Making a ‘new’ WW1 Memorial
In 2020, on November 11th, I still had three large bags of soil from my 100 Silences pilgrimage.
So I decided to make a ‘new’ war memorial for the fallen of WW1.
I made a Wayfaring pilgrimage from my home to a Bronze Age burial ground seven miles away. There, at 11:11 am, I gave soil from three great battles - Somme, Arras, Ypres - to three tumps, ancient mounds made to commemorate long-forgotten heroes.
These tumps sit in an armpit of woodland surrounded by huge fields. They endure, though the memory of who has been buried here over the millennia does not. Most historians believe such sites were re-used by successive generations. So it seemed fitting to offer a new use now.
As I offered the soil, I read aloud a poem from a war poet who died in the each respective battle: Comrade by John Streets (The Somme); The Owl by Edward Thomas (Arras); and Rhyfel by Hedd Wyn (Ypres).
I hope to return here on 11/11/21.
