This volume pulls together information from the 1911 Census and the Ampthill News to create an insightful and moving picture of life in Clophill during the First World War and chronicling the subsequent lives of those servicemen who survived the conflict.

The book takes the form of brief introductory chapters, followed by a diary spanning the years 1914 to 1920 – when Clophill’s war memorial was unveiled. Entries combine national events – the outbreak of war. Mobilisation, etc – with contemporary reports from the Ampthill News. This approach creates a compelling narrative of Clophill life during wartime and the experiences of local servicemen. There are mini-biographies of those killed, not always on the Western Front. Joseph Lomas, for example, served in Alexandria, before being posted to guard the Suez Canal. His battalion advanced to Gaza in March 1917, fighting through Palestine. Joseph was killed on the 27th July 1917, aged 17. He is commemorated in the Jerusalem Memorial. The book concludes with a chapter on the post-war lives of ‘Survivors’.

The volume is well-illustrated with contemporary photographs and explanatory maps.

Rating: Strongly recommended. This is an excellent local history of village life during World War One. It is well-written in an accessible style.