Was Shillingstone the Bravest Village in World War One?
At 2.30p.m. on Tuesday 04 November at Gold Hill Museum Andrew Vickers will explore the origins of Shillingstone’s claim to be – as the road signs still assert – the Bravest Village in England.
Andrew, the Chairman of Okeford Fitzpaine Local History Group, has researched this story with impeccable thoroughness, and made some surprising discoveries. He writes by way of introduction:
The village of Shillingstone in Dorset has a long oral tradition of having a special place in the history of World War One. The village is believed to have won a competition to have supplied the highest proportion of volunteers to the colours, pro rata to the size of the community, than any other village in the country. There is also an oral tradition that the village was awarded a captured German field gun and a gold filigree processional cross as rewards. There are some tantalising clues as to the veracity of these claims to be found in the village today. On the village war memorial is an inscribed panel with the words ‘Message from HM King George V; His majesty was gratified to learn how splendidly the people of Shillingstone have responded to the call of the colours. I imagine this must be a record.’ Sept 28 1914
There is no doubt that Britain needed to expand its volunteer army rapidly from the outbreak of war in August 1914. Both Germany, the main enemy in the west, and ally France could put over a million conscripts into the field. In comparison Britain’s professional army was tiny, numbering fewer than 50,000. Volunteers flocked to recruiting offices, but were entirely untrained. The Press lent their weight to the recruiting campaign. In an article dated Sunday 27 December 1914 Lord Northcliffe’s best-selling Weekly Dispatch Sunday newspaper launched a competition to find Britain’s Bravest Village. (A village was defined as having a population of fewer than 5000). They offered a bronze medallion “to the most patriotic village in the British Isles which contributes the greatest percentage of its manhood to the colours – who join the colours before 31 January 1915.” The closing date for entries was 28 February 1915, though the results were not declared until 26 March 1916. (By this time the Military Service Act had introduced conscription for single men aged 18 to 41.)
The Weekly Dispatch’s winners were – in first place: Knowlton, Kent; in second place: Mennock, Dumfriesshire. No trace of Shillingstone. Andrew will explain this apparent discrepancy in an insightful & entertaining talk. This is free to members of The Shaftesbury & District Historical Society, while seats should be available for non-members from 2.20p.m. on payment of £5 at the door.
