The Villages and WWI, 1914-1918
On the 4 August 1914 Britain entrered into the First World War. At least one million British and Empire service personnel were killed in the four years that followed along with tens of thousands of British civilians. Across Europe and, indeed the world, the number who died runs into many millions – a total that is impossible to calculate accurately.
Men from Alvingham and North Cockerington took part in the war and the names of those who served on the western front and did not return are recorded on the memorial in St Mary’s.
They are:
SYDNEY ARNOLD WRIGHT, 3 July 1916, aged 19 (from Alvingham)
SAMUEL HAND, 18 September 1916, aged 37 (from North Cockerington)
GEORGE BLADES, 21 March 1918, aged 23 (from North Cockerington)
There was a massive effort on the home front also – in mines and factories and notably in Lincolnshire on the land – where food production ensured that Britain was able to beat the German blockade.
The following plaque, situated on the Methodist Chapel wall, commemorates those from the village of Alvingham who fought in WW1.
Two of these soldiers, Sydney Arnold Wright and Sidney Johnson, did not return. In May 2024, wreaths were laid at the Thiepval Memorial where they are remembered among the missing and in June 2024, plaques were also fitted on the pathway around the Lochnagar Crater in the Somme in remembrance. Details of these tributes were displayed by the grave of Sydney Arnold Wright’s parents, where he is also named. This document can be viewed by clicking here.
