ABOUT THIS WEBSITE

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I stumbled across a strange anomaly (or so I thought): a New Zealand soldier buried in my local graveyard, a world away from where he began. During the UK lockdown I had plenty of time to pursue the trail and uncover his story, but I started thinking... what now? What should be done with stories which have been lost & found?

There are so many stories hidden just beneath the surface - stories of everyday people leading everyday lives, who through choice or circumstance did extraordinary things. But once a lost story has been found and the pieces put together, what happens to it next?

I started this website to share some of those stories, to allow them to live on in some way or perhaps to act as a signpost to help the descendants of the people featured discover and reconnect with their family history. I also hope that these stories and the care put into their retelling will inspire other researchers, storytellers and romantics to keep searching, keep learning and keep telling those humble but important stories.

ABOUT ME

My name is Sophie Hodge. I have lived in Cornwall all my life and I'm fortunate to have been able to indulge my love of history through both opportunity and circumstance. In my working life I've been employed in a castle, a stately home, a military keep, a heritage railway and a Victorian library; I have been a tour guide and was part of the team who brought the brilliant immersive First World War theatre production The Trench Bodmin to life for the First World War centenary. In 2018 I was honoured to visit the WWI battlefields of the Western Front with the Wenches in Trenches, and in 2019 I chaired the Bodmin Riding & Heritage Festival. I've always tried to seek out history in every aspect of my life, from my favourite pastimes of walking on the ancient moorlands and exploring local graveyards, to discovering and celebrating my Cornish heritage. This project was borne out of a somewhat relaxed schedule during lockdown, but I hope to be able to continue telling these stories into the post-Covid world. If my circumstances won't allow it, I will leave the few stories I have uncovered here on the internet for others to enjoy.