The men lost in my village to two wars

1914-1919
B.S. BANHAM
J. HOWLETT
W.W. REMBLANCE
W.R. BARBER
S. BARNES
H.R. BEDWELL
A. CLARKE
E.J. GOOCH
J.K. HIGH
H.J. HOLLAND
C.W. HOOD
H.G. HOUGHTON
W.H. HOWELL
W. JOLLY
R.P. MEADE
W. PAGE
E.C. PRIME
V.J. REMBLANCE
H.W. RUNACLES
L.W. SAUNDERS
A. SMITH
A.T. TIBBENHAM
A.G. THREADGOLD
S.W. THREADGOLD
W. WILBY

1939-1945
V.R. CANHAM
R.T. GILHAM
F.C. GOOCH
F.J. HOWELL
A.L. LEWIS
E.W. LONGSHAW
T.E. SOUTHGATE

It never ceases to affect me. This is a small village, even now – there are about 400 houses. A century ago, there were probably half as many and, although families were larger, only grown men (albeit teenagers, some of them) would have gone off to war. But twenty-five of them died.

Not often that one uses the word ‘decimated’ literally. But in this case, one can.