NEWS RELEASES
We'll Keep the Home Fires Burning - An Anthology
3 March 2008
We all know about World War One - films, dramas and the thousands of books researched written and published each year tell us “like it is”; tell us of the horror, the poignant stories, the stupidity and the heroism. What can a group of Friends, too young to have fought in the war, tell the war-weary historians who have slaved far longer than the war itself, about the Great War? Remarkably, a great deal as they reveal in the fund raising book “We'll Keep the Home fires burning” published on 14 March.
The new book “We’ll Keep the Home Fires Burning” is the results of a seven month campaign under the joint leadership of Julie Mitchell and Liz Vaughan. Their target was, initially, to provide the stories behind a selection of First World War posters held by Horsham Museum and displayed in the current exhibition. So early in September 2007 they marshalled their troops, inspiring them to do battle with barely decipherable microfilm of War time newspapers held by Horsham Library. But as all military leaders know only to well, you have to be adaptable, and as the battle commenced, every day life in Horsham during World War One exploded in to full view. Julie, Liz and the “troops” felt that they couldn’t ignore the stunning landscape in front of them; of the rich, fascinating and revealing tales. So the campaign changed from a minor into a major campaign to reveal the forgotten story of how a small market town in rural Sussex did battle with the enemy on the Home front.
The 200 page book is an anthology of stories pulled from the pages of the local paper, but each story, although complete in itself, when combined with the others reveals a hidden world. A world where the good folk of Horsham demanded more money from the Government for housing troops, they wanted what other towns were offered. Shipley resident Hilaire Belloc made a small fortune from his journalism and lectures, only to lose it in the Russian revolution. This image is contrasted with the day in day out, week in week out fund raising for troop comforts, jam making for wounded soldiers, collecting of fresh eggs, knitting of scarves and balaclavas, of talks and lectures on how the war was going and of entertainments for the thousands of troops who passed through the town, some days nearly doubling the population of Horsham.
Then there are the individual tales, of a teacher who was behind enemy lines when war broke out and had to “escape” back home, of Belgian refugees who had yearly Christmas concerts, of Sylvia Pankhurst speaking in the Carfax against conscription and being chased out of the town, of butchers appealing against being called up to serve, of the deaths of three prominent men of the town, the Duke of Norfolk, Charles Eversfield, of Denne House and Henry Padwick of the Manor House, whilst the death of the folk singer and cobbler Henry Burstow was given equal treatment. Horsham and the nation were at war but life went on as much as possible with football matches being reported, though the town had probably never before witnessed, thanks to the Canadians, housed at Roffey, a professional game of Baseball.
“We’ll Keep the Home Fires Burning: an anthology” edited by Julie Mitchell and Liz Vaughan was compiled by the Local History Group of the Friends of Horsham Museum. It is a real eye opener revealing for the first time how Horsham committed itself to fighting the First World War, it is a must have for those who are interested in World War One, local history, town history and also forgotten history. Has the battle for real history been won? You decide by reading this book.
“We’ll Keep the Home Fires Burning” is out on the 14 March at a cost of £7.00. Copies of the book can be pre-ordered from Horsham Museum, if preferred.
For further information please contact Jeremy Knight, Curator.
Horsham Museum
9 Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1HE
Tel: (01403) 254959 Fax: (01403) 282594
Email: museum@horsham.gov.uk
http://www.horshammuseum.org/