Salisbury Plain: Military and Civilian Life on The Plain since the 1890s (ePub)

Salisbury Plain, to those who have never been there, is the place on the map where Stonehenge is. To others it is mist, mud on the road, military convoys and the occasional tank. For many in Wiltshire and its surrounding counties, the sound of artillery fire, fast jets, and low-flying Hercules, are regular reminders of a military presence.

Of course the Plain is all of these things, but look around and it becomes much more. On one side you may see a squadron of tanks suddenly cross the skyline like a line of warships 'making smoke'. While on the opposite hill a hare pauses, glances at the tanks, dismisses them as no threat, and lollops on. The Plain is a magical place, an ancient place, and a place where battles have been fought for thousands of years.

'The Plain' began life as a one-hour radio documentary before being commissioned by HTV and Meridian as a four-part TV series, a Co-Production that owes its success to the hard work and skills of Pam Hunt and Kate Jones-Davies from 'Raw Charm'. Now it's a book in its own right, not simply the 'Book of the Series', 'The Plain: Life on The Plain from the 1890s to the present day' offers me the opportunity to revisit the material I've collected over the years. A chance to look at some remarkable old photographs, some of which have never been published before, and amble down a few half-hidden pathways to glimpse the people of the Plain and their stories. So many people have been involved that individual thanks are impossible, though a special thank you really should go to Betty Hooper, the Cole family, and the Fuller family, who entrusted me with their photographs and archives. And Jean Morrison, who sat by her fireside for hours telling me stories of the Plain and its people.

Last, but by no means least, thanks must go to the Army, without whose generosity and enthusiasm the recording and filming would have been impossible.

Chris Corden

Wiltshire 1998

Addendum

A 100 years after the first World War began this 2014 e-edition is released as 'Salisbury Plain: Civilian and Military Life on The Plain, Since the 1890s', a longer version with over 190 photographs, and now available on for all major e-readers. Setting the photographs and illustrations has been a challenge, as e-reader formats vary, along with print sizes. The occasional blanks, and captions on the following page, are the price I've paid for keeping the pictures connected to where they belong.

Sadly some of those who helped and are quoted are no longer with us. But, like The Plain itself, they live on through these memories.

Extra audio visual material is exclusively available to readers of this eBook.

Chris Corden

Wiltshire 2014