War Memorial Garden

From its inception the fund was intended to provide a fitting memorial to those residents of the Bartons who had served their country in the two world wars as well as celebrating the victory. Although there are records of the fallen in the parish church there was no memorial similar to those found in other villages, just a book of remembrance in a cabinet in the sports and social club. In 2019 the BVMHF Management Committee decided to create a memorial garden, including a stone memorial, to be a fitting centrepiece for the war memorial playing fields and to act as a reminder to future generations.

The garden was completed in early 2020. A stone listing the names of all those from the two parishes who had lost their lives was erected. The armistice day tree previously planted was moved into the garden and honeysuckle, roses, shrubs and hebes donated by Nicholsons, Bunkers Hill, Lynne Benfield and from Jack Rogers’ Garden were planted. Barbara Imbert donated a bench and the Steeple Barton PC donated a silent soldier silhouette and a second bench. The PF trust made a cash donation and the Fund contributed the rest of the costs. It had been planned to formally open the garden as part of the 75 th anniversary of VE day celebrations but sadly the covid pandemic interfered and a very low-key dedication with limited attendees was all that could be done.

Considerable research was carried out into the names in the book of remembrance to verify their connection to the Bartons and to ensure that the names, ranks etc. were as correct as possible. The results of this research can be downloaded below. Further information can be obtained from [email protected] and some of the research documentation is also on the Bartons History Society website.