The Book Launch
We had intended to publish a small book or series of pamphlets from very early on in the project and following the successful exhibition in November 2018 we started to develop and refine the material we had collected and to try to fill in some of the gaps, especially as regards researching any “survivors” we could identify, anything we could find out about the effect on the civilian population and to what extent the wartime experience on the “home front’” at Levens echoed that of the country as a whole.
In the end we gathered more than enough material to fill a fairly substantial book and though pictures were in short supply there were enough to relieve the effect of dense text on the reader’s eyes. The exhibition was obviously more visual in order to catch the attention of visitors. Although in the book the combatants must still be first and foremost the pressure to give the exhibition visitor something to see is not present and we can take our (and your) time to consider Levens’ experience of the conflict and wonder to what extent it matched that of other communities.
The book launch event for “Levens in Shadow of the Great War” took place in Levens Institute on Saturday 1 February 2020. It had been previously advertised by email and on the Levens Village and the LLHG websites and by posters dotted round the village, The Westmorland Gazette carried a news item about it as well.
In the end we gathered more than enough material to fill a fairly substantial book and though pictures were in short supply there were enough to relieve the effect of dense text on the reader’s eyes. The exhibition was obviously more visual in order to catch the attention of visitors. Although in the book the combatants must still be first and foremost the pressure to give the exhibition visitor something to see is not present and we can take our (and your) time to consider Levens’ experience of the conflict and wonder to what extent it matched that of other communities.
The book launch event for “Levens in Shadow of the Great War” took place in Levens Institute on Saturday 1 February 2020. It had been previously advertised by email and on the Levens Village and the LLHG websites and by posters dotted round the village, The Westmorland Gazette carried a news item about it as well.
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It was a successful event, approximately 80 books were collected by Levens residents and a few visitors and a large quantity of coffee, tea, wine and soft drinks was consumed.
The book was free of charge to recipients as it had been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, but we suggested that if recipients wished to make donations to defray any remaining costs LLHD would retain a portion and pass the balance to the SSAFA, the oldest British Armed Forces charity, whose local organiser in 1914 was Mrs. Argles of Eversley. SSAFA, formerly known as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Recipients response has been very generous and we will shortly publish the amount donated here.
A pdf copy is available on this website for you to download here – warning, it is nearly 200 pages long so reading it on the screen is not easy. If you want a hard-copy just request one via our contact form and we will post you one. It will cost you £3.00 for P&P. If you want to donate add whatever you think fit or send your donation direct to the SSAFA. See their website.
Enjoy the read.
P.S. Here's the book contents page to give you an idea of what you will find.
The book was free of charge to recipients as it had been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, but we suggested that if recipients wished to make donations to defray any remaining costs LLHD would retain a portion and pass the balance to the SSAFA, the oldest British Armed Forces charity, whose local organiser in 1914 was Mrs. Argles of Eversley. SSAFA, formerly known as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Recipients response has been very generous and we will shortly publish the amount donated here.
A pdf copy is available on this website for you to download here – warning, it is nearly 200 pages long so reading it on the screen is not easy. If you want a hard-copy just request one via our contact form and we will post you one. It will cost you £3.00 for P&P. If you want to donate add whatever you think fit or send your donation direct to the SSAFA. See their website.
Enjoy the read.
P.S. Here's the book contents page to give you an idea of what you will find.
