Wonderful Exhibition Of Wartime Artefacts At Worplesdon

Published on: 5 Aug, 2014
Updated on: 6 Aug, 2014

Worplesdon hosted a wonderful exhibition of First World War artefacts, old photos and memorabilia at its Memorial Hall on Monday (August 4).

About 200 people visited the free display that was open to the public from 2pm to 8pm.

A steady stream of visitors viewed the exhibition during the afternoon and evening.

It was the culmination of months of work and research by members of Worplesdon Parish Council, with many others contributing items on the day.

These included medals, military equipment, artillery shells, an officer’s sword, postcards from the period, and much more.

The team from the parish council, including Bob McShee, Terry Cater, Derek Slaymaker, Jan Messinger and Sandra Morgan, have been researching the 33 men named on the Worplesdon roll of honour who died during the First World War.

Jan Messinger has been researching men on Worplesdon’s roll of honour. One of them being Duncan Tovey who wrote and sent home some beautiful poetry.

They have uncovered much information about them, where they lived and their families and where they are buried or on which memorials ‘in corners of foreign field’ where they are commemorated.

All this information was collated and put on a number of display panels throughout the Memorial Hall. This is is fantastic piece of research and the team must be congratulated for their hard work.

Richard Dunning with his display of items recovered in and around the Lochnagar Crater on the Somme.

There was a display of items recovered from the fields around the Lochnagar Crater in France. This huge crater was the result of tons of explosives being detonated by the Allies under the German lines on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916. The site of the crater is owned by Richard Dunning who lives near Guildford. He and his colleague Iain Fry were pleased to talk to visitors about the creator and its on going preservation.

Part of David Rose’s local wartime history display.

Local historian David Rose’s contribution to the exhibition included a number of display panels showing photos of Worplesdon of about 100 years ago, Stoughton Barracks, Guildford’s military war hospitals and Witley Camp. The latter was a huge army camp of wooden huts on Witley and Rodborough Commons near Godalming. He brought along a selection of items he and friends have made by digging one of the camp’s long forgotten rubbish dumps. Items include bottles, mugs, pots, and buttons and badges from soldiers’ uniforms.

Ron McGill with the two Turkish shells he father brought back from the battlefield.

Ron McGill with the two Turkish shells his father brought back from the battlefield.

Ron McGill from Fairlands brought along two Turkish shells his father brought home from where her served in Messopotamia during the Great War.

Children from Worplesdon School have been making recruitment posters and these were on display along with actual wartime books, newspapers and other documents.

Refreshments were provided by Fairlands and Worplesdon Women’s Institutes.