A NEW book which is packed with stories of what happened to Clavering people in the armed forces and on the Home Front during the second world war was launched on Saturday.

Clavering at War, by Clavering Local History Recorder Jacqueline Cooper, is structured chronologically around the edited writings of the wartime vicar, Rev Ernest Stone, with illustrated features on all the busy activities of the Home Front. It gives an insight into the impact on wartime life of evacuees, incendiaries, the blackout, the Americans and the absence of loved ones for years on end.

Mrs Cooper said: “It was a time when all able-bodied adults were doing military or civil war work and there are articles on the Clavering soldiers, sailors, airmen and auxiliary workers who all ‘did their bit’, often at great personal cost.

“Many little-known stories and new photos have come to light thanks to people who have generously shared memories, information and photographs, thus helping to compile this important record of an extraordinary time in Clavering’s history.”

The book, which has 190 pages and more than 200 images, is priced at �10, available from Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre or the author at 24 Pelham Road, Clavering, CB11 4PQ (includes �2pp).