These Men of Banstead - Stories from the War Memorial, by Lewis Wood
Published by the Banstead History Research Group in 2010, 244 pages. Hardback with Dust Jacket (N5830X1)
The town of Banstead lies in Surrey on the border with Greater London, just east of Epsom, and although strictly a town it is often referred to by locals as 'Banstead Village'. This book provides a fascinating history of some of the men from the town who fought and died during the First World War, and tells the stories of 34 of the 118 Banstead men listed on the War Memorial at the end of the High Street.
From the front inside fly leaf: You don't have to know about Banstead's War Memorial, the inspiration for this book, in order to appreciate these evocative accounts of thirty- four local men whose names are among those inscribed upon it. The stories introduce the reader into the rich and fascinating history of these men who fought for their country. Each account is complemented by personal and service photographs, images of mementoes and keepsakes, diary entries, and postcards and letters sent home - all the result of painstaking research.
The author.... has applied his energies to making contact with descendants, friends and neighbours of these men, as well as securing some telling and moving eye-witness testimonies. All this in addition to extracting supporting details from Regimental, Squadron and Naval histories. The book includes reviews for each of the war years to add perspective to the unfolding stories; brief summaries which may encourage the reader to delve more into the substance behind the headlines.
The subjects of this book all came from a small, semi-rural part of North Surrey, but their experiences were repeated across the nation and the world. If the stories of all those men were to be recorded, one would hope they might be as well presented as in These Men of Banstead.
The condition of the book is generally very good. The dust jacket has one or two very minor scuffs, and some very light wear along the edges, but the spine is intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. The dust jacket is not price clipped.
| Condition | New |