THE Monmouthshire Beacon’s archives have been the inspiration for a play organised by members of the community that will be performed in Monmouth later this month.

’Carrying on as Normal’ was originally staged at the Savoy Theatre last November as part of Monmouth’s commemoration of the 100 years that had elapsed since hostilities had ended on 11th November 1918. It was based on a book entitled ’Monmouth during the First World War’, compiled from painstaking research into the Beacon’s records by the late Mrs Betty Williams, in collaboration with local historian Keith Kissack.For much of its history, Monmouth has been a military town. The Romans created their first fort in Wales here, around 50AD, calling it Blestium. Soon after their conquest of Britain, the Normans built a castle in defence of the border. And in 1539, a militia was formed which would gradually expand and become the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia), now the senior regiment in the British Army reserve, with its headquarters at Great Castle House. Many of its soldiers volunteered to take part in the South African wars and were then called upon to play a significant role in the First World War.Seventy-six officers and 2,113 men served on the Western Front and in Gallipoli, the Middle East and Italy: they built fortifications, helped run a narrow-gauge railway network across battlefields and assisted in the forward passage of supplies.As the war dragged on, increasing numbers of local men, some as young as 16, were enlisted - leaving behind families and friends; shop employment, farm jobs or apprenticeships. Some never came home; others returned, mentally or physically scarred. While they were away, Monmouth had to get on with life and loss as best it could. How the town coped is documented through the Beacon’s archives which, for the duration of the War, ran everyday advertisements and stories to keep up an appearance of normality. David Evans has revisited and expanded his original script and added more songs in a reprise of ’Carrying on as Normal’, which will be presented on 29th and 30th July. The cast is made up of well-known local people - Sue Exton, Sherren McCabe-Finlayson, Kate Russell, Diane Sillman, David Evans, John Exton and Chris Ryde. Musical accompaniment is provided by Richard Wadley. Although various characters in the play are fictitious, the facts derive mainly from editions of the Monmouthshire Beacon between 28th June 1914 and 4th July 1919. null