Ruth Mansergh – författare

A fascinating exploration of the lesser-known history and hidden heritage of the towns of Epsom and Ewell.

Discover the lesser-known and hidden heritage of Kew and Brentford. Will appeal to residents and all who are interested in the history of this part of London.

Keswick in the Great War is an expert account of this Lake District market town's fascinating, yet largely forgotten, contribution to the Great War effort from the outbreak of war in 1914, to the long-awaited Allied victory in 1918.It charts the remarkable, and sometimes moving, stories of several heroic local figures, including Lord and Lady Rochdale, who converted their home into a VAD hospital; Caleb Barnes, a former headteacher of Braithwaite Primary School who was taken prisoner in Belgium; Catherine Elizabeth Marshall, supporter of The No-Conscription Fellowship, whose husband, the chairman of the NCF, was imprisoned in 1916; and Reverend Bettison, Curate of Crosthwaite, who was mobilised on 4 August 1914 and sent to Burma in October 1914. The book also acts as an accessible reference guide to local war memorials, such as The Fretwork War Shrine, as integrated throughout are rare wartime illustrations of these memorials and rolls of honour, like the recently discovered roll of honour found inside Underskiddaw Church Rooms.Overall, this is a poignant testimony to the momentous efforts, bravery, self-sacrifice and determination of the people of Keswick during the Great War, who sought to find normality in a reality so far removed from anything they had ever known.

This book is about how Barrow's output of war materials was vital to the Great War effort, and it is about the Barrovians and men from the surrounding south Lakeland area - from all walks of life - who fought abroad, and the area's women war heroes. It includes background information on the history of the town, such as the Furness Railway, iron ore in the area and shipbuilding, and lists vessels built at Barrow pre- and during the war with information on what happened to them. These vessels include Mikasa and HMS Vanguard. At the outbreak of World War One, Vanguard fought in the battle of Jutland. The Mayfly (or the Won't Fly as Churchill called it), built by Vickers at Barrow along similar lines to the very early Zeppelins, was launched in 1911. She was the first British rigid airship to be built. Today, Astute submarines for the Royal Navy keep Barrow busy and local people turn up when new submarines are launched. This book also acts as a reference guide to local war dead and war heroes, lost heroes, the area's recipients of the Victoria Cross, memorials with details of those commemorated (including those whose names were unwelcome on memorials). Barrow's War Memorial in Barrow Park was unveiled in November, 1921 by Field Marshall Sir William "Wullie" Robertson and records close to 600 names of those who fought and died in the First World War.

Whitehaven in the Great War covers Whitehaven's immense contribution to the Great War effort; it is thought that 625 Whitehaven men – from a town that, in 1901, had a population of around 21,000 – lost their lives fighting in the war. Meanwhile, on the home front, military service deprived many businesses of their established male workers, and women went to work in what had previously been exclusively male areas of employment.Notable people written about include recipient of the Victoria Cross Abraham Acton, an Orangeman in Whitehaven; local hero Robert Curwen Richmond Blair DSO, EM; and close friend to Kaiser Wilhelm II, Lord Lonsdale, the famous Yellow Earl who formed his own Pals battalion, the Lonsdales (11th Battalion, Border Regiment), to fight the Germans.It was often said, 'No bombing Zeppelin or Gothe ever attacked our peaceful backwater during hostilities.' However, on 16 August 1915 a U-boat, U-24, shelled the Harrington Coke works at nearby Lowca. This unexpected attack caught the community off-guard, and during the hour-long bombardment fifty-five shells rained down on the factory and the surrounding area – not one single shot was fired in return. War memorials to those killed in the Great War have been moved following church closures, however this book acts an practical reference guide to where these memorials stand today. Interesting stories come to light, like that of Baden Powell Thornthwaite, whose name was inscribed on a local grammar school war memorial, who had not died after all, but most likely deserted.

