John Barnard looks out across the Vale of Evesham to the Bredon hills, drawing by Mike Barnard
Item
Title
John Barnard looks out across the Vale of Evesham to the Bredon hills, drawing by Mike Barnard
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Identifier
8287.jpg
GWA_7392_office00040.jpg
Creator
Barnard, Michael
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Subject
Barnard, John
Abstract
Artist's impression drawn by Mike Barnard of a story his father John Barnard used to recall.
When John finally arrived home after his service during the First World War he was so disoriented that he left Evesham station late at night and turned the wrong way for Badsey, his home, about 3 miles away. He was put in the right direction by someone, and as he walked over the fields and lanes he looked over the Vale of Evesham in the moonlight and vowed never to leave Badsey again.
Unfortunately he had had a hard time during the war. He had been over the top many times, and was in many burial parties “ ("the things he saw were nobody's business!" Mike Barnard, John's son). Frequently he would wake up screaming, sometimes shouting out pals' names. He relived experiences in his sleep. He would be found sleep walking over the fields, wandering the ground around his home village of Badsey in the middle of the night.
He married in 1926, and gradually these nightmares subsided, but his son Mike can remember them happening during his childhood. In one of the battles he took part in 22,000 were killed - yet John survived - although forever haunted by his experiences.
Part of a collection relating to Lance Corporal John Barnard (52258 Worcestershire regiment), market gardener of Badsey near Evesham; and his son Mike's drawings and newspaper articles relating to the First World War.
When John finally arrived home after his service during the First World War he was so disoriented that he left Evesham station late at night and turned the wrong way for Badsey, his home, about 3 miles away. He was put in the right direction by someone, and as he walked over the fields and lanes he looked over the Vale of Evesham in the moonlight and vowed never to leave Badsey again.
Unfortunately he had had a hard time during the war. He had been over the top many times, and was in many burial parties “ ("the things he saw were nobody's business!" Mike Barnard, John's son). Frequently he would wake up screaming, sometimes shouting out pals' names. He relived experiences in his sleep. He would be found sleep walking over the fields, wandering the ground around his home village of Badsey in the middle of the night.
He married in 1926, and gradually these nightmares subsided, but his son Mike can remember them happening during his childhood. In one of the battles he took part in 22,000 were killed - yet John survived - although forever haunted by his experiences.
Part of a collection relating to Lance Corporal John Barnard (52258 Worcestershire regiment), market gardener of Badsey near Evesham; and his son Mike's drawings and newspaper articles relating to the First World War.
Date
1919
Date Created
1919-01-01
Temporal Coverage
1919-12-31
Source
Leaf
Medium
Paper
Type
Drawing
Contributor
Alun Edwards
Alun Edwards
Mike Barnard
Publisher
The Great War Archive, University of Oxford