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Beaconsfield author John Strafford’s new book Battle for Monte Natale was inspired by the story of his father Ernest after finding his cross at the Field of Remembrance
One evening in November 2011, John was walking through the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey when he saw a section containing the crosses of his father’s infantry regiment, the York & Lancaster Regiment.
There were, of course, lots of crosses and it was dark so he couldn’t read any names. However he had his camera with him and used the flashlight and zoom. The very first cross he saw was that of his father, Ernest Strafford.
“I was so shocked that tears streamed down my face.” says John, who set himself the challenge of finding out what happened to his father who was killed in action in January 1944. John was only 16 months old at the time and his mother had remarried in 1949. “Fortunately my stepfather treated me as though I was his own son, so I was very happy. I never really felt any desire to talk about my father.”
John was born in Sheffield, but has lived in Bucks for 50 years with his wife Caroline, raising three sons who all went to Thorpe House School and then Dr Challoner’s. John attended Hunters Bar primary and then the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover, which was founded in 1803 for the sons of soldiers. He worked as an accountant for several major companies before starting his own manufacturing business which he sold in 2013.
John and Caroline have played an active part in the local community, including as members of the Gerrards Cross Memorial Centre. John served for Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association, of which he is still a member, and he awarded the Cleisthenes Award in 2023 for promoting democracy within the Conservative Party.
The Battle for Monte Natale was part of the bloodiest battle of the Italian Campaign. As part of his decade-long research, John made several visits to the battlefield as well as the National Army Museum, Imperial War Museum and National Archives in Kew to research military records and reports. In 2022 he took part in a television interview shown at the Roman Amphitheatre in Minturno.
“War is terrible and my greatest wish is that conflicts cease and the people of the world learn to live in peace,” adds John. As well as starring at literary festivals this year, John hopes to visit Germany to meet a man who gave him helpful information for the book.
John’s hardback book, containing more than 100 photos and maps, is out now, published by Pen & Sword. His other books include Our Fight for Democracy – A History of Democracy in the United Kingdom.
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