This is a rather lovely touch of history in the hamlet of Hellmans Cross, near to the village of Great Canfield. It’s the remains of the peace tree that was planted in 1919 to mark those who lost their lives in the First World War.
The local village website notes:
“The young oak came from the estate of the Revd. Maryon Wilson, rector and squire of Great Canfield. The rector with the help of some seven other residents of the parish planted the tree. After the planting and to replenish their exhausted strength, the rector produced “a bottle” from which all involved assuaged their thirst. When the bottle was empty the rector suggested that all present should write down their names on a piece of paper and place it in the bottle. This was done and the rector asked Mr. Dudley Smith to bury the bottle in the roots of the tree, which he did.
The names of those present at the planting included the Revd. Maryon Wilson, William Smith, Dudley Smith, Bill Barwick, Tom Yeoman and Will Easter.”
Unfortunately, they had to cut the tree down in 2011 due to a fungus infection, but they planted the Jubilee Tree in 2012 to replace it.
It’s a little hard to read on the plastic protective screen, but the village used this opportunity to commemorate the lives of the local men who died during the conflict. They were:
Alfred James Attridge
Frederick Charles Easter
George Green
Augustus George Maryon Wilson
William Reeve
Charles Rogers
Walter Turner