A village’s first ever war memorial is to be dedicated later this year on the 100th anniversary of the First World War Armistice after being carefully put in place at the heart of the community.
Capel St Mary would have had a memorial to men from the village who lost their lives serving their country back in the 1920s, but the money collected for it was instead given to the old Ipswich Hospital to help fund treatment for the wounded.
Now after two years of fundraising, the memorial is ready – though it will remain hidden from the public until November 11.
Contractors spent Friday delicately hoisting the parts of the structure into place on the village green, completing a fitting memorial to the men who lost their lives in the two world wars and since.
One of the first to see the memorial put in place was Joe Burch, who waited patiently to see his brother Harry’s name on the memorial. Harry, who served in the Suffolk Regiment, was taken prisoner during the Second World War and died in a prisoner of war camp, aged 24.
The erection of the monument is the first stage of the project.
Chairman of Capel St Mary War Memorial Fund, Group Captain Gary Bunkell, said: “The next stage is the laying of a memorial garden, with seating, around the monument.
“Until the Dedication, the monument and memorial garden will be enclosed in boarding to be painted with murals by East Bergholt High School students.”
He added: “This is big day for the village. It is the start of the culmination of a two-year campaign in which Capel has come together to raise the money needed.
“I want to thank all those who have contributed their money and their hard work to achieve so much in such a short time.”
Grp Capt Bunkell said that he was especially pleased with the enthusiasm for the War Memorial Monument project shown by pupils and teachers at St Mary’s Primary School and students and their teachers at East Bergholt High School.
The village lost 33 men in the two world wars and one man in conflict since that time and research has been carried out to tell their stories with the work so far collated and presented on the www.capelmemorial.org.uk project website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here