Dowland war memorial event

12/10/2023

15/11/2022

The Devonshire and Dorset regimental association attended our first ever act of remembrance service. A real honour to have them with us.

07/11/2022

🌹***The Church will be open on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th 10.30 - 4pm however refreshments won’t be available on these days.***🌹

07/11/2022

It is with great honour that we will be holding our very first Remembrance service on Saturday 12th November at 10.45 at the new War Memorial, Dowland Church, EX19 8PD.

We will be joined by members of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Veterans Association who will bear their standard flags.

Please come and share our short service of remembrance as we honour the three young men from our parish and the millions of fallen soldiers countywide.

04/11/2022

🌺 OPEN THIS WEEKEND 5th and 6th NOVEMBER, 10.30am - 5pm 🌺

St Peter’s Church, Dowland, EX198PD

Come and see this stunning floral memorial and seat of remembrance designed to commemorate the lives of three local young men who gave their lives for our country.

Learn about their story inside the Church, and enjoy a cup of tea and cake as you take in the beauty of over 5000 poppies to pay tribute to these men.

31/10/2022

It’s such an honour to announce that The Imperial War Museum have formally registered the War Memorial at Dowland and the sacrifice of our three young men will be acknowledged for future generations to remember.

I’m so proud of everyone who made this possible.

We are open this week as our final weekend Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November 10.30am - 5pm
Please come and share in our remembrance.

Thank you
Sue Dunn
🌹🌹🌹

28/10/2022

We are going to be live on BBC 1 breakfast show tomorrow morning at 7:40am and then throughout the show!

🌹See you tomorrow 🌹

27/10/2022

Tune in now to see us on spotlight…

Watch BBC One live on BBC iPlayer.

27/10/2022

BBC Spotlight are featuring the event tonight at 6.30pm on channel 1! Be sure to tune in. 🌹

Sue Dunn will also be speaking on the Radio Devon Breakfast Show on Saturday at 7.10am!

See you tomorrow!

27/10/2022

https://www.creditoncourier.co.uk/news/dowland-floral-memorial-event-to-honour-lost-soldiers-continues-569911

MANY people attended Dowland’s first Memorial Weekend from October 21 to 23 to remember the three soldiers from the parish who were killed during World War One.

27/10/2022

*** OPENING TIMES ***

Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October

10.30am - 5pm

We have added the following additional dates due to demand..

Saturday 5th November and Sunday 6th November

10.30am - 5pm

27/10/2022

Corporal ARTHUR PIPER

Arthur Piper was born in Dowland in 1896. He was the youngest son of Samuel and Grace, who saw four of their sons head off to war.

Arthur attended school locally and after leaving, he became a farm labourer, living and working in the parish. He enlisted in April 1915 aged 19 into the 1st Devon Regiment, spent 2 months training and went to France on 2nd June 1915. On arrival he was in action in the second battle of Ypres and in March 1916 they took over the hold on the southern end of Vimy Ridge, Arras.

Three months later the regiment moved to the Somme where they remained on the frontline and Arthur was promoted from Private to Corporal. In September 1917 they moved out of the frontline for a period of rest before being sent back to Flanders where they were in action during the third battle of Ypres known as Passendale. At 6am on the 4th October 1917 a massive operation was launched at Broodseinde.

Heavy rain turned the ground to mud in this massive bombardment.
The war correspondent Sir Phillip Gibbs wrote…
‘The Ypres Salient was the ground on which the quality of British manhood was put to the test, most often in the most frightful conditions against the heaviest odds during the years of war. This ground will be forever haunted by this noble youth of ours, by those muddy men in steel hats, by the surge of transport and guns, by the ghosts of a great army of youth, so valiant in the face of death, so patient in suffering, so stubborn in endurance, so simple and splendid by the faith that was in them and never told.’
Over 4800 men were killed in action on this day. The Tyne Cot memorial bears the names of 35’000 men who were killed and have no known grave and of the 11’961 graves at the site, 8373 are unidentified….. ‘Known unto God’, Arthur Piper is among them.

27/10/2022

Private WILLIAM PIPER

William Piper was born in Dowland in 1890. One of 14 children born to Samuel and Grace Piper. After school he became a farm labourer, looking after the cows and living at Hawkdown, Dowland. He enlisted on 2nd June 1915 into the Devon Regiment 10th Work company then being transferred to 617th Agricultural company labour corps. This was a division of the Devon Regiment tasked with providing labour to grow food for troops and horses. Those with experience of farming and animals were essential to keep frontline soldiers supplied.

In October 1917 he came home and married Matilda Baker, a house maid working at The Rectory in Winkleigh. His marriage took place in the same month as his brother Arthur Piper was killed in Ypres, Belgium. In August 1918 he and Matilda welcomed a son, whom they named Ernest Arthur William Piper. William returned to Berkshire to continue with the agricultural division. He became ill and was admitted to the Warspike Military hospital in Reading where he died of pneumonia on 24th February 1919.

His body was brought back to Dowland and was buried here at St. Peter’s Churchyard on Saturday 1st March 1919. The Western Times Newspaper reported that “many relatives and friends attended the funeral and on Sunday 2nd March, a muffled peal was rung on the bells at Winkleigh.” William was 29 years old.

27/10/2022

GEORGE WESTCOTT

George Westcott was born in Dowland in 1894. He was the fourth son of nine children born to Samuel and Sarah Westcott. His father Samuel was a carpenter and they lived in various farm cottages in the parish. After attending school locally, George became a farm labourer in the village. At the outbreak of the war, he enlisted at Exeter into the 2nd Battalion of the Devon Regiment which arrived in France in November 1914.

In December 1914 the Battalion took part in the Christmas Day Truce, where soldiers from both sides exchanged gifts, played football and sang hymns. In March 1915, they joined the battle at Neuve Chappelle and in May at Aubers Ridge seeing many casualties. George died of wounds on Thursday 15th July 1915 in a field hospital. He is buried in Plot 1, Row D, grave 116 at Baileul Cemetery, Northern France. His family were asked what inscription they would like on his headstone… they chose ‘THY WILL BE DONE’. He was 21 years old.

27/10/2022

DOWLAND MEMORIAL

Three young men from Dowland did not return to their families after the end of World War 1. Their sacrifice has never been acknowledged in our parish. We aim to put this right by creating a lasting memorial and bring their names back into the village for future generations to remember.
In October, we will be unveiling our handmade memorial alongside a cascade of over 7000 flowers both inside the church and outside in the churchyard, at St. Peter’s, Dowland. More importantly, we will be telling the story of each of our young men and their short lives.

Open over two weekends in October, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 28th, 29th 30th and November 5th and 6th. 10.30am - 5pm.

Refreshments will be available. The proceeds raised will go to support the work of the Royal British Legion and it’s vital support of veterans of war today, as well as the upkeep of St.Peter’s Church, Dowland, including our war memorial and commonwealth war grave.

We do hope you can visit and join us in our remembrance.