WILTSHIRE residents can relive the war years of several Norland nannies in a new book released by a Lacock author.

Television documentary filmmaker Louise Heren, 49, of Reybridge near Lacock, penned her latest book, British Nannies and the Great War, after she came across the files at Norland College.

The book details the lives of several nannies during the Great War, from those attempting to escape Germany as war breaks out to women in the service of royal dignitaries in foreign countries.

Mrs Heren said: “In the midst of writing my first book Nanny in a Book the then principal of Norland nannies showed me where they kept the archive and in it was all this stuff about nannies from World War One.

“I looked at it and said this is very different, I should tell this story. The real star of the Norland nannies from that time was Kate Fox, who was the quintessential royal nanny.

“I cannot work out if I like Kate or not. She is one of two sisters that both worked as Norland nannies and she is very quickly allocated to royal households.

“She goes off to Athens and lives with the Royal family there and has a whale of a time but then Kate gets a bit too big for her boots.

“Apparently she lords it over the other members of the household. She then falls foul of the royal family mother."

“I think she became a little deluded and thinks that she is equal but the royal completely swipes her out after a few years of service.

“That was just before the war and she spends the rest of the time in correspondence with the royal family.

“I am very excited about the release of the book. It is my second book and I am thrilled to have a history book out there. Hopefully, more will come.”

The book, published by Pen and Sword Books Ltd, is available from all book stores. The cover price is £20.