Fascinating Book on Mountsorrel in Great War to be published

FOLLOWING up on Mountsorrel Heritage Group’s very successful World War One exhibition in 2014, it has been developing a book to mark the Centenary of the Armistice in 1918.

The book, entitled Mountsorrel in the Great War, commemorates and records the 402 men who either lived or were born in Mountsorrel, and served in the armed forces during the war.

From that 402 the village suffered 95 casualties who did not return and had 16 men taken as Prisoners of War.

Also commemorated are the 10 ladies of the Mountsorrel Branch of the St John’s Ambulance who served in the Voluntary Aid Detachments including three in military hospitals in France and two more at military hospitals here in England.

The stories of all of these are set against a description of the village as it was in those first years of the 20th Century.

The foreword was written by Colonel Robert Martin, OBE DL, grandson of Major William Martin, formerly company secretary of the Mountsor- rel Granite Company, who was killed in action at the Battle of Frezenberg whilst commanding C Squadron of the Leicestershire Yeomanry.

The book runs to approximately 200 (A4) pages with over 160 illustrations in some 14 chapters including:

• The Village at the time of the Great War: Describing the businesses, social life, churches and social life of the village in the first years of the 20th Century.

• Mountsorrel Territorials and Yeomen: The stories of the road to war of C Squadron, Leicestershire Yeomanry and F Company, 5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment.

• Belgian Refugees: The arrival and life in Mountsorrel of a Belgian refugee family.

• Conscientious Objectors: The backgrounds of two village men who were conscientious objectors.

• Women at War – the Mountsorrel Voluntary Aid Detachment: The stories of those who served at home and abroad in the village VAD.

• Quarrymen at War and the effect of the war on Mountsorrel Quarry: At the time of the War the Mountsorrel Granite Quarry was the main employer in the village with many quarrymen serving in the village territorial unit. Serving at first as infantry with the Leicestershire Regiment many were later transferred to Royal Engineer Quarrying units.

• Individual Stories: The individual war stories of four Mountsorrel men who served in; the Royal Navy, Royal Marine Light Infantry, Leicestershire Regiment and the Royal Air Force

• Homecoming and Remembrance: The demobilisation and welcome home of those who served in the war and the building of Castle Hill war memorial and other memorials in the village.

• Mountsorrel Servicemen in the Great War: Pen pictures of the over 400 Mountsorrel men born or resident and identified as having served.

The book will go on general sale at the Mountsorrel Revival on August 12, priced at £12, but is available to order now at a pre-paid price of £9.

Full details are at http://mountsorrelarchive.org/category/history/military/world-war-1/