As the poppy displays begin to appear across Ripon and our surrounding towns and villages, I’ve found myself thinking about the individual lives behind those familiar red flowers.

One of those lives belonged to my great-grandfather, Tommy Benson.

Tommy was just sixteen when he enlisted in the First World War. Too young to join legally, he lied about his age and went off to war, as so many other young men did.

By July 1916, he was fighting on the Somme.

He survived, but his experiences stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Many decades later, Tommy recorded his wartime memories. He remembered the mud, the rats and lice, the terrifying moments of battle, and the unexpected sound of a skylark singing above the battlefield.

But he remembered other things, too.

The men who had been beside him. Those who never came home. And the memories that could still disturb his sleep long after the guns had fallen silent.

In 1986, Tommy returned to the Somme, seventy years after the events that had shaped his young life.

That journey, and the memories he left behind, are part of what inspired me to begin writing his story.

Keeping Their Stories Alive

When we see a field of poppies or stand beside a war memorial, it’s easy to think of history in terms of dates, battles and numbers.

But every name represents a person.

Someone who was once young. Someone who had a family, hopes, fears and a life beyond the battlefield.

Through Tommy’s Story, I’ve tried to bring one of those lives to a new generation of readers, using his recorded memories, our family archive and illustrations that help children imagine the world he experienced.

Because remembrance isn’t simply about looking back.

It’s about making sure their stories continue to be told.

Tommy’s Story is part of The Things They Left Behind for Young Readers, an illustrated historical collection with accompanying educational resources.

Available from The Little Ripon Bookshop and through Beyond the Story Shelf.

Lest we forget. 🌺