Loyalty and Lunacy – revealing life in 1913
We’d all like to know where we come from and how our ancestors, their lives and personal stories, shaped the world we live in today. So, why not read a novel to find out about your past? Richard Handy is a local author who writes historical fiction. His latest novel, Loyalty and Lunacy, is based on true events and explores life in the 1900s just before the outbreak of WWI. Arguably, a period when there were dramatic changes in our society from the rigid structures of the Edwardian era towards the norms that we see today. The story is set in 1913 on the country estate of Sir Cuthbert Ackroyd, just outside of London. Gertrude is a young scullery maid and she dreams of a better life with her love, John, the handsome gardener; but she owes a debt of honour and suffers the attention of Master Davy Christian, a drunken aristocrat and psychopathic malcontent. Think Downtown Abbey meets Atonement by Ian McEwan, with a nasty villain, and where love is shattered by the rigid boundaries of society and war. Loyalty and Lunacy is both heart-breaking and uplifting, it is about love, enduring friendships, and the villain brings a wickedness that will make you shudder.
But what was life really like for ordinary people going into extraordinary times? Well, the author has researched historical documents, as well as recalling personal accounts directly from the people involved. Edwardian attitudes persisted in 1913 with the upper classes retaining a household of domestic servants. In Loyalty and Lunacy, Sir Cuthbert Ackroyd is a benevolent character who is forward thinking, and believes every person has their worth. But what about the upper echelons of society and Tavistock? Francis Russell, the 7th Duke of Bedford (13 May 1788–14 May 1861) and also the Marquess of Tavistock (1802 to 1839) were very benevolent. After all, the duke’s name is carved in the stonework of Tavistock Town Hall, dated 1860. However, his great-grandson, Herbrand Russell, the 11th Marquess of Tavistock (born 1855, died 27 August 1940, aged 82) had a reputation for being aloof and forbidding, and surrounding himself with servants. But he had a sense of duty, serving his country with honour in Egypt and then in the Great War, and was mentioned in dispatches. Being aloof with a disregard for servants is a character trait that is exaggerated in the villain in Loyalty and Lunacy.
Life for servants in the years leading up to the Great War was hard. The first-hand recollections of the real ‘Gertrude’ spoke of long hours washing, starching and ironing the linen. Every item had to be spotless. Most of her pay (circa £20 per year, and about 4 shillings per week) went on her keep. It was the same situation for the gardener, although men usually earned more than women. At the outbreak of WWI in 1914, most people initially stayed in their normal jobs. However, a recruitment drive attracted young men from the country estates. In Loyalty and Lunacy, John, the gardener, finds himself signing up for the West Kent Regiment, and here there is a surprising connection to the Devonshire Regiment and Tavistock. The regiments served together, notably during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, following the first recorded use of chlorine gas in WWI by the Germans. Soldiers from the Devonshire Regiment were seconded to the West Kent. Indeed, the Imperial War Museum has a record of some 67 men who served in both regiments. So, perhaps truth is stranger than fiction – a story that started in Kent for the author has a historical connection that brings him home to Devon.
By Richard D. Handy
Loyalty and Lunacy is available at Book Stop, Tavistock and on Amazon. For more details visit richardhandy.com