Belton History Society Journal, Volume 4, 2010 Compiled and edited by Audrey and Philip Walker Published by the Society 96pp £9.50 Available from local bookshops. Belton at War is a well produced and very comprehensive account of the village’s involvement in war –from the Civil War, through the Boer War and the two World Wars to the Korean War. It includes many personal memories, not only of front line activities, but also of nursing, the Home Guard, the Women’s Land Army, evacuees, and farming, and much more. Of particular interest is the account of the bombing of Belton, thankfully a very rare incident in Rutland. On Whit Monday, 25th May 1942, a lone Dornier 217, being chased by British fighters, decided to drop four bombs on the centre of the village. Miraculously, no one was injured although there was some damage to property. Further research discovered that one of the chasing Spitfires was piloted by Flight Commander (later Air Vice-Marshal) Johnnie Johnson. This book is a good read for anyone interested in this sort of thing, but I have to admit to being slightly biased – the war-time stories of both my father and grandfather, and several other relatives who lived in Belton are included. Robert Ovens

Belton at War