Children of the Great War Memorial, Wiveliscombe

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this commemorative project involved working with the local community and researching material for a book, to find out what role the community, and especially its children, had played during the First World War. A large component of the project was the design and creation of a permanent, and continuing legacy to the Wiveliscombe community in the form of a tiled post shown in the picture. This artwork celebrated the role of children during the conflict, by showcasing how they contributed towards the national war effort and also how the war affected them. One example was the role played by children in helping to look after the mules that were imported to the UK and brought onto farms in the local area. Once sufficiently healthy, the mules were trained and then sent to work at the front line. The children from Wiveliscombe Primary School dedicated a lot of time and thought towards creating this memorial, which now stands as something that the whole community can benefit from - our hope is that the post will be a focal point of commemorative events for many years to come.