Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. Gift message in front signed by author. No notes or highlighting. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> The ancient village of Ramsbury nestles in the north east corner of Wiltshire beside the clear waters of the River Kennet. For centuries cattle have grazed the lush green water meadows sheep have wandered on the high downs surrounding the village and in the fields between man has tilled the soil. Until as recently as 1986 the main focal point was an old elm tree which had reputedly stood in the Square for nearly three hundred years. There is however evidence that a community had existed here for more than a thousand years before the tree took root. Throughout history the village has sent its share of young sons to fight the nation’s wars in far- off places; the memorial in the High Street records that 65 local men lost their lives in the 1914-1918 conflict. But this was a quiet pastoral place where for the most part lives were ordered and little excitement ever intruded. The Industrial Revolution passed Ramsbury by and neither the canal nor railway scarred the village or its surroundings. Even twenty years after the First World War horse drawn vehicles were still an essential part of every day life. The population over 2000 at one time had by the late 1930s dropped to around 1500. Everybody seemed to know each other’s business in this well established close-knit Wiltshire village. On Sunday 3rd September 1939 this rural idyll was rudely shattered when people in towns and villages all over the country heard the news which would change the course of their lives. On that day those near a radio heard the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain solemnly announce that Britain was at war with Germany. (LL)