Everyone a Hero

Stoke Poges, famous for its churchyard where Gray's "Elegy" was written, honours those who left their village to fight in the Great War, some never to return. When the conflict came, the village responded. In all 306 men and one woman served. Lionel Rigby describes how they were dispersed across the services, and in many different regiments. The monthly parish magazine maintained a link with those who were away, and published letters from the front, which gave a fascinating account of changed lives. This moving book serves as a memorial to those who died; in one battle in Salonika three Stoke Poges men died together on the same day, serving in the 7th battalion of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. Many of the men who returned are shown in a group photograph in front of Gray's Monument. Their homecoming and the dedication of the War Memorial are featured. This important book, produced to a high standard and generously illustrated, will appeal to residents, all those with an interest in the period, and particularly to descendants of these local heroes.