Monday 21st June 2010
A Duty to Serve: Tonbridge School and the 1939-45 War
David Walsh
This richly illustrated book, to be published in November 2011, recalls and commemorates a dangerous and exciting period in the history of Tonbridge School and celebrates the lives of a wartime generation of Tonbridgians, whether still at school or already deeply involved in the war effort.
Old Tonbridgians served with great distinction at home and abroad throughout the war, and the book offers inspiring stories of some of the most remarkable, linked to their own time at school, but also set against the vivid context of the day-to-day life of the school itself in those wartime years.
Through the book there runs a thread of belonging, of a shared heritage, experience and memory through Tonbridge School. The book is also a journey of reflection about those years, giving insight and understanding to younger generations about the way a school community coped with war and its inevitable consequences, while also paying tribute to a generation who gave their service, and in many cases their lives, and who have now mostly passed on.
Contributions: You are invited to assist in the writing of A Duty to Serve by contributing your own memories and documentary material about life in the war. Any of the following would be of particular interest:
• Memories of your own service in the war and/or life at Tonbridge or those of Tonbridge friends or relations with interesting experiences
• Copies of original source material in relation to either of the above in the form of letters, diaries, school or forces memorabilia
• Photographs of school or service life
Any such material should be sent, not to the School but to David Walsh c/o TMI Ltd, 2-5 Benjamin Street, London EC1M 5QL. Tel: 020 7336 0144 Email: tonbridge@tmiltd.com.
A pre-order form and further information about the publishers can be found here.