New book remembers borough’s war heroes
COPIES of the Black Country Society’s latest book, Remembrance 2018 – Never Good Bye are being presented to every senior school in Dudley to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War.
The book by Roy Peacock follows the sequence of the war and is based on 50 short accounts of servicemen who, for the most part, served in local regiments.
Roy said, “War memorials feature strongly and include both outdoor and those in churches, chapels, clubs and factories. The range of materials and design makes each unique. Commonwealth war graves commemorations are also included, as these were often the sole contributions of the grieving families of 1918. Many, of course, could not really celebrate the end of the war when fathers had been lost and children had become orphans. ‘Never Good Bye’ is on the grave of Lieutenant Roland Leighton, the epitome of Great War loss. He served with the Worcestershire Territorials and the three words are still appropriate after a century.”
The book selects just a few of the thousands of men from today’s Dudley borough that gave their lives and their stories paint a picture of the whole war. Some of the names are well known, such as Thomas Barratt VC, but most were ordinary men of the Black Country who played their part in the great conflict and did not return home.
The book features 100 photos, many in colour, making it a striking souvenir of local remembrance. Priced at £12.50, it is available at Mary Stevens Hospice shops. For further details log on at www.black countrysociety.com