In 2014, much of the work undertaken by the Borrowash Heritage Lottery-funded ‘Unexamined Lives’ project centred upon the War Memorial in the village. Our researchers Keith Oseman and Peter Ball uncovered the histories behind the names on the Memorial and Keith created a ‘Virtual’ First World War Memorial for our site. One person who stood out because she was the only woman to be commemorated on the village Memorial was Margaret Helen Hassé. In the 1911 Census, Margaret (born in 1887) is recorded as living in the Fulneck Moravian settlement near Leeds and working as a music teacher. Margaret’s brother, Edwin who was killed in action on July 12th 1916 is also listed on the Memorial.

This is the remarkable continuation into the 21st century of the friendship between the family of Walter Greiner, the German POW in the Alvaston camp and the Day family. It began when the Day family invited Walter, who died last year, to Christmas dinner in 1946 as a gesture of reconciliation. Walter’s daughter Birgit has written to Brian and Maureen Day to say proud he was of the stories we have posted on the website and in the Derby Telegraph “Bygones” section about their friendship.