For Them’s Return: Northchurch Folk Who Survived the First World War

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Though space may be dividing,

And seas may roll between,

Kind thoughts are still abiding,

To keep fond memories green.

So take this thought in greeting,

With all its sweet goodwill,

And may our next glad meeting,

Find unchanged the old love still.

This poem, titled To the Absent One, was written over a hundred years ago and reflects the thoughts of most servicemen’s families who were separated during the First World War. Much has been written about the servicemen who did not return from the war and whose names are recalled each year on Remembrance Day. Far less is known about the lives of those who did return home having served their country.

Following the publication of For Them’s Sake in 2017, which told the stories of the servicemen named on the Northchurch War memorial in Hertfordshire, amateur historian Richard North now tells the stories of those who were sent off to war and returned.