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Pilgrim Street

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Commemorating the First World War

Pilgrim Street has given me lots of opportunities to see all sorts of very moving commemorations to those who died in the First World War now over one hundred years ago. Seeing something of these memorials has been one of the most poignant aspects of my pilgrimages.

One particularly memorable example was the series of services planned in the Devon town of Dawlish. Here, the local churches had worked together to provide a short service of commemoration, on the 100th anniversary of his death, for each of the local men killed in the war.

In another church in the south-west of England, a pew in the church had been cordoned off with black ribbon and poppy petals scattered on the seat. This was in place for the four commemorative years that would mark the 100th anniversary of the war. This was a stark reminder that, in a typical village, the number of young men killed would have been sufficient to fill at least one church pew.

When on pilgrimage in Brittany I also saw something of the impact of the First World War on mainland Europe. Walking on the Tro Breiz route in the cathedral city of Tréguier, I saw a thought-provoking mural on the theme of the tragedy of war. Nearby was a German war-time cemetery, a reminder of the sufferings on both sides of the conflict.

  • At Tréguier in Brittany, a mural on the theme of the tragedy of war
  • At Brent Knoll in the south-west of England, a church pew cordoned off from 2014-2018
  • At Roch in the south Wales county of Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro), a memorial to two brothers killed in the First World War. One of the brothers was Roland Philipps, a key figure in the early years of the Scouting movement
  • A remarkable project in Dawlish in Devon, commemorative services for all the local men killed in the First World War

© 2023 Anne Hayward