I wrote this story on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice in 2018. Whilst the story is a work of fiction, it is based on the death of a young soldier who actually existed and was tragically killed just weeks before the war ended.
What fired my imagination was the fact that this young soldier’s surname was the same as my grand-father on my mother’s side. You will find him commemorated on the memorial in St. Swithin’s Church in Lincoln. Newton Street in Lincoln is also a real place, although today all you will see from that time are a couple of terraced properties on the end of the street near Pelham Bridge on one of the main thoroughfares through the City. The rest of the street was demolished to make way for a Siemens factory.
Just one final point to note. Sopwith Camel fighters were indeed made at the Shuttleworth Works in Lincoln and then taken in sections to the West Common where they were tried and tested by pilots who must have had nerves of steel! I’m not sure what level of quality control there would have been in the factory, given the demand for equipment at the Front.
I hope you find the story a rewarding read.
Please wait while flipbook is loading. For more related info, FAQs and issues please refer to DearFlip WordPress Flipbook Plugin Help documentation.
You can find out what it was really like to be on the front line in World War 1 with these real-life stories from soldiers who were there: