The (not just) Betjeman Literary Festival begins in Wantage on Saturday and Katherine MacAlister take a look at what’s coming up, including plenty about the First World War

Former war correspondent Kate Adie, Sir Charlie Stinky Socks author Kristina Stephenson, SAS veteran Andy McNab, First World War historian Nikky Arding and environmental reporter Roger Harrabin will be among the writers, experts and entertainers to grace stages around Wantage for the (not just) Betjeman Literary Festival kicking off this weekend.

Chairwoman Debbie Martin said she hoped there would be something for everyone during the fun-packed week which runs from Saturday until November 2.

She said: “We’ve tried hard this year to suit all tastes with a mixture of events for young and old, from those who like poetry, wine, history and music, to talks and different perspectives on the First World War, travelling, the environment and John Betjeman’s unpublished letters.”

The First World War theme runs throughout the festival, starting on Saturday, with journalist Stephen Cooper’s talk about his investigation into the 15 men who died in action from Rosslyn Park Rugby Club, in his book The Final Whistle.

Kate Adie, the former BBC chief news correspondent, talks about her latest book Fighting on the Home Front – The Legacy of Women in World War One. Actress and historian Nikky Arding will be giving an interactive session exploring the lives of Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Nurses of the Great War. Oxford University poetry and creative writing tutor Jenny Lewis will be talking about her latest anthology, Taking Mesopotamia, which follows her father’s Great War experience as a young soldier fighting in ‘Mespot’, while broadcaster Kate Williams will be talking about her work as a TV historian and The Storms of War – her latest book which reveals how the Great War changed everything for one British family.

Literary festival organisers are also asking people to root out memorabilia from 1914-1918 to bring along to its First World War Family History Roadshow at The Beacon, Wantage, on Sunday.

“Do you have a box hidden deep in the attic or under the bed that holds your great-grandfather’s diaries?” Ms Martin asks. “Maybe a letter from the front line? Or a photo taken at the time? Is there a special story behind it? If so, Wantage (not just) Betjeman Literary Festival wants to see it.

“We are helping to build the first ever online European archive of private memorabilia from World War One to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of war – and we need your help to do this.”

The Wantage roadshow is one of a series being held across Europe to create a pan-European virtual archive of the First World War.

“We want ordinary families to tell us about their keepsakes, who they belonged to and why they are so important to them – and we will save those memories in the archive www.europeana1914-1918.eu, to ensure that First World War-related materials are recorded online even if in future they perish or get thrown away,” she adds.

Roadshow organiser Jackie Storer said: “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the importance of the written word and commemorate the First World War than to have local people bring in their World War One diaries, letters or personal stories. Like many areas in England, the civilians of Oxfordshire were greatly affected by World War One. Through the artefacts of local people, we hope to discover stories of war horses, how Wantage became home to a Red Cross Hospital and a place of refuge for 33 Belgians fleeing their homeland, more about the town’s munitions factory, life on the home front, the peace celebrations that followed and how a gun ended up in a brook.”

On a more light-hearted note: a murder mystery meal at The Bear Hotel on Sunday night is one of the highlights where, in true whodunnit style, guests need to sift through a series of clues to unmask the murderer. Set at a fictitious Lord’s birthday bash, locals will be invited to ‘dress to impress’ and book a table for a three-course meal, before Agatha Christie-style antics begin.

SEE IT
To find out more about the festival or to book online, go to www.wantagebetjeman.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the Vale & Downland Museum, Church Street, Wantage.

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