Memories (Amberley Publishing)

Trevor James recounts his experiences as a boy in a quiet market town in Devon. His education was basic but sound at a time when punishments for misbehaviour were swift and certain. He describes his schooldays; memories of life during wartime when the surrounding areas were occupied by the 29th Infantry Division of the American Army whose soldiers later suffered massive loss of life on Omaha beach on D Day; Tavistock Goose Fair before and after the war; aspects of everyday life as it was all those years ago when children did as they were told without argument; where boys and girls made their own amusements and treats were rare; when Sundays were sacred and bereft of any form of play or entertainment. Austerity and rationing were no hardship - they didn't know any different. More significantly it is all true.

For this, the third book in a series on the area of Walworth, we let the people, old and new, speak first-hand about SE17. A few of those you will hear from have long since left Walworth physically, but it is a place they still hold dear to their hearts. Authors Mark Baxter and Darren Lock have collated quotes and, along with the use of social media, have managed to find many who have a tale to tell. Funny, sad, reflective, joyous – many moods are captured in these photographs, many of which have never been printed before. Walworth's strong sense of community is evident in the rich memories recounted in this volume. We hope the following pages also bring back memories for some of you as you read it. SE17 Forever!

Yeovil Memories covers a wide range of stories, from a tragic drowning in the River Yeo in 1856, the hardships of the savage winter of 1861 and that of two families who lost their cottages in a fire in February 1906, the lucky escape of a Westland test pilot as his aircraft broke up in mid-air in August 1934, and the top of the music charts of August 1952, to pop concerts in the Liberal Hall in 1965. Jack Sweet seeks to jog the collective memory of Yeovil's past, reliving memories, good, bad and occasionally downright awful (at least for those who had the misfortune to experience one and remain to tell the tale). Perhaps the Californian poet Clarency Urmy (1858-1923) summed it up; 'Old Songs are best - how sweet to hear. The strains of home and memory dear! Old books are best - how tale and rhyme Float with us down the stream of time!'