Little Imber on the Down, by Rex Sawyer

This is the first book to be devoted to the history of this Salisbury Plain community, a remote village which until sixty years ago carried on its life to a large extent untouched by the outside world. In 1943 the villagers were all required to leave, so that Imber could be handed over to the army for military training. Everyone believed that after the war those evicted would be allowed to return, and a long campaign against officialdom was waged by their supporters, but to no avail. Imber, except for soldiers, is now deserted and largely destroyed, and most of its former inhabitants have died. But the community and its history live on in memories and photographs, and Rex has had the full co-operation of the surviving villagers and their descendants while writing this moving and poignant book. With an engaging text and over a hundred evocative illustrations, mostly photographs, the unique village of Imber is brought to life again. First published in 2001, and in steady demand ever since, this book appeared in paperback for the first time. March 2008, reprinted December 2010, 176 pages, illustrations and maps, paperback, £9.95, ISBN 978-1-906978-24-2