Dedham Vale Society Winter 2008-2009 No 65

LanghamLittle Horkesley“WE WILLIn every village in the DedhamVale a memorial to those who gavetheir lives in the two World Wars ofthe last century is a distinct andfamiliar part of the landscape.Shortly after Remembrance Sundaylast year I visited all of them andtook photographs, some of whichare shown on these two pages. Allthe memorials are maintained withcare and reverence – as you will seefrom the photographs wreaths havebeen laid at every one - but there isa wide variety of style and detail.In almost every case it is noticeablethat there are many more namesrecorded from 1914-1918 than from1939-1945, reflecting not only theappalling cost of trench warfarebut also the large movement ofpopulation from the countryside tothe towns in the first half of the 20 thcentury. All too often the memorialsrecord the names of several membersof the same family, particularly inthe first World War.Lawford USAAF Memorial at Boxted Airfield Dedham8