AS Dylan Thomas would surely attest there’s something special about a Welsh village.

While Nannerch, in Flintshire, might not be as famously strange as Laugharne - the village which inspired Thomas’ Under Milk Wood - there’s something undoubtedly odd about a place which once boasted a First World War tank as a landmark and still has a tree where highwaymen were strung up and hanged.

These are just some of the stories unearthed by historian Brian Bennett and included in his new book about Nannerch, which is launched this month.

The book, which Brian describes as “a collection of personal memories of incidents, illustrations and occurrences which have taken place in the village”, includes dozens of photographs and postcards of Nannerch, which Brian claims was first mentioned in the record books as far back as 1254.

“I was born and bred in Nannerch, confirmed in the local church and attended the local village primary school,” says Brian, 71, who now lives in Buckley. “I was employed in my school days delivering bread and groceries for J Davies and Sons and still have family members in the village, so hopefully that gives me some form of licence to print this publication!”

As residents stop to say hello, Brian continues to explain the history of Nannerch while we sit on a table outside the village’s pub, The Cross Foxes, which he tells me has stood since about 1780.

“The village’s growth was built on agriculture but it is the Buddicom family who lived at Penbedw Hall who did most for Nannerch,” he explains. “Over the past generations they have been great benefactors to the community, contributing to the school, the hall and the upkeep of the church.

“They provided employment for most of the village folk and built and maintained many of the farming establishments.”

Brian’s grandfather, Edward Evan Watkin, came to Nannerch in 1926 as a tennant farmer on the estate where he worked at Plas Yw before also farming Tyddyn Onn and Bryn Charlotte.

“Myself and my twin brother David were born and raised at Bryn Charlotte,” remembers Brian. “We both started at Nannerch VP School in September 1951, often walking the two miles to and from school.”

Like many small villages across the UK, the First World War was to have a huge impact on the day to day life of Nannerch, with 65 young men and women leaving the parish to take part in the conflict. Two men did not come back, while at least two more died from flu-related illnesses on their return.

“It’s impossible to gauge the impact such a traumatic time had on the village family and social life of the period,” says Brian, who goes on to tell me the sad story of Lt Walter Digby Buddicom, who was one of those who perished.

“Major Buddicom of Penbedw Hall played a major role in the design and development of the armoured tank,” he explains.

“He brought a tank to Nannerch that had been involved in the war effort in France, to Nannerch in 1919 as a memorial to his only son.”

Placed outside the pub, the tank became a symbol of the villagers’ efforts during the First World War, as well as an unusual tourist attraction and plaything for a generation of Nannerch children, until it was removed in the run up to the Second World War.

Elsewhere in the book, Brian highlights ancient homesteads, characters, myths, legends, old industries and bygone chapels, which have all contributed to the story of the village, which had a population of 496 at the 2011 Census.

“One thing that became abundantly clear in compiling this book was not what is included, but what is excluded,” says Brian.

“Such is the abundance of historical interest that it is impossible to include everything in one small publication.

“My biggest regret in publishing this book is that I did not do it years earlier.”

Today the village is full of young families and enjoys its status as a satellite town for commuters travelling as far as Merseyside and Chester.

“I know I’m biased but for a little village like Nannerch a lot has happened and continues to happen,” adds Brian. “I felt that if it wasn’t put down in writing, what was the point in me having all this literature and postcards detailing its history?

“I hope it keeps alive one or two facts that otherwise might well have been forever forgotten and I trust all interested readers will learn something about this little but precious village we call Nannerch.”

l A Pictorial History of Nannerch is launched with an event in the village on Friday, May 25. The book will then be on sale in various local pubs and shops.