The war memorial at Lezant records 15 men and their selfless sacrifice, but reveals little else about these faceless names; where they met their end, their lives before duty beckoned, or the families they left behind.

Among the 15 some were regulars and already serving, several volunteered for service after the outbreak of war while some were conscripted.

They served in many theatres, from Europe to the Far East, enduring the mud and deprivation of the trenches of the Western Front, the extreme temperatures and rocky terrain of Turkish Thrace, and the unforgiving waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific.

These men were involved in some of the most notorious campaigns of both World Wars, a number killed in action at places whose names are now synonymous with some of the most brutal and savage battles in the history of warfare; Passchendaele, Gallipoli and Jutland amongst them, while others died of disease before ever reaching foreign shores.

Whatever the circumstances of their deaths, they all answered the call and met their fate while serving their country.

On its plinth are the names of the men of Lezant Parish, who died during the First World War;

William T. Hodge
Leonard H. Bray
Charles Roberts
Walter W. Lee
Ernest Jasper
Wilfred Lane
Elias Sanders
Charles T. Budge
Henry Doney
William Osborne
John Steed
Samuel L. Abbott

Second World War;

Richard Haig
John T. Wilton
Percy J. Rowe

Aside from the men that it recalls, the memorial itself has its own story. 

John Davies a local historian has written this fascinating story on how, as the fighting ended, those on the home front, those who had lost loved ones, friends and neighbours, those who had witnessed the carnage, those who had served and survived, began to come to the realisation that such sacrifice, such duty, such service, must not be allowed to be forgotten. This is that story...

( John's work on the history remains a work in progress and will be updated accordingly. If any of the families of the men on the memorial have photos or more information on their relative, John would be very appreciative. Please email John here )