The Surrey Heritage is asking for war-time memorabilia to be donated, in order to help build an archive project
After a staggering donation of £460,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Surrey Heritage (part of the County Council) now has the means to create a fantastic online project of wartime memories about life in our county during WWI. It is hoped that with help from the community, they will build an archive of newspaper clippings, photographs, letters and other memorabilia to forever preserve Surrey's contribution to the war. If you, your family or friends have anything of interest tucked away, do consider donating to this worthwhile project.
Featured in the picture above is a recruitment parade at Epsom Clocktower. Surrey had much to do with wartime Britain, and a film is being released to best commemorate the actions of those from Surrey. The film is a tribute to one of the most outspoken critics of the Great War, Vera Brittain, which is hitting cinemas this month. BBC Films have adapted Vera's gut-wrenching wartime memoir, Testament of Youth, for the big screen, starring Alicia Viksander. Schooled at the now defunct St Monicas in Kingswood, Vera postponed her studies at Oxford University to work as a Voluntary Aid Detachment. Her experiences attending to wounded soldiers are harrowingly described in this book; in which she laments the needless slaughter and suffering of the innocent, including her fiance Roland Leighton (played by Game of Thrones Kit Harrington).
