As part of our continuing series of features commemorating the start of the First World War, I was joined today by KEN PORTER and STEPHEN WYNN who have just completed their book about how the advent of the First World War affected daily life in Billericay. This is in fact the second book on which Ken and Stephen have collaborated, the first being about a Second World War German POW camp in Langdon Hills.

When the war started Billericay was a compact village with some 2000 inhabitants. Between the bottom end of the High Street and the top end at Sun Street, there were only a total of 54 premises including private houses shops, pubs, a bank, Post Office, the Police station, two Blacksmiths, the undertakers, a school and a Church. As the war progressed and men went off to fight, daily life started to change. Listen to what Ken and Stephen told me by clicking on the link below: –

On today’s show we also heard about the somewhat inept criminal who was tricked into driving a car he had stolen (and used in a bank raid) to attend a meeting with his probation officer. Don’t you just love it?

Right see you again same time, same place, tomorrow.
Scott