47th Canada Battalion

Here we have yet another metal detector find by our old friend Norman. This was found in Market Lavington and dates to the First World War. It is a shoulder flash for the 47th Canada Battalion. The...

100 Years Ago

June 1916 by Lyn Dyson It was the calm before the storm. The 1st battalion of the Wiltshires spent the month training and moving. They had instruction in open warfare, bayonet fighting, and advance ...

Another item of commemorative ware

Our President was delighted when he saw this in a flea market in Devizes. He couldn’t resist the temptation to buy it for the museum. It is a piece of Arcadian Ware in the shape of a cannon. It ...

Jack Welch’s luggage label

Market Lavington man Jack Welch was a volunteer or reservist soldier before the outbreak of World War One. He served in the 1st/4th Wilts regiment. On the outbreak of war this regiment was sent to In...

A First World War romance

At the end of 1914 and into 1915 Canadian soldiers were training on Salisbury Plain. It was to be expected that romances would spring up between the Canadian men and local girls. One local girl who fe...

Unveiling the Stone

Yesterday we looked at the re-creation of the 1915 Red Cross Market in the village. The market finished and crowds went to the official unveiling of the First World War Remember Stone situated on Th...

Canadian Soldiers at the Green Dragon

The powers that were may have suggested that the conflict we now call the First World War would be over by Christmas, but of course it wasn’t. That means we are still marking 100 years of the First ...

The arrival of the Commemoration Stone

One of the ideas that the First World War Commemoration Group had was to place a stone, which could be used as a seat on the green just outside the church. In the fullness of time the stone will have ...

First World War Medals

If you joined up in 1914 for World War One then the chances are you were awarded three medals – the 1914 star, the war medal and the victory medal. These three medals are very common and got given c...