Berwick-upon-Tweed for 'King and Country'

'Berwick-upon-Tweed – For King and Country', is a fascinating story about the lives of the people of a typical English coastal town during World War 1, ‘The Great War’. The book describes the mood of patriotism which swept through all levels of society at the beginning of the war and includes sketches widely published encouraging men to join the military. The book describes the feeling of optimism among the people that the war would be over quickly, only for them to witness the ever growing casualty lists as the war dragged on and the men from Berwick gave their all for ‘King and Country’. It also decribes the dangers caused by armed soldiers mixing with the civilian population.
The book contains letters from Berwick’s soldiers fighting at ‘The Front’, with stories of their heroism, as well as their suffering as they lay wounded on the battlefield or in military hospitals. There are photographs of many young men from Berwick who went off to war never to return, and prisoners of war tell of the cruel and inhumane treatment they suffered at the hands of their German captors.
One man who captured the mood of Berwick and progress of the war as it wore along its bloody path was Thomas Grey, “The Footplate Poet”. Despite receiving national recognition for his work, Thomas is a forgotten poet of Berwick, but during his research Harry Scott discovered several of his wartime poems which are reproduced in this book.
James Walker from Berwick, a noted authority and author of several pictorial books on the history of Berwick, has written a very moving and thought provoking foreword to the book.