belgium to the family home in Bolton.
A little research on the internet reveals that the Leighton Buzzard War Memorial was ‘the largest single piece of undressed granite quarried in the UK’ when it was erected in 1920. (Roll of Honour – Bedfordshire).
Looking down the list of names, it is clear how many families were affected by the loss of loved ones abroad.
Young men whose home addresses were Vandyke Road, North Street or Grove Road and now lie in war cemeteries from Flanders to Dar-es-Salaam. I try to imagine a face and a personality to go with the name. Information on the roll often includes names, dates, ages and occasionally a short physical description; fair, blue eyes, black hair. I wonder what their stories were.
I heard a story a couple of weeks ago that Vickers Vimy bombers made at the Morgan Coachworks (where Tesco is now) were pulled up the High Street, minus their wings, to be assembled in Pages Park, then flown away to participate in the war. You can apparently still see the scrapes along the Old Fire Station as they squeezed the aircraft past. Standing by the market cross today, I try to imagine the scene.
The Leighton Buzzard Railway was built in 1919, using surplus materials from the War Department Light Railways that once supplied the First World War battlefields. Although the narrow gauge railway followed the war, I wonder what role the railway around Leighton Buzzard played in the war.
In creating our book, we hope to find out more about individual stories, and stories from places such as the Morgan Coachworks, the railways, schools or churches. Although this project is still in its infancy, we hope to commemorate the 100 year anniversary with something that will help keep the sacrifices of the First World War alive in the collective memory for some time to come.
If you have any stories from that you would like to share with us, we would like to hear from you via our website http://lbwriters.proboards.com.