JUST as sight of a swallow in spring is the harbinger of summer to come, news or sight of a fresh Gerry Woodcock book signals to so very many people in this area, and well beyond, the promise of hours of satisfying, informative and fascinating reading.

Twenty three Tavistock Yesterdays - Episodes from Her History (plus definitive, scholarly, well crafted works on such varying subjects as Tavistock's St Eustachius' Church and the long political history of the town and immediate area), have come from Gerry's pen during the past quarter century, or more, every publication so very different in terms of content, with the diverse range of people, events, issues, calamities, triumphs, tragedies, idiosyncrasies, heroics, eccentricities which have engulfed the town and its inhabitants over the past thousand, plus, years laid vividly before the reader.

This, of course, is a major reason for the success of this prized series; for the author has the ability to combine the erudition of the gifted historian, which he is, with the perception and analytical incisiveness of the questioning, deep thinking critic — plus a punchy, flowing prose which pleases readers across a wide spectrum.

It will delight the serious scholar, the person who essentially wants, to hand, reference material regarding the community in which they live and those numerous folk, probably the majority, who just enjoy a good, insightful, entertaining often humourous read. All are catered for in this splendid collection and such high quality catering assuredly shows no lowering of standards in edition 24, just published.

Once again Gerry Woodcock has provided a volume that is an eclectic selection of the events, people, problems and so forth which have been instrumental in defining the nature and character of the town and, indeed, to an extent, that of its citizens; and, as can be reasonably anticipated, it is a read which will delight the wide range of folk who already have many of the series on their shelves and, also, those who are about to make number 24, their first.

Rudyard Kipling wrote of 'triumph and disaster' and suggested treating those 'two impostors just the same' — a contentious statement with which it is difficult to agree. For example, the author's chapter (there are 13 in the book, in total) on cholera – one of the great scourges of the first half of the 19th century — tells of personal tragedies and of the serious repercussions for the town, the dreadful nature of the illness conveyed by starkly descriptive accounts from local people.

Another chapter entitled 'Exodus; the Beginnings' highlights events which clearly by no means as tragic as that devoted to disease, was deemed sufficiently serious at the time to warrant the calling, in June 1848, of a public meeting. The problem was burgeoning poverty and unemployment in the town due to a major national economic downturn; increasing numbers were looking towards the parish (thus the ratepayers) for their sole means of support, whilst, also alarming, many younger folk were emigrating — the 'seed corn' were seeking new lives on foreign shores. No real solution was found to the problems, and it could be said that a similar situation — the moving away of the young — still afflicts the old Stannary town some 170 years later.

Yet, there are tales of success also. 'The coming of electricity' tells of the protracted business of bringing such innovation to the banks of the Tavy, in the face of stubborn resistance by the 'gas lobby' to that

which would be so detrimental to their personal interests, and of the ultimate triumph of the 'anti-Luddites', though not until the early 20th century.

Truly a success story is told in 'Greenlands: a defining decision'. This, by the standards of the time, huge development of public sector housing, started in 1949, did a great deal to draw the sting from the major post war accommodation problems in the town, as, to an extent, it still does.

There are chapters in this so well constructed book covering such subjects as the highly esteemed Reverend Hugh Leslie Bickersteth, rector of Tavistock from 1918 until his death in 1946, an intriguing section, 'the Union Races' concerning the town's workhouse, a comprehensive, detailed, highly important chapter devoted to 'Tavistock in the Second World War' which provides crucial facts for social historians, plus half a dozen further sections which illuminate the town, its people, its way of life over the centuries.

This, Gerry Woodcock's 24th addition to these memorable chronicles is, like the previous 23, no imposter; rather, it is a triumph.

Tavistock's Yesterdays — Episodes from her History (24) by Gerry Woodcock is available from several outlets in the town, priced at £4.95.

TED SHERRELL