"A comprehensive view of the important part Cumbria played in WWII, including a detailed look at the warships built in the Barrow Yard." —Firetrench The outbreak of war marked a new era for the people of Cumbria. Many young men and women enlisted in the Forces, while older people joined the Home Guard or became Air Raid Precaution Wardens. Children from cities were sent to Kendal to escape the threat of bombing raids, members of the Women''s Land Army began to arrive on at the local farms, and Silloth airfield near Carlisle trained thousands of pilots from allied countries. The first sign of German interest in the important shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness was in May 1936, when a rigid airship and passenger aircraft flew very low and slowly over the Furness rooftops. Vickers shipyard became a target for enemy bombing and eventually more than 10,000 houses were damaged or destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Barrow Blitz that took place during April and May 1941. Extensively researched, the book takes a detailed look at the ships built in Barrow, memorials in the city of Carlisle and towns and villages across Cumbria, and remembers the brave dead of Second World War. Overall, this is a poignant testimony to the momentous efforts, bravery, self-sacrifice and determination of the people of Cumbria during the Second World War, who sought to find normality in a reality so far removed from anything they had ever known. "In this fascinatingly good read, Ruth has captured the spirit and uncertainty of all Cumbrians in those stressful years." —Cumbria Family History Society

"A comprehensive view of the important part Cumbria played in WWII, including a detailed look at the warships built in the Barrow Yard." —Firetrench The outbreak of war marked a new era for the people of Cumbria. Many young men and women enlisted in the Forces, while older people joined the Home Guard or became Air Raid Precaution Wardens. Children from cities were sent to Kendal to escape the threat of bombing raids, members of the Women''s Land Army began to arrive on at the local farms, and Silloth airfield near Carlisle trained thousands of pilots from allied countries. The first sign of German interest in the important shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness was in May 1936, when a rigid airship and passenger aircraft flew very low and slowly over the Furness rooftops. Vickers shipyard became a target for enemy bombing and eventually more than 10,000 houses were damaged or destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Barrow Blitz that took place during April and May 1941. Extensively researched, the book takes a detailed look at the ships built in Barrow, memorials in the city of Carlisle and towns and villages across Cumbria, and remembers the brave dead of Second World War. Overall, this is a poignant testimony to the momentous efforts, bravery, self-sacrifice and determination of the people of Cumbria during the Second World War, who sought to find normality in a reality so far removed from anything they had ever known. "In this fascinatingly good read, Ruth has captured the spirit and uncertainty of all Cumbrians in those stressful years." —Cumbria Family History Society

More than 350 bombs fell on Wimbledon during the Second World War, killing 150 residents and injuring a further 1,071\. Around 12,000 houses were damaged and 810 destroyed.Notable people discussed in this fascinating book include Ernest Leonard Harvey, who was onboard HMS Suffolk on the night Bismarck was spotted; Peter Walley, who died when he steered his crashing aircraft away from housing in the area; Pat Reid, Colditz Castle escapee; PoW Ernest Colman's "Wimbledon Variation"; casualties of the Burma-Thailand railway; and the members of the Mitcham Home Guard who were killed when a German parachute mine hit the Tower Creameries site on Wednesday, 16 April 1941 (after a relatively quiet couple of weeks).This well-researched book also includes a list of the lost hospitals of Wimbledon, as well as war memorials in the London Borough of Merton - findings which have since been added to the Imperial War Museum's website, www.iwm.org.uk. It also provides an insight into factory worker jobs that have long-since bitten the dust. Tri-ang in South Wimbledon was a national by-word for toys - until it started making munitions for real. And, with the outbreak of war, Vortexion of The Broadway, Wimbledon - a manufacturer of public address amplifiers - found itself under the direction of the Government for war work.Overall, this is a poignant testimony to the momentous efforts, bravery, self-sacrifice and determination of the people of Wimbledon during the Second World War, who sought to find normality in a reality so far removed from anything they had ever known.