A WW1 Veteran Amnesiac Walking Home "Let's go Will"
His only memories. He has a Cottage and a Wife named Rosie
Home.The Great Demobilization
In 1918 Britain, hundreds of thousands of men returned from the Great War altered in ways few understood.
Some spoke of it. Many did not. Some remembered everything. Others remembered nothing.
Let’s Go, Will follows one such man lost.
Demobilized in London and given the name “Peter” in a French hospital, he walks the length of Britain searching for the cottage where he believes his wife waits.
Accompanied by his best friend Will.
The Journey.
It is the story of 1920's Britain
The novel traces Peter and Will's journey from London to Scotland, and then south again down the East coast toward the Midlands, where a fragment of memory might, in 1920, finally reveal who he truly is.
But this story is not his alone. Thousands of young men walked the land, alone, frightened, lost.
Collaboration Let's go Will
A Novel
Why Collaboration Matters
Let’s Go, Will is set in 1920 Britain, in villages and towns that still exist today.
Peter will walk through real places.
He will sit in real pubs. Chased throu
Stand in real churchyards.
Work in real fields.
Rather than invent every village, I am inviting communities to help shape his journey
About Let's go Will. A Novel
Will he find his beautiful young wife Rosie
As the generation who lived through the Great War has now passed, and as our grandparents’ memories fade, much of Britain’s lived history is being lost. This project seeks to gather local stories, dialect phrases, family memories, and community histories before they disappear. It is an opportunity to preserve the voice of 1920 Britain for future generations.
Invitation to Contribute to a Literary Heritage Project
Participation
I am writing to invite the public to take part in a collaborative literary project set in 1920 Britain, just after the First World War.
The novel, Let’s Go, Will, follows a demobilized soldier who walks from London to Aberdeen and back down the east coast in search of his wife and his lost identity. Along the way, he passes through real villages, meeting ordinary people and hearing their stories.
Generational Lost Stories
As the generation who lived through the Great War has now passed, and as our grandparents’ memories fade, much of Britain’s lived history is being lost. This project seeks to gather local stories, dialect phrases, family memories, and community histories before they disappear. It is an opportunity to preserve the voice of 1920 Britain for future generations.
Sharing your and your families stories
I would be honored if you would consider sharing:
- Local stories connected to the First World War
- Memories passed down through families
- Village legends or traditions
- Regional dialect phrases
- Accounts of how returning soldiers were treated
- Descriptions of village life in the early 20th century
An Invitation
I’m inviting people from villages between London and Aberdeen, and along the East coast and Midlands, to share:
• Family WW1 stories
• Local legends
• Dialect phrases
• How returning soldiers were treated
• Descriptions of village life in the early 1920s
Your village could become part of this journey.
All contributors will be acknowledged in the finished Novel .
The Journey
The Map
Interactive route:
London → East Anglia → Yorkshire → Northumberland → Scotland → The South West- Midlands
3. Submit a Story
Simple form:
- Village name
- Story or memory
- Dialect phrase
- Permission to publish
- Credit name
A Definitive historical Novel
Let’s Go, Will is a historical novel set in post–First World War Britain
But this is more than a novel.
It is a National Memory project.
As our grandparents’ generation passes, the lived memory of 1920's Britain and the Great War’s aftermath is being lost.
This project invites communities across Britain to help preserve those stories.
Peter, the novel’s central character, will pass through real villages. He will sit in real pubs, work in real fields, stand in real churchyards.
And he will listen.