REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN

[Gil Boyd]

I was honoured to be asked if I would research 8 servicemen who were killed during the First World War from our small village.
This is to commemorate the men for the 100th year anniversary of the ending of this awful carnage of 1914-1918, timed for 11am on Sunday the 11th of November 2018.

In so doing I have spent many hours delving into these mens past, which was fascinating and so rewarding, but for anybody using a microfiche system in public libraries for several hours will realise, when you come out, you need to sit and rest before driving, as your vision is most definitely impaired!! (Peter L currently doing the Warminster stuff will know only too well). Its bloody hard work!!!

As November is clearly outside of the Poppy season, as part of my research to inform those members of public of these mens bravery as they drive through our village, I am currently making 8 x 400mm diameter poppies which will go on 8 lamposts as you approach our village church, and 8 lamposts as you drive away from the church, and on these large poppies will be each face, names and date of their death, to make people think on how lucky they are!

Also I have constructed a request letter which some of you might want to use locally in your own commemoration, and something which stemmed from the very moving display at the Tower Of London a couple of years ago where they made hundreds of thousands of poppies and each made to commemorate one man's life. On how to make plastic poppies from bottle bottoms.

What was interesting in one of the men I researched was. His name was Private 23/991 Edward ANNISS aged 24 when he died on the 13th November 1916 from the New Zealand Rifle Brigade of his wounds in a hospital in Oxford.

His parents who had emigrated to NZ from our village years earlier, on his death, asked for his body to be buried in our local churchyard, and indeed he is the only WW1 soldier buried there. Repatriation you will remember did not happen for British soldiers until the Falklands War in 1982, so there was no way, the Brits were going to ship his body back to NZ.

Sadly the powers that be in 1918, and for the next for 100 years stated, that because he wasn't born in the village, his name could not be engraved on our Cross of Sacrifice.

Well the good news is, that after applying at length, a committee will sit in the next two weeks to decide whether we can at last carve and place his name on it, so fingers crossed this happens.
Another lad who died, was Seaman Frederick BITTEN aged 20 who was on HMS HAWKE which was torpedoed by a German submarine on the 15th October 1914 with the loss of 525 lives, 86 of whom were young boys.

Ironically in 1912 HMS HAWKE was struck and severly damaged by RMS Olympic the sister ship to the Titanic, which many believe, because of this accident in the Solent the ships were switched over one weekend at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, the only time both ships were in dry dock, as Lloyds wouldn't payout the full amount!! Another conspiracy story for another day I am sure!!

Anyway, cut off the base from a crinkly waterbottle, and spray it red and then stick an old metal coat hanger on the back and paint in a black dot in the centre of the poppy flower and its ready to stick in the ground, look how effective they are on mass!!

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[CINDERS]

Is it so much to ask that one of the fallen that is buried in your village that his name be carved on the cross for goodness sake they gave it all just like the following generation gave it all so we could have it all if I was the mayor his name would not have to have waited 100 years to be recognized.
I wonder how his suffering parents would have felt he was a member of the village by default.
I am half pommy by default as my father born in Portsmouth in England and came here by himself at the age of 16 in 1929 so I have ties to England (Gads they gasp!)
Anyway that's my take on the matter well done Gil again for your selfless sacrifice ensuring they are remembered you are a champion.....

[Gil Boyd]

He does have relations who live in the village who have travelled to New Zealand to see the family, and it is really for them that this is worth fighting bureacracy for. Its because he wasn't born in the village, as the reason for his name not to be included.
Our arguement is that he fought for our country, and died in our country by default and should by rights now have his name remembered 100 years hence properly.

Its amazing, you have to submit a proper form to the Diocese responsible for your Parish, and the notification of what you intend has to be read to every sunday service to ensure there are no objectors, just like your marriage bans being read six weeks before your wedding..............what an archaic system the church has in place IMHO in this day and age!

I include two photos of the collision and the damage that the Olympic sustained for pulling across the front of HMS Hawke.
Now which side was damaged by the iceberg on Titanic??

[Brit plumber]

I really don’t know why it requires a committee! The guy lost his life and is buried there. At least after 100 years his name has not been forgotten.

[Paul S.]

The point I would make now and, should have been made then, is that Pte ANNISS was, in point of fact, a son of the village since his parents were born, were raised, and lived there before they emigrated to NZ. You would think that the relatives he certainly had who remained in the village and in the area would have pressed the matter to the fullest.

[Gil Boyd]

Paul,
Totally agree.
I did ask about that, and I was told they had tried in vain, but we are hoping that because it is a special event ie 100 years since the end of WW1 they may back down and not be so pompous.
I have to say also there are a lot of people buried in our graveyard that probably have less right than he to be there, some of whom, (I know they are not military), lived here only for a short time!
But things have certainly change 100 years on........I hope!

[22SqnRAE]

I did ask about that, and I was told they had tried in vain, but we are hoping that because it is a special event ie 100 years since the end of WW1 they may back down and not be so pompous.

Gil,

Doesn't matter too much about the Committee's decision in any case. I do hope they agree, rightly, with you.

The important thing is young Edward Anniss is remembered by you and many more now, thanks to your work. That counts...

[Gil Boyd]

What a service of Remembrance.....................Edwards name finally engraved on the Cross of Sacrifice last week, after we recieved the permission from the diocese to do it after 100 years.

A very moving service dedicating his name finally.

Also meeting a family who had travelled up from Surrey for the service, whose great grandson served and died in WW1 who lived in the village who was posted as missing for 100 years, whose name is enscribed on the Thiepval Memorial along with 72,337 other names of the missing in battle.

We did something different here, where I put every ex servicemans face on a poppy 400mm diameter with the date of death and their full name which was placed at drivers height on 8 lamposts as they drove through our village towards the church and 8 poppies coming away from the church. Raised a lot of attention with the media and a great way to "personalise" our tribute to these young men.
LEST WE FORGET

[Paul S.]

I love that you used their photos to personalise the poppies. Reading a name and then seeing the face that goes with it makes the loss and its meaning more real than simple statistics ever can.
Great work Gil!

[Gil Boyd]

Paul,
Made even more difficult when most of them were taken from Company or Battalion formations, which when you zoomed in lost so much detail form the original.
Thank God for the plate cameras of the day, if you stood still they were really sharp, making my job easy in 2018.
With their faces shown and at drivers height, it really did focus peoples minds on what Remembrance is all about