Devon Remembers at Fairlynch

Pictured above with Lord Clinton are, l-r: Jane Bennett, Sheila Jelley and Margaret Brett   Image credit: Guy Newman/KOR Communications

The stories behind the names of those who died for their country during World War One can now be seen on a website provided by Lord Clinton’s Charitable Trust and Clinton Devon Estates, in association with Fairlynch Museum.   

On 29 July Fairlynch Museum’s Patron Lord Clinton launched the website, entitled www.devonremembers.co.uk – Honouring the 1914 Generation – a memorial to the men and women from the Estates’ communities in East and North Devon who fell during World War One. Volunteers Sheila Jelley, Margaret Brett, Jane Bennett, John Hagger and John Hedderly worked on the communities in East Devon, while Philip Collins from Merton looked into the stories of those from North Devon.

 

John Varley, Estates Director, said: “We all owe a debt of honour to those who fought and died for their country in the Great War. While their names are remembered on memorials in Devon’s towns and villages, there is a danger their stories could be lost. 

 

“When we heard that volunteers from the Fairlynch Museum and other local historians were gathering some of those stories together to mark the centenary of the start of the war, we wanted to do something to help, so decided to launch the website where they could be seen by as many people as possible, for many years to come. This is a fitting way for us all to pay tribute to the hundreds of people from our communities who made the ultimate sacrifice for us all. 

“Many people living in the area today will have relatives who died in the war, and we hope this website will help them to learn more about their families’ history. It is also possible for people to add to the stories online, and to write their own.”

‘The Great War at Fairlynch’ 2015 exhibition at Budleigh Salterton’s very special museum! Reviews included: “Wonderful display on WW1, informative, bright and relevant. Well done!!