Memorial Orchard Dedication

One hundred years ago this week ( on the 9th of September 1916 ) Lieutenant Stuart Long died. 
ward 050 Long
He was the son of the vicar of Weaverham. 
He was killed in the Battle of the Somme at the notorious Delville Wood.



Memorial Orchard Dedication Service: 

To mark this centenary, and the completion of phase two of planting, a short Service of Dedication and Remembrance will be held. The service will take place in the orchard at 2:00 PM on Monday 12th September. The Memorial Orchard is in Thorn Wood, Northwich Road, between Weaverham and Hartford.

The Grange School have very kindly allowed us to use the parking at the Sports Field adjacent to the Memorial Orchard up until 3:30 PM.

Please use the designated entance and exit. Please ensure you leave by 3:30.

There will be very limited parking at the Orchard itself, so this will be strictly limited for use by the very elderly or disabled.

 


The orchard is planted with local heritage apple tree varieties, including the Wareham Russet. We have propagated these from one rare ( possibly the only) surviving old tree.
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Because so many of this variety of apple were grown in this area, lads from Weaverham became known as Russets. 

It was young men like these that Lord Kitchener was targeting when he formed his “Pals Battalions”.  One of the first to sign up was Private Robinson who lived in Weaverham Road. He was one of 19,240 men who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, on the 1st July 1916. 

Both Lieutenant Long and Private Robinson are remembered on the memorial at St Mary’s church, Weaverham. Private Robinson is also remembered on the Brunner Mond memorial at Winnington.
Other men on the memorial came not just from Weaverham itself but from the entire surrounding area; for instance  Lance Corporal Arthur Sidney Newall ( 25 ) was from Sandiway, Private Arthur Shaw Burgess of Hartford died on 2nd November 1918 aged 22, so close to the end of the war – he is buried in St Mary’s churchyard.
You can find out more about Lieutenant Long and Private Robinson , and other men on these memorials at the Weaverham History Society website. http://history.weaverham.org.uk/ww1/



Other events this week:
Saturday 10th – Heritage open day, St Mary’s church Weaverham

Sunday 11th – service of rededication for the relocated WW1 memorial from Bryn chapel

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