** Commemorating 102nd anniversary of the 1st Battle of the Marne **

In many ways, the north London suburb of Finchley is typical of many communities in those difficult times. Men were recruited to serve, letters were sent home, hospital staff nursed them when injured, families tried to keep going in their absence on duty. Later, memorials were erected in honour of service and to remember the ‘glorious dead’.

Yes, a typical community, yet on this walk we’ll also explore so much more about life during ‘the Great War’ that you may not have expected to find in an ordinary suburb:

– street where the very first British soldier to diein this war grew up
– green fields where cows sustained local residents and still graze today
– grand home of a leading industrialist and MP, whose stationery products were used in everyday correspondence between armed servicemen and their families (today, an interesting small museum and fine gardens)
– hall converted to use as a hospital for injured troops
– school, whose cadet corps‘ young pupils and staff so typically went on to serve their country
– community hospital dedicated to eternal memory of the fallen from the Finchley area
– memorial celebrating one of the turning points on the Western Front; learn about the battle and why this dramatic French statue was erected in Finchley.