The Collections team regularly receives offers of ephemera relating to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and other historic sites in Stratford-upon-Avon. The stories behind such items often reveal just how significant encounters with the Shakespeare family homes can be to individuals and to the stories they share with their families.
A case in point is provided by mementoes collected by William Bucher from his visits to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1944. William, a nineteen-year-old from Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania found himself based near Stratford, with his unit (424th Regiment,106th Infantry Division, United States Army). The Division was preparing for transfer to post D-Day operations in continental Europe, and when his duties permitted, William visited Stratford. In postcards home, he described his excitement in seeing some of the important places he had read about in his youth: Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathway’s Cottage, Holy Trinity Church and the Memorial Theatre. As well as postcards, William sent guidebooks and other mementoes home and all of these were treasured by his family, as revered reminders of a loved one in peril.
After about six weeks, William and his unit left England for France and then Belgium. On 16th December 1944 the 106th Division found itself in the forefront of the newly launched Ardennes Offensive, the so-called Battle of the Bulge. William and all but one of the surviving members of his platoon were captured by the German Army, became prisoners of war and were liberated on the same day.
William survived the war, returned to the U.S.A. and built a career in healthcare. He kept his mementoes of his time in and around Stratford-upon-Avon and shared their importance with his family. These items, which in other circumstances might be regarded as disposable commodities became treasured elements of William’s life story.
We are grateful to William’s family for sharing these details and for donating these mementoes, which enhance our understanding of how and why people engage with Shakespeare’s Stratford – and the central role that Shakespeare’s historic houses play in that engagement.
Information about William and Stratford can be viewed at record DR1430/C/2 on our online catalogue.