In the late 1980s, while writing the authorised biography of writer Vera Brittain (1893-1970), I decided to try to get a blue plaque erected in her memory.
The omens weren’t favourable. Several years earlier, a plan to put a plaque on the house in Buxton where Brittain was brought up had been fiercely opposed by one of its owners - a Conservative councillor, incensed by the very notion of ‘a socialist’ being commemorated at her home.
The matter became something of a cause célèbre in the Derbyshire town, especially after Vincent Hanna and his TV crew were chased down the driveway by the angry councillor during an episode of Newsnight investigating the affair.
Nevertheless, my idea was warmly received by Victor Belcher, the But again we faced an obstacle. The owners were adamant they didn’ t want a plaque.
