Actor and comedian Hugh Dennis will be supporting the annual "Bygone Buriton" exhibition at St Mary's Church on September 24, featuring the community's involvement in the First World War.
The event will feature four First World War graves in the churchyard with Hugh attending at about 12 noon as an ambassador for the 'Living Memory Project', organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The Commission's project is encouraging people in the UK to remember the forgotten front; the 300,000 war graves in Britain that many people don't realise exists. There is at least one war grave three miles from everyone's front door in the UK.
Hugh Dennis said: ?I have a very personal connection with the First World War as both my grandfathers fought on the Western Front. My great uncles also fought and one, my great uncle Frank, died and is commemorated by the CWGC in Gallipoli, Turkey.
?I'd urge everyone to get involved with the CWGC's Living Memory Project. We must never forget those who died during the Great War and are buried and commemorated so close to us on the home front.?
There are 4 casualties of WW1 buried in the graveyard of Buriton's St Mary's church and all have very poignant stories:
- Samuel Francis, a Gunner (95594) in 62nd Company of Royal Garrison Artillery, died of influenza in November 1919 when the ship bringing him back to UK from service in India/Arabia was one day away from Liverpool. He was aged 36 with a wife and four children who were expecting him home ?
- William Beagley, a Private (37226) in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry died of pneumonia, aged 18, after completing his training in 1918 and waiting to go to the front
- Alan Walter Kite, 2nd Lieut (92462) in 61st RAF Training Squadron, also died aged 18, after a flying accident in Lincolnshire on 12th May 1918. He was buried with full military honours in the churchyard; and
- Frederick Shepherd, a Gunner (1022300) in the 25th Battery of the Royal Field Artillery) who did not die until 16th July 1924, aged 28, but who had been in hospital for many years, undergoing a series of operations after having been thrown from his horse in Constantinople.
The Buriton Heritage Bank has joined the CWGC's 'Living Memory' project to add value to our own ongoing WW1 project.
We already know quite a lot about the local men who lost their lives in the conflict - but we are gradually tracking down every man who we believe took part, about 200 in total, and we are trying to gather family photographs, details of their roles in the war etc.
We are also interested in life at home during the conflict.
We would like to appeal to everyone with any connection to Buriton to let us know if their relatives played any part in WW1 and for people to come along and attend the event or contact us.
The ?Bygone Buriton? exhibition will also feature displays about:
- how the layout of the village has changed over the centuries: our new 'map project'
- hop growing and picking - activities which transformed the parish every year
- the Buriton and Butser chalk quarries and lime works - another local industry of yesteryear
- our local school - how things have changed over the last 150 years
- changes in leisure activities - not just information about our football and cricket teams over the years, but also pheasant and rabbit shoots, early entertainments and social clubs
- how farming activity has changed - including the days of sheep rearing on the Downs
- our natural history: local birds, flowers, fungi and nature reserves.
The event is free, and people are being encouraged to bring any old photos, newspaper articles or other information related to WW1 and Buriton.
If you know of anybody who might have any information or be able to help with the research, please contact Doug Jones on 01730 231326 or visit www.buriton.org.uk for more information.
Picture credit: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
