Fields Familiar and Far Away
Great Dunham School is delighted that it has been awarded £27,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a project that researches and commemorates all the men from Great and Little Dunham who fought and died in World War One. The project is called “Fields Familiar, Foreign and Far Away.” The title reflects the fact that men from these rural villages, mainly farm workers, fought and are buried, not just in France and Flanders but in Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and Israel. Pupils will also learn about life in their two villages 100 years ago, when virtually everyone was involved in agriculture.
A number of village men had joined the 5th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment before the war. This was a territorial battalion and the men were summoned to Dereham at the outbreak of war. The men could choose whether or not they wanted to serve overseas and almost all of them signed up. The 1/5th Norfolks included men from Sandringham and much has been written and films made about their “disappearance” when they fought in Gallipoli. It is perhaps not so well known that many Norfolk territorials, including men from our villages, fought and died alongside the “King’s Men.”
The school will hope to find out as much as they can about each of the soldiers, where they lived, their school records and hopefully family information. The work will include a publication that will go to every pupil in the school as well as to local groups, museums and libraries. There will be presentations in the Village Hall and a play will be written by pupils working alongside dramatist Holly Phillips. The play will be performed in the Memorial Hall in Dereham, where many of the men joined up. This will by on July 1st next year, the 103rd anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. If people reading this have information about any of the men and their families, please get in touch with the school. Those from the two villages who died in the war are listed below.
Great Dunham:
Private FREDERICK GEORGE CORNWELL 27 August 1917. Tyne Cot Memorial. Flanders
Private ARTHUR HEY 7 September 1916.. Heilly Station, Somme
Private CHARLES WILLIAM HEY 12 August 1915 Helles Memorial .Turkey
Private WILLIAM HUDSON 6 November 1917. Duhallow Cemetery Ypres
Private ARTHUR JAGGS 14th October 1917. Arras Memorial
Private ARTHUR LAWS 2 March 1916. Ypres Menin Gate Memorial
Private EDWARD MASON 3 November 1917. Deir El Belah. Israel
Private ROLAND WALTER WILFRED REED 12 August 1915 Helles Memorial. Turkey
Private OLIVER SMITH 8 November 1918. Kezelberg Cemetery. Flanders
Private ROBERT J WARNES 19 July 1916. Bray Cemetery. Somme.
Private WILLIAM FREDERICK YULL 29 April 1917. Great Dunham Churchyard
Little Dunham:
Ordinary Signalman WILLIAM FOX 9 July 1917. Chatham Naval Memorial
Private WILLIAM CHARLES 8 August 1918. Vis-en-Artois Memorial
Private HERBERT HORNEY 23 October 1915. Kensall Green Cemetery, London
Private GEORGE HOWELL 21 September 1917 Monchy Le Preux Cemetery. Arras
Private WILLIAM PEARCE 30 October 1917. Hooge Crater Cemetery, Flanders
Private ERNEST THOMAS PEARSON 26 July 1915. Basra Memorial. Iraq
Private ALFRED CHARLES STEGGLES 19 April 1917. Jerusalem Memorial. Israel
Private ERNEST STEGGLES 5 November 1916. Thiepval Memorial Somme.
All of the above photos relate to Robert J. Warnes. Robert lived with his parents on Lexham Road. He joined the army in Norwich in January 1917 when he was 22 years old. He described his occupation as a “carter”. He was in the 8th battalion of the Norfolk Regiment, the only Norfolks who attacked on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916. Robert was a survivor of that action but was involved in another incredibly costly action at Delville Wood some 19 days later. Robert was one of 81 members of the battalion killed on that day. The photographs show his grave in Bray Cemetery on the Somme, a tribute to him on his parents grave in Dunham Churchyard and a very grainy picture of him from the Dereham and Fakenham Times.
A number of village men had joined the 5th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment before the war. This was a territorial battalion and the men were summoned to Dereham at the outbreak of war. The men could choose whether or not they wanted to serve overseas and almost all of them signed up. The 1/5th Norfolks included men from Sandringham and much has been written and films made about their “disappearance” when they fought in Gallipoli. It is perhaps not so well known that many Norfolk territorials, including men from our villages, fought and died alongside the “King’s Men.”
The school will hope to find out as much as they can about each of the soldiers, where they lived, their school records and hopefully family information. The work will include a publication that will go to every pupil in the school as well as to local groups, museums and libraries. There will be presentations in the Village Hall and a play will be written by pupils working alongside dramatist Holly Phillips. The play will be performed in the Memorial Hall in Dereham, where many of the men joined up. This will by on July 1st next year, the 103rd anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. If people reading this have information about any of the men and their families, please get in touch with the school. Those from the two villages who died in the war are listed below.
Great Dunham:
Private FREDERICK GEORGE CORNWELL 27 August 1917. Tyne Cot Memorial. Flanders
Private ARTHUR HEY 7 September 1916.. Heilly Station, Somme
Private CHARLES WILLIAM HEY 12 August 1915 Helles Memorial .Turkey
Private WILLIAM HUDSON 6 November 1917. Duhallow Cemetery Ypres
Private ARTHUR JAGGS 14th October 1917. Arras Memorial
Private ARTHUR LAWS 2 March 1916. Ypres Menin Gate Memorial
Private EDWARD MASON 3 November 1917. Deir El Belah. Israel
Private ROLAND WALTER WILFRED REED 12 August 1915 Helles Memorial. Turkey
Private OLIVER SMITH 8 November 1918. Kezelberg Cemetery. Flanders
Private ROBERT J WARNES 19 July 1916. Bray Cemetery. Somme.
Private WILLIAM FREDERICK YULL 29 April 1917. Great Dunham Churchyard
Little Dunham:
Ordinary Signalman WILLIAM FOX 9 July 1917. Chatham Naval Memorial
Private WILLIAM CHARLES 8 August 1918. Vis-en-Artois Memorial
Private HERBERT HORNEY 23 October 1915. Kensall Green Cemetery, London
Private GEORGE HOWELL 21 September 1917 Monchy Le Preux Cemetery. Arras
Private WILLIAM PEARCE 30 October 1917. Hooge Crater Cemetery, Flanders
Private ERNEST THOMAS PEARSON 26 July 1915. Basra Memorial. Iraq
Private ALFRED CHARLES STEGGLES 19 April 1917. Jerusalem Memorial. Israel
Private ERNEST STEGGLES 5 November 1916. Thiepval Memorial Somme.
All of the above photos relate to Robert J. Warnes. Robert lived with his parents on Lexham Road. He joined the army in Norwich in January 1917 when he was 22 years old. He described his occupation as a “carter”. He was in the 8th battalion of the Norfolk Regiment, the only Norfolks who attacked on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916. Robert was a survivor of that action but was involved in another incredibly costly action at Delville Wood some 19 days later. Robert was one of 81 members of the battalion killed on that day. The photographs show his grave in Bray Cemetery on the Somme, a tribute to him on his parents grave in Dunham Churchyard and a very grainy picture of him from the Dereham and Fakenham Times.