RAF sergeant's book dedicated to fallen Melksham heroes (From This Is Wiltshire)

RAF sergeant's book dedicated to fallen Melksham heroes

11:37am Tuesday 14th July 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

A former RAF sergeant has brought history to life after writing a book about Melksham’s First World War soldiers following two years of research.

Martyn Gibson, 52, of Eden Grove in Whitley, was inspired to start writing a book about soldiers who fought in the Great War while attending a remembrance service at the war memorial in Canon Square, Melksham, two years ago.

He said: “I was just sat there thinking, everyone is here to show their respect but do they actually know who they are showing respect for?

“I was looking around me at everyone and then looking back at the memorial and wondering how much everyone knew about those men.”

The book, which is yet to be published, will be called ‘Not Just a Picture on the Wall’ and reveals the lives of soldiers and their families through poetry, photographs and even old Wiltshire Times news clippings which Mr Gibson found at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.

He started his research by taking the names from the Melksham War Memorial and used the internet and sites such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website to further his research.

Mr Gibson moved to Wiltshire from Yorkshire after he left the Royal Air Force in 2000 and he now works for BT in Chippenham.

He said: “I love living in Wiltshire and I have really enjoyed discovering the histories of soldiers with a Melksham connection”.

Not Just a Picture on the Wall includes the story of Harry Seward, from Seend, who fought in the 2nd Battalion Rhodesia regiment and died in Africa on March 11, 1916 aged just 33 and includes photos of his tombstone in Kenya.

Mr Gibson said he had posted a request on a First World War website asking for more information and found a man who was in Kenya at the time and was able to visit the headstone and take a picture for him.

All the proceeds from the book will go to the Help for Heroes charity, whose logo on the front of his book.

Mr Gibson said: “So many people in the local area have been so great in helping me gain information for the book, I really could not have done it without them I now have the finished manuscript, but I am aiming to raise around £750 or more to get around 100 books or so published.

“I can then sell them and all proceeds will go to the charity. I fought in the first Gulf War so I have been on the same end as some of these soldiers nowadays.

“There’s such a similarity between what these boys in my book went through and what people are going through now.”

Mr Gibson is currently campaigning in the local area to get donations to help with the cost of printing, anyone who is interested in donating can call him on 01225 705723 and will be mentioned in the book.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)