Soldiers of Shepshed remembered 1914-1919

Published: 23 June 2009

Soldiers of Shepshed remembered 1914-1919 follows author, Russell Fishers’ personal enquiry into the disappearance of his great uncle, Shepshed’s Freddy Smith, in the Somme in 1916.  His exhaustive research also covers the tales of the 700 or so men from this small, northwest Leicester town, 184 of whom died for the cause, a hefty proportion of those who listed.

The book is anything but lacking in description. Beginning in 1914, with the introduction the town of Shepshed, Fisher sets a peaceful pre-war scene.  A picture is painted of the town’s Sunday church service as it is interrupted by the emphatically announced arrival of the Shepshed K’nuts,’ ‘the town’s likely lads’ consisting of mostly 19 year olds, including the author’s subject. This humorous anecdote throws us as readers into the personality and characteristic of the town as if we ourselves were there.

Fisher’s account chronologically follows the path of Shepshed’s sons from enlistment, the horrific conditions in the training camps to their service time.  Remarkable events in military history were also witnessed by some of Shepshed’s ‘lucky’ contingents, the Christmas day truce 1914 saw, for a few short days, enemies become friends and the discovery of a common humanity, with the lads from Shepshed a valuable part of the history.

Scattered throughout the pages are photographs of Shepshed’s recruits and an explanation of their role in the Great War and their connection to the town. From Private Albert Thorpe the first Shepshed man to be killed in action to Ivy Bailey, Shepshed’s youngest victim of the Great War.

The book is not only a fine tribute to Shepshed’s heroes, but also has the desired effect in reflecting how the war affected everyone, which Fisher does by using this ‘typical’ town as a symbol of every British town affected by the war.

Review by Rhea Johnson