Family letters from the Western Front are the inspiration behind a new novel from York author Jane Austin

A REMARKABLE thing happened last summer when York writer Jane Austin attended a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme in northern France.

Jane's great uncle Glyn Roberts fought with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and died during the first battle of the Somme on July 3 1916.

As part of the ceremony last July, a letter written from a grieving mother, Mrs Ruby Burnett, was read out, which included a reference to Jane's great uncle.

The letter was written in 1920, shortly after Mrs Burnett had visited the battlefield to mourn the loss of her own son, and was published in the local paper.

She wrote: "I visited still more graves on the Contalmaison road, replaced many crosses that had fallen down. I took the name of a grave I could read more easily and think, perhaps, someone might recognise and be pleased to hear – Lt C.Glyn Roberts, Adj. 9th R.W.F, 3rd July 1916. I wish I could have done more.’ (Stratford on Avon Herald)."

Jane said she was astonished at the coincidence and was moved to learn of this kind act almost 100 years after the deed.

But the letter is not the only way this Welsh soldier has been remembered. His life and those of his brothers who also served at the front – including Jane's grandfather Dewi – have been commemorated through the letters they sent home to their family in Bangor, Wales.

The letters, which vividly describe the horror of the trenches and battlefield and the stark reality of life as a prisoner of war, were first published in 1983 by Jane's grandmother, Elizabeth Dewi Roberts.

Now they are being shared again, this time, through Jane's new novel, News From Nowhere (Cinnamon Press, £9.99).

Jane said: "I found a collection of family letters that my grandmother published in 1983 that were collected by my grandfather. I was on a creative writing course and was inspired to revisit this and ask what must it have been like at the time for the young men who went to war and the young women who stayed at home."

Janes uses the brothers' letters as the backbone of the book, but invents a central character, Bronwyn, their 16-year-old sister.

At home in Bangor, Bronwyn witness some of the shockwaves of the war as refugees and wounded soldiers arrive in this sleepy corner of Wales. She is at the forefront of social change, as women take on challenging roles vacated by men sent to the front. Bronwyn works at the Methodist Book Room and sends parcels to soldiers overseas. Later she becomes involved in political activism, volunteering at a London Military Hospital run by suffragists and travelling to France.

"Bronwyn grows up and becomes very aware – we would call her a feminist today," says Jane.

News From Nowhere is Jane's first novel, although she has had a short story, Les Petites Curies, previously published by Cinnamon Press in an anthology.

The novel was published after Jane entered a writing competition and was shortlisted, earning her a mentor and editor who helped her prepare her story for publication.

The rich material in the family letters proved too difficult to resist and Jane carefully edited and wove them into her fictional story of Bronwyn, giving the novel a historical gravitas.

"I read all the letters and used them selectively," says Jane. "I wondered what was it like for the women to receive the letters." She says the character of Bronwyn is based on her three great aunts. "It is a coming of age story. Although she was on the home front it shows the impact of the horrors of war from afar and how it shapes her future."

Jane added: "Because of the war women had opportunities and they made what they could with them. They were able to show their abilities and strengths."

York Press:

Jane's great uncle Glyn Roberts

The letters themselves give an insightful first-hand account of life at the front. Jane says one of the most graphic comes from Glyn, dated September 14, 1915, when he writes from a village near the firing line. "It's more like a ghost town... the streets are littered with pots and pans, beds, sewing machines, bicycles, papers and books as well as household furniture. The roads are pitted with shell-holes. And the church! It's just four tumbledown walls amongst a wreckage of tombstones. The worse part is seeing bodies raised from the dead, scattered about the churchyard like poor abandoned scarecrows."

Two days later, Glyn describes what it is like coming under fire. "Dodging bombs is surprisingly easy, when you can see them coming. One of the sentries shouts, coming over Right or Left, and we clear the dugouts. At first you see a heavy puff of smoke, then the bomb, which looks like a champagne bottle, turning over and over as it flies. You asked me if I was afraid. After a few months you get used to the drip, drip of danger, though under sustained attack fear brings a terrible thirst."

Jane says in writing the novel she is also serving to commemorate these men's lives. "It is important to keep these letters for future generations."

She says this is what her grandfather achieved in safeguarding the correspondence. "He talked about witnessing these letters."

Jane, now aged 68, never met her grandfather. He died in 1938, making the letters, especially the ones he sent home, all the more special. She said: "I feel as though I have met him. I feel we have this connection through his writing, which is just wonderful."

York Press:

Meet the author

Jane will be taking part in the York Literature Festival. She will read excerpts from News From Nowhere and discuss her work during an event, Cinnamon Press, World War I Writers, at Explore York Library and Archive on Saturday March 25 from 2pm-3.30pm. Tickets are £5, available from York Theatre Royal.

Jane is happy to speak to local groups about her book. She can be contacted via email: janeaustin1@btinternet.com