In St Helen’s churchyard in Etwall stands a War Memorial on which are listed the names of those from the locality who died during the two world wars of the twentieth century. With the passage of time, the annual ceremony on Remembrance Sunday focuses on the collective loss of life which occurred rather than on the individuals involved. What is presented here demonstrates how the local historian can redress this situation through investigation of the particular story of all those named on a War Memorial, the outcome being a local ‘Book of Remembrance’.
The inspiration for this local history project came from the late Marianne Pritchard-Jones (1927-2010), a founder member of The Etwall and Burnaston Local History Society. She carried through the research involved with great thoroughness and enabled the production of a publication of merit which has made a fundamental contribution to the story of a local community. Copies of this Book of Remembrance have been presented to St Helen’s Church and Etwall Methodist Church.
Roger Dalton Chairman Etwall and Burnaston Local History Society 2010-2011
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