A WEST Auckland author has paid tribute to villagers who fought in the First World War with a series of books.
Andy Whitehead has penned six novels about a fictitious pals battalion who fought in six major battles between 1915 and 1918.
Having published the first book, The Second Battle of Ypres, in 2016, the Pal’s War series now includes The Battle of Loos, The Battle of the Somme, Passchendaele, The Kaiserschlacht The Spring Offensive and The Hundred Days Offensive.
Mr Whitehead served for 26 years in the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, becoming district manager for Wear Valley and Teesdale until February 2016.
Although he had began putting pen to paper in his spare time, it wasn’t until Mr Whitehead retired from the fire service that he began to combine his interest in war with his vivid imagination and write the books full-time.
He said: “I have always had an imagination and I have always had ideas for telling a story. Going back years I had ideas for a series of kids books but I never had the interest in sitting down and doing the writing. Without the fire service, I don’t think I would have become a writer.”
The actions of the six soldiers, known in the book as the Auckland Pals, are based on the factual battles.
The 57-year-old is hoping that the final four books in the series will be published this year to coincide with the centenary of the end of the First World War in November. He said: “The series is complete now. I have dedicated all of the books to different people in the family and I wanted to dedicate the final book to people named on the war memorial at the pant. Writing the books has been a learning experience. I am fascinated with war simply because it is people taking orders that they probably know deep down are likely to kill them. You think, what sort of bravery did these people have? They still did it time after time.”
During a recent research trip to Northern France, Mr Whitehead visited the grave of Private Edward Mason whose name appears on the war memorial in West Auckland.
Private Mason served in the 15th battalion Durham Light Infantry during World War One
He was killed in action on April 10, 1917, aged just 19.
With the permission of Private Mason’s descendants, Mr Whitehead took a piece of West Auckland coal from the old railway track with him and left it at the grave in the Cojeul British Cemetery.
Mr Whitehead said: “It just coincidentally happened that the route I had planned meant I would be driving past the war cemetery where Edward is buried. I told Edward’s family I would be there in November and I said I would take something and put it on the grave. He was from this pit village so it seemed appropriate.
“It is chilling to walk into a place like that. The graves are kept superbly by the French. They keep them with so much dignity. It really is moving.”
Mr Whitehead’s books are available on the Amazon Kindle.
He added: “If by me writing these books it puts West Auckland a little firmer on the map to me that is a good thing.”
