"On the road..." is a series of posts about our Discovery
of Britain's highways and byways. Whether it be some family fun, a
surprising connection or just a beautiful spot we want to share our love for
this country with you.
This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday and around the country thousands will pay their respects to those who died protecting our freedom. Today we visit just one such memorial to conduct an exercise of more detailed remembrance.
Opposite the gateway to the alms houses is a war memorial
commemorating Ledbury’s dead from both World Wars. On the lower First World War section are some
charming mosaics of an angel, a seaman, and a soldier. The upper Second World War section adds an
airman.
It is easy to walk on by our country’s war memorials without
considering what they represent. Let me
give you a small sampling of what I mean.
On the World War One Section you will find:
Thomas Andrews – a 42 year old bricklayer. Frank
Davies: a 21 year old footman. Leonard
Hathaway: 21. Baker. Victor Henley: 19. Grocer’s assistant. William Ranford: 25. Fruit farmer. And John Watts 23. Bank clerk.
It is easy to just see names and forget that they all had
simple lives in a small, English market town.
The youngest was 18 years old. The oldest 55, with an average age of
26.
It is easy to forget they were husbands, fathers and
sons. 21 were married, 58 were single -a
generation of young men wiped out.
For instance: David
Evan Owens aged 34 was a monumental mason and had a six year old daughter.
Walter Bradley was just 19 - unmarried with his whole life
ahead of him. His step-brother Thomas
Pritchard aged 26, was married and died two years later.
Benjamin Chadd aged 33 and Robert Chadd aged 19 were the
oldest and youngest sons of James and Emma Chadd. Both sons were killed at sea - one in 1914
and the other in 1918. A third son, Walter
Clifford Chad aged 27, died in Egypt.
These men are all buried near to where they fell – scattered
around the world in Turkey, France, Italy, Israel, in Flanders fields and some,
like James Theakstone, aged 20, are lost at sea – he was aboard a ship mined
off the coast of Ireland killing 350.
Only three of these World War One names made it home, but
even they did not survive long. Ledbury
cemetery contains the graves of Frank Walters (19) who died of his wounds in
England along with Harold Wilks (27) and Archibald Chadd.
A similar exercise could be done with the World War Two names,
but the message would be the same: these
are not just names engraved on a pretty plaque.
These were very Real people who made a very real sacrifice. In the
words of Laurence Binyon (1914):
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
This
is an excerpt from the tour Ledbury which explores this medieval market town.
The full tour is found on www.obelisktours.co.uk
