When War was declared in 1914, the young men of Wolverton and district rushed to join up, afraid that war would be all over by Christmas. They were longing for adventure to relieve the dull predictable life of a small town. What they experienced surpassed all their expectations in comradeship and in horror.
Listen to their thoughts and experiences, recounted in their own words.

Frank Gillard on the reality of life in the trenches

Hawtin Mundy, in the Bucks Territorials, remembers receiving a parcel from home and arguing with his Bradwell mate George (Fatty) Odell over a balaclava.

Wolverton man Sid Coles was also in the Bucks Territorials and remembers George Odell's bravery. George was a bandsman and therefore a stretcher bearer. For this act of bravery he won the Military Medal and the Italian Croce di Guerra

Hawtin Mundy discusses what it took for someone to be described as a 'coward'

Frank Gillard recalls when a young man was shot for 'cowardice'

Hawtin Mundy describes the effect on him of the death of comrades in the front line.

Sid Carroll recalls how he was wounded

Sid's best friend, Hawtin Mundy, recalls what happened when he heard Sid had been wounded.

Sid Coles remembers what it was like going over the top and the horror that ensued.

Hawtin Mundy saw the effects of mustard gas

In the early hours of May 3rd 1917, Hawtin Mundy went ‘over the top’ in the second Battle of Arras. He was with a machine gun team, carrying a box of ammunition with another man. Within seconds this man was killed by a bullet and the man carrying the machine gun tripod was dead too. Unable to see or hear anything in the smoke and noise of battle Hawtin dropped the ammunition box and in his own words “waddled across No-Man’s-Land”. He got to the first line of German trenches, they were empty, but a German soldier stood up armed only with a spade. Hawtin aimed at him but the German threw his spade and the bullet missed. The German jumped out of the trench and ran. Hawtin took steady aim and killed him. Hawtin kept walking, but the smoke of the battle cleared and he jumped in to an empty hole. After some time he saw a line of Germans walking towards him to re-occupy their trenches. He got up and ran, and heard some English voices calling, ‘In here’. He jumped into the second line of German trenches and there he met two other privates and three British officers. The Germans went around them and occupied the front line trenches, knowing they were trapped. A short time later the British artillery put a barrage on the German lines. Eventually, a shell landed among the small group of British soldiers. Hawtin was knocked out. He came around later dazed.

The horrors of the trenches did eventually come to an end. Just what happened to the people of Wolverton and New Bradwell when the war ended is described in the final section Now this bloody war is over