The Beaconsfield Society’s literary event this year will commemorate the centenary of World War I. Gabriel Woolf and Linda Hart will read poetry, prose and songs about the war. The programme will include poems by Julian Grenfell, who had connections with the Grenfells of Wilton Park, Beaconsfield.

Behind the Lines tells the story of what people thought at home at the start of the War, and what soldiers experienced at the Front. The enthusiasm for war expressed by Julian Grenfell and Rupert Brooke will be contrasted with the bitterness of Siegfried Sassoon and the wry humour of ee cummings. Other readings will include works by soldier poets Wilfred Owen, Edward Thomas, Ivor Gurney and Isaac Rosenberg.

It has been fascinating research, especially finding the link between the Grenfell twins and their cousin the war poet Julian Grenfell.

The town can be very proud of Capt. Francis Grenfell who gained the coveted Victoria Cross. He was one of the first officers to be awarded the VC on August 24, 1914. The twin’s names are on the Beaconsfield war memorial and there is a stained glass window in St Mary’s Parish church in their memory.

Behind The Lines takes place on Saturday, April 12 at the Fitzwilliams Centre, Beaconsfield, with two performances: 2.30pm and 6pm. Tickets are £10 and available at Beaconsfield Library, Reynolds Road, and also via www. beaconsfieldsociety.org.uk — Kari Dorme, Beaconsfield Society Committee member