Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Village’s fitting memorial to lost servicemen
F/sgt Arthur Hack
2nd Battalion of the Buffs and was killed during the Second Battle of Ypres in May, 1915. He has no grave and is commemorated at the Menin Gate memorial.
George served with 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers and died aged 22 from flu in February 1917 while camped in Carnoy in France.
Denton with Wootton Parish Council approved the location of the memorial and Mr Welch set about the labour-intensive task of designing and carving the inscription in sandstone, which took 170 hours.
The result of his meticulous work was revealed at the unveiling of the stone tablet last Wednesday, witnessed by family members of the lost servicemen, veterans, representatives from 15 branches of ex-service organisations and parish councillors.
One of the guests was Col Marc Bigaouette, Canadian Air Force Adviser to the UK, who spoke movingly of the men’s sacrifice.
The tablet, unveiled by villagers Tom Gibson and Mollie Goody, representing the older and younger generations, has been placed under an existing information village board on the green opposite The Jackdaw pub.
The ceremony took place on the anniversary of the death of the Typhoon pilots. It was dedicated by the Rev Jane Weeks.
Mr Welch, who also funded the project, said: “I was delighted at the big turnout at what turned out to be a quite moving service and I’m glad the village now has a fitting memorial to these men who lost their lives.”