World War I - If You Shed a Tear
In the first decade of this century a number of local churches produced memorial books telling the stories of those lost in the service of our country. To commemorate the centenary of the Great War an e-book has been produced entitled “If you shed a tear”. This is compiled from the memorial books of a dozen coastal parishes on the North Essex coast between the rivers Colne and Blackwater. It contains over 200 profiles of men associated with these villages killed in that war.
Those looking for a smooth narrative will be disappointed. This book is in fact a scrap book compiled by the local community and is dedicated to the Generation that endured the Great War. The odd press cutting, letter home or photograph still nurtured by their family is all that remains and is supplemented with such information that is readily available in the public domain.
The introduction describes the project to tell the stories of our Fallen. Thereafter the book is broken into 3 major sections. Firstly, chapters 1 to 8 discusses 1914 and how various groups in the community became involved in the war. The second section has profiles of other men lost in the 3 years 1915, 1916, and 1917. The final year of fighting is covered in the last section, which also summarise the cost to our community.
The title incidentally derives from a paragraph which reads:-
At the end of their life, they say that old soldiers never die they just fade away.
The Royal Marines are said to cross the harbour bar. They only die if they are forgotten.
So please read their stories that they may be remembered.
And if you shed a tear, know that you have not wept alone.
You are invited to download the book 'If You Shed a Tear'
There is no charge. It is given free so that as many people as possible may read their sad stories and admire their sheer courage.
The file has some 385 pages and will take several minutes to download.
Download the three parts of 'If You Shed a Tear'.
Or you can read online at Issuu