Books & Poetry

NEW BOOK HONOURS DENBIGH’S HEROES

Over 100 years after the First World War ended the carnage it wreaked on a North Wales town, and on one street in particular, is commemorated in a new book

“95 children were left without a father”

For Your Tomorrow We Gave Our Today commemorates the sacrifi ce of over 150 young men from Denbigh who fell in the Great War. Among them, at least 35 came from Henllan Street, a narrow road winding north out of town. According to local historian Clwyd Wynne, many joined up to escape lives of grinding poverty.

He said: “Henllan Street had one of the highest casualty rates in Wales. It had a reputation for crime, poaching, drunkenness – but it had a chapel at either end and many were poaching because it was the only way to put food on the table.” The idea for the book came from work put in by Denbigh Community Archive volunteers for the centenary of the end of the war in 2018, when they produced a commemorative booklet for schools. This latest book, sponsored by local law fi rm Swayne Johnson, has been a labour of love for the group, who traced the stories of those who never came back.

The fi rst to die, William Conway Williams, worked at Boaz Jones’s candle factory and lived at 94 Henllan Street with his wife and three sons. He joined up on 24th September 1914, arrived in France on 1st November and died of his wounds on 28th November at Tournes.

At the book’s launch: Mayor of Denbigh, Councillor Rhys Davies, volunteers Enys Davies and Clwyd Wynne from Denbigh Community Archive, and Kristin Charlton of sponsors Swayne Johnson Clockwise: the military funeral of Pvt David Jones makes its way down Vale Street; Frederick Jones of the Royal Welch Engineers with wife Mary and children; bound for France, one of the fi rst Denbigh contingents to leave

Many mix-ups

Many soldiers appeared on di erent lists of the fallen – one on at least ten – and there is one case of mistaken identity. The Wallace Roberts on the town memorial survived while his namesake was killed. Ninety-fi ve children were left without a father, while some soldiers died without ever seeing their newborn babies.”

For Your Tomorrow We Gave Our Today is published by Fineline of Ruthin and is available from Denbigh Museum, £14.95.

LOCAL BOOKS

Vale of Rheidol Railway in Detail This sumptulous volume is the result of many years spent researching Rheidol Railway’s own archives and archaeological sources dating back to the opening of the line in 1902. Coupled with detailed drawings, precisely measured, the fi ndings present an unrivalled picture of the railway’s history, equipment and infrastructure, including a comprehensive record of locomotives, carriages, wagons and buildings, some now long disappeared.

Aided by primary source information and close examination of surviving equipment, the work brings records up to date with extensive details of modern developments. The whole is a unique, behind-the scenes insight into the engineering and operation of a modern, preserved narrow-gauge steam railway.

Limited copies of the book are available, priced at £70, from www. rheidolrailway.co.uk/shop The Little Yellow Boat by Diane Woodrow Diane is a local writer living in Abergele, where she also runs writing workshops. The Little Yellow Boat is her fi rst book for children and is published by Olympia.

Diane usually writes gritty short stories tackling women’s issues. This book, in contrast, features a little boat who is always getting into a mess when she goes o on adventures on her own. She comes to realise that if she calls on her friends for support, she can do more and go further. It’s a simple but valuable message about sharing the ups and downs of life, and is accompanied by stunning watercolour illustrations by Danielle Chapman Skaines.

Available from local book stores and online. Facebook: @LittleYellowBoatBook

Calling local authors…

If you’re living in the Shire area or have written about a local person or place, we’d love to feature you on these pages. Email editorial@ shiremagazine.co.uk. Brother Kell’s Book of Spells by Mike Brain At At 84, Mike Brain, who lives in Flintshire, has written and had published two novels, set mostly in Chester in the 8th century. The Cheshire villages of Eccleston and Dodleston are used as a setting for the stories, which follow generations of the same family. This is the fi rst and involves Cormac and his mother searching for absent Norse father Skeggi Gunnarson, and features a magic Book of Kells, with farmyard creatures and imaginary beasts that can be brought to life. There is a sequel, Cormac Returns for a Spell. Both books are available from Amazon.

