A STRIKING illustration of Leamington’s sacrifice in the First World War has been created by a retired policeman.
Three months ago Richard Fisk set about designing a map of the town with red stickers marking the former homes of those killed in the conflict.
The project remains a work-in-progress but already gives a powerful impression of the devastation inflicted on those who served and those left behind.
Richard said: “The sense of grief must have been terrible at the time and that’s without factoring in those who were injured.
“This was really an idea about creating a visual impact. When you look at memorials after a while it just becomes row after row of names. I started to look at where these men lived and then it quickly becomes a different ball game.
“Some of the clusters show how some streets were ripped apart. When you look at them it has real impact and you get an impression of how devastating it must have been.”
Richard – whose grandfather was killed in the fighting – set out by taking the names of 582 men from Leamington’s Euston Place memorial and blowing-up a map of the town from 1923 .
Most of the addresses have been traced using ‘The County of Warwickshire Roll of Honour’ written by Kenneth Fowler but others have required more digging.
Despite being helped by local historian David Eason, the Lillington resident is still around a dozen short of completing the map but intends to see it through and may even expand its reach.
