Ashburton remembers those affected by conflict
Today's service of remembrance was one of my final official duties as the 1201st Portreeve of Ashburton. I've attended, or been a part of, the remembrance service for many years and the same two things strike me each year.
The missing names bring home the devastation of the Great War to our community
The number of people who come to honour our servicemen and women. This year we had a noticeably larger crowd than previously. That may have been partly down to the fact that the pandemic prevented people from attending over the last couple of years, but whatever the reason - there was a sizeable crowd and lots of wreaths laid in memory of those who served in the two world wars.
The names of the fallen - so many well known local names are read out during the service, many of those family names are still in the town today. It's also sad to contrast the list of those who lost their lives in the first world war, with the list for the second world war. The second list is much shorter and several family names are missing which brings home the devastation of the Great War.
This year's service was particularly poignant as we were reminded of the conflict that has been waged in Ukraine and devastated so many families on both sides of the conflict - and which has brought families fleeing the conflict into our own community.
Ashburton is a fantastic community that proudly honours those local families that have given so much in past conflicts and supports those that are affected by the current conflict.
Names of those who died in the Great War (1914 - 1918)
Sidney BAKER
Jubel BARTLETT
Gerald BEVERIDGE
Dan BOWDEN
David BOWDEN
George BRAY
John BRAY
George CAREW
John CAUNTER
Richard CAUNTER
Simon CHISLATT
William COLLINS
Bertram COWLS
John COWLS
William CROSSMAN
Alfred EALES
John EAST
Wilfred EVANS
Basil FERRIS
Ernest FEZZEY
Daniel GERMAN
John GERMAN
Reginald GIBBS
Frederick GILBERT
William HANNAFORD
Samuel HARDING
Edgar PITTS
Walter HARRIS
John HATCH
Archibald HEARD
Sydney HEALES
Herbert HEXT
Herbert HONEYWILL
Frederick HOWIS
William LAMBELL
Charles LEAMAN
Leslie LOMAX
Joseph LOWREY
James MACDOWELL
Edwin MANN
Charles MARTIN
Richard MILTON
Frank WARREN
Frederick MOORE
Thomas MUGFORD
John MURCH
Albert NORTHWAY
James NORTHWAY
William PARNELL
Edward POMROY
Ernest POOLMAN
John ROSEWARNE
Frederick ROUTLEDGE
Arthur ROWLAND
Richard SPEAR
William STEVENS
Robert STONE
Geoffrey TOZER
John TOZER
Thomas TOZER
Andrew TRUSCOT
Alan TUCKER
Henry VAUGHAN
Thomas VEALE
William WARREN
John WHIDDON
William WHIDDON
Louis WHITE
John WOTTON
William WOTTON
John PEACOCK
Names of those who died in the Second World War (1939 - 1945)
James BARNETT
Cyril BRENNEN
Patrick CONROY
Pamela COOLE
Leonard DANN
Peter HAMM
Leonard HARVEY
Ronald HEAD
William IBBOTSON
Henry KNOWLES
Ernest LOWREY
Philip NORRIS
E. PAT ELLIS
Thomas PASCOE
Frederick POMERY
Edward PLUMMER
Ernest RUSSELL
Leslie THORNE
Harold TUBBY
Neil WHITLEY
Peter WHITLEY