Brutality behind the wire
Cotswold Life|November 2020
A box of notes left by her mother led Merilyn Brason to the story of the appalling experiences her mum had endured in a Japanese prison camp during the Second World War
Merilyn Brason
Brutality behind the wire

When Merilyn Brason stumbled across a box of notes, left by her mother, she began to piece together the story of her parents’ imprisonment in a Japanese camp during the Second World War. Her resulting book – The Bamboo Bracelet – is a celebration of the sheer tenacity of the human spirit under brutal conditions. Katie Jarvis spoke to her about it.

Merilyn Brason puts in front of me a mass of tiny writing, blue ink underscored with occasional blood-red pen. “C [Catherine] – now 2½ taught to lie on ground – wooden peg round all children’s necks to be put between teeth when bombing heavy,” one sentence reads.

A paragraph on, another is highlighted: “Doctors not allowed to sign cause of death as starvation or malnutrition.”

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FLERE HISTORIER FRA COTSWOLD LIFESe alt
Gloucestershire After The War
Cotswold Life

Gloucestershire After The War

Discovering the county’s Arts and Crafts memorials of the First World War

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6 mins  |
November 2020
THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh
Cotswold Life

THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh

The days are getting shorter but there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful, says Sue Bradley, who discovers how a Cotswolds town is becoming more wildlife-friendly and pots up some bulbs for an insect-friendly spring display

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2 mins  |
November 2020
Mr Ashbee would approve
Cotswold Life

Mr Ashbee would approve

In the true spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement, creativity has kept the Chipping Campden community ticking over during lockdown

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8 mins  |
November 2020
The Cotswolds at war
Cotswold Life

The Cotswolds at war

These might be peaceful hills and vales, but our contribution to the war effort was considerable

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7 mins  |
November 2020
Trust in good, local food
Cotswold Life

Trust in good, local food

‘I’ve been following The Country Food Trust’s activities with admiration since it was founded’

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3 mins  |
November 2020
Why Cath is an open book
Cotswold Life

Why Cath is an open book

Cath Kidston has opened up almost every nook and cranny of her Cotswold idyll in a new book, A Place Called Home. Katie Jarvis spoke to Cath ahead of her appearance at this year’s Stroud Book Festival STROUD BOOK FESTIVAL – THIS YEAR FREE AND ONLINE: NOVEMBER 4-8

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10 mins  |
November 2020
From the Cotswolds to the world
Cotswold Life

From the Cotswolds to the world

Most people know that the Cotswolds have featured in a fair few Hollywood movies and TV series.

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3 mins  |
November 2020
The Wild Hunt
Cotswold Life

The Wild Hunt

In search of the legendary King Herla in the Malvern Hills

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6 mins  |
November 2020
Fighting spirit amid the flowers
Cotswold Life

Fighting spirit amid the flowers

Tracy Spiers visits Warwick, a beautiful town that is open for business and ready to welcome visitors

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9 mins  |
November 2020
Final journey
Cotswold Life

Final journey

Cheltenham author and volunteer on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), Nicolas Wheatley, recounts the fascinating story of funeral trains

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3 mins  |
November 2020