From Hexham to Barry - One Moment in Grandad's War: Part fiction/part 'mini-memoir' - One moment in a soldier's WW1 story

by Maggie Holman

In March 1918, my grandfather, private John 'Jack' Vause, was declared medically fit after being wounded in fighting in the area around Ypres, in Belgium. After two weeks' leave with his family in Hexham, he travelled to the other end of the country, to Barry in Wales, to join a reserve battalion and await his next orders. While in Barry, Jack struggled with his situation, which resulted in his making a decision that interrupted the direction of his war. Part fiction and part 'mini-memoir', 'From Hexham to Barry' explores Jack's emotional dilemma at this moment in his young life, and raises questions about the purpose - and the futility - of war which still resonate and have relevance today, over one hundred years after Jack's story.

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Maggie Holman writes speculative fiction for all ages. Her love of the fantastical stems from early childhood, when she would often withdraw into imaginary worlds. In her writing, she loves to explore the possibilities that lie outside and alongside the real world.

Four of her books - 'The Wishing Sisters & Other Forest Tales' (2008), the children's story 'Footprints in the Snow' (2011), 'The Knocking (2017) and 'Save the White Stag' (2021) - were all inspired by the fifteen years she spent in the beautiful and atmospheric Forest of Dean. 'The Things We've Seen' (2021) marked a departure from this Forest-based fiction.

Although born in the UK, Maggie has lived in Europe since 2009, where she can explore her second passion, travelling on motorbike road trips with her husband.

Find Maggie at:
www.twitter.com/runjumpjive
and
www.facebook.com/maggieholmanwriter