Whether you’re reading to calm your mind or set it alight, our friends at Linghams Bookshop in Heswall have just the book for you

The Comfort Book by Book Matt Haig Matt Haig (Canongate Books, £16.99)

Following on from the success from the success of The Midnight of Library comes Library Matt Haig’s reflections on hope, survival hope, survival and the messy and the messy miracle of miracle of being alive.

It is a strange paradox that many of the It is a strange paradox that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned while we are at our lowest. But learned while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry, and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard. The Comfort Book is a collection of consolations learned in hard times, and suggestions for making the bad days better. Drawing on maxims, memoir and the inspirational lives of others, these meditations celebrate the ever-changing wonder of living. This is for when we need the wisdom of a friend or a reminder we can always nurture inner strength and hope, even in our busy world. A book of timeless comfort for modern minds.

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (Vintage Publishing, £10.99)

Whether you love them or loathe them, fungi are one of the most fascinationg life forms on our planet, and this smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller will transform your understanding of them and of Planet Earth and life itself. Winner of the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2021 and the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing 2021, it celebrates these extraordinary organisms – and the more we learn about them, the less makes sense without them.

They can change our minds, heal our bodies and even help us avoid environmental disaster. They are metabolic masters, earth-makers and key players in most of nature’s processes. Entangled Life, Sheldrake takes us on a mind-altering journey into their spectacular world.

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (Vintage Publishing, £10.99)

Whether you love them or loathe them, fungi are one of the most fascinationg life forms on our planet, and this smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller will transform your understanding of them and of Planet Earth and life itself. Winner of

150 Watt Lightbulb Hair by Sheila Crozier

I saw your lightbulb hair, so far across the room I fi xed my eyes on you, and gave you a heated stare The power that magnetised me Was you With your 150 watt lightbulb hair I didn’t need to strike a light Since all around was lightbulb bright From you With your 150 watt lightbulb hair Thrown into a chasm was I The day you left my life And all that I had to keep me warm, Was the memory Of you With your 150 watt lightbulb hair

Break Out by Helen Sweet

Run, walk, leap, shout, In the joy of expectation. The invisible shackles will loosen. Soon we will meet our family and friends. Soon we will shop for pleasure. Soon we will meet indoors, With the prescribed ventilation. And no longer confi ned to chilly outdoor hospitality. No need for blankets, gloves, scarves and windproof gear. Am I dreaming? Not this time. ‘Now’ will soon arrive. Most are eager to return to a ‘Before’ time. Don’t ignore the apprehensive, nervous and fearful. The noise may surprise us, obnoxious vehicle smells more noticeable. The sound of bird chorus seriously striving for our attention. The feathered migrants returning enthusiastically to a warmer clime, So innocent of our sacrifi ces. Soon we will be ready to burst from our captivity. Remember the unseen enemy, not crushed yet. Say goodbye to this special time. Refl ect and remember the high days.

Golden Land by Norman Marshall

When I was twenty I dreamt of a golden land. Then came thirty And still there was no golden land. Then came forty With desperation for a golden land. Then came fi fty Too tired for a golden land. Then came sixty Too late for a golden land. Then came seventy Too old for a land. Along came eighty Too ill for any land. So, realise your desires If you want you to sample that golden land.

Grief by Jo Young

Grief manifests itself in so many ways There are no timescales, it is important to continue to say Emotions will run riot, at times you will cry Your dam will burst and tears will descend like a waterfall – I cannot lie.

Photos will be cherished and held dear But you will still see the empty chair – that is clear Half an empty bed Nights alone you will dread.

You must drink and eat Here you are, I’ve just bought you an edible treat But you say – I am not hungry, I am just so sad. Is that bad?

No, I reassure her Life at the moment is a blur Only you know how you feel We know that your fate has been sealed Your husband of 56 years has passed away But you, my friend, are here to stay.

You are still a mother, grandmother, sister and auntie You still have love, knowledge and advice to give – for some that is plenty You will miss him each and every day, but remember Every single day, from January to December We love you and will always be there for you That much will always be true!

We want your poems!

Share your creativity – we print our favourite poems every issue. Send them to Shire Poetry, PO Box 276, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 1FR or email editorial@shiremagazine.co.uk