War heroes live again

3:28pm Thursday 20th March 2008

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WITH the notable exceptions of the Thanksgiving Villages, every village in the country has a war memorial.

But nowadays, the monuments are often no more than sculptures with a list of names now forgotten.

But John Holness and Derek Barnes, through Melksham and District Historical Association and the Seend branch of the Royal British Legion, have looked at the history behind Seend's war memorial.

They have brought those 32 names, 25 from the First World War and seven from the Second World War, vibrantly to life.

They have researched the men whose names appear on the memorial and each one is given his name, number, regiment and as many biographical details as possible.

For example, Driver Frederick Cottle was 28 years old when he was killed in France on April 5 1918.

He was a member of the 108th Battery, 23rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery and he is buried in Picquigny British Cemetery on the Somme. He was the eldest son of Frederick and Adelaide Cottle of Craysmarsh Farm, Seend.

James Cromwell Bush was a lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps and was killed on October 7 1917, having won the Military Cross for his bravery in action.

He was the son of the Rev H Cromwell Bush, the then vicar of Seend, and Mabel Bush. Lt Cromwell Bush is buried in Neuville-en-Ferrain cemetery in France.

Few details have been found of First World War victims Geoffrey Akerman and James May. If readers know anything of these men, they should contact Derek Barnes on (01225) 793135.

Moving to the Second World War, the memorial mentions Wing Commander Gilbert Morgan-Weld-Smith, of 59 Squadron RAF, who died, aged 29, on August 1 1940.

Mr Holness and Mr Barnes's researches were rewarded by a letter from the Wing Commander's niece.

Hilary Law wrote: "My father, the late Brigadier Patrick Clapham, took part in the Normandy landings and, when he could, tried to find out any information about Gilbert, but without success. Towards the end of the war, or soon afterwards, we were informed Gilbert's body had been washed up in 1940 at St Pierre en Port.

"Later my parents, Jocelyn and Patrick Clapham, and my sister Frances and I, went to St Pierre en Port cemetery and my father found Gilbert's grave."

The booklet also contains the Gazette report of the dedication service of the war memorial in 1921 and correspondence between the parochial church council and the Diocesan Registrar about replacing a wooden stone memorial inside the church, with a stone one.

All proceeds from the sale of the booklet, which sells at £5, will go the Royal British Legion Benevolent Fund.