Bognor In The Great War

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Details:
Bognor at the time of the Great War was a small seaside town, quiet in winter but full of visitors in the summer. At that time it was barely one hundred & thirty years old, developed from a hamlet by Sir Richard Hotham, a hatter, who wanted to create his own purpose built bathing resort, to attract the nobility to take the sea air & as a rival to other towns along the Sussex coast.

In 1911 the population of Bognor had grown to a little over eight thous&, of whom around eleven hundred men answered the call in 1914, around a third of whom never returned. The book tells their stories, not in alphabetical Roll of Honour order, but in real time as it happened.

It also takes a close look at those who fought & returned to Bognor, albeit with some badly injured, facing the future carrying the scars of four years fighting. Also included are the local villages of Aldwick, North & South Bersted & Felpham.

Wartime life in Bognor has also been included, how the town coped from the influx of Belgian refugees in 1914, a look at the various voluntary organisations, recruitment, invasion fears, conscientious objectors, tribunals, lighting restrictions, Zeppelins, food shortages & the victory celebrations.

Queen Victoria, who stayed at Bognor as a child, once referred to it in later life as 'dear little Bognor'. Some eighty years later 'dear little Bognor' flexed her muscles as her young men marched to war.

Ideal for:
Anyone interested in the experiences of ordinary people in the Great War, perfect for students & historians alike.

This paperback book has 128 pages & measures: 23.3 x 15.5 x 1.2cm.