Wartime Memories

A Memory of Cotherstone.

As a child during WW2 I spent a lot of time in Cotherstone, staying with Grandpa Berkley and Aunty Blake. They were joint proprietors of the village shop together with Tom Kipling. He and his family lived overlooking the green and beck on the way to the station. I spent many happy hours with my dad sitting by the river down the Hag. As a city child I thought the place was magical and even after 75 years or more I still remember the feeling of peace and tranquility away from the terrors of war. There was a prisoner of war camp for Italian soldiers on the outskirts of the village and I remember lying in bed on summer nights listening to them playing their guitars and singing beautifully. I'm delighted to say I will be revisiting all my old haunts in September when I will be returning for a brief holiday after over 70 years.