A detour through Staffordshire leads to a profound encounter with history, humanity, and remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum.
The Weight of Silence
Author: Natalie Mayhew
Originally a London girl, now living in Rochester, Kent. Fascinated by social history and passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion
Each Name a Story: The Lives Behind a Forgotten War Memorial
Fifteen young men, lost too soon, their names rediscovered from a forgotten Second World War memorial in Rochester. These are stories of courage, sacrifice, and the people behind the names
Luck of the Irish
Joseph Twohey (c1838–1913) an Irish-born soldier whose career spanned Crimea, India, and near-miraculous survival, honoured with Hayling’s first military funeral
A Ruptured Life
James Twohey (1794-1866) an Irishman who served with the British Army and endured hardship in India before being discharged through injury
A ‘desperate state of things’
Alexander Cameron Brock (1855-1898) a forgotten family story, uncovered through hospital archives, reveals the quiet tragedy of a Victorian doctor lost to mental illness
The Good Mother
Leah Ellen Mayo (1847–1927) a young widow, navigated poverty, prejudice, and impossible choices - then reinvented herself to keep her family together
A Voyage of Controversy
Peter Poulton (1925–2004) sailed aboard HMS Pickle during the historic 1946 voyage that marked the end of Sarawak’s White Rajahs
Witness to surrender: Far East 1945-46
Peter Poulton (1925-2004) left behind photographs and letters that illuminate his wartime experiences in the Far East during and after World War II
Still thinking of you: letters after VE Day
Peter Poulton (1925-2004) was on active service in the Far East as the West celebrated VE Day 1945. Family letters reflect joy, longing, and ongoing war concerns
What’s in a name
Julia Lane? (c.1840–1925): Illiterate but resilient, she rose from famine-era Ireland to hardship in London, through her inner strength and determination
