This is the latest publication by the Herne Hill Society.

In this charming, very readable, expertly edited and generously produced book, Grace MacFarquhar, née Lucas (1906-2001), describes her life in Herne Hill and the surrounding area during and shortly after the First World War. Grace was an intelligent and imaginative child, the eldest of five children. Her 80-page account, written many decades later, has an exceptionally vivid quality.

Grace’s father Fred was killed in France in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. How the family dealt with this blow, everyday life in London, escapes to the countryside while London was under attack from the air, Grace’s thwarted hopes of going to art college – these and many other events are described with compassion and humour.

This memoir offers a rare insight into the life of a London family 100 years ago. It will be available at the Society’s  next event on Wednesday 12 December (see our next post), or can be bought from Herne Hill Books or online through the Herne Hill Society website.