Australians in Market Lavington – also the Mullings family

For some time we have tried to link our local Mullings family – the basket makers – with other Mullings in the south of England. A lead in this task comes with a postcard of Australian troops in M...

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...

April 1916

100 Years Ago By Lyn Dyson  At the beginning of the month the 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire regiment were in Ternas, continuing their training. They managed to set fire to one of the barns they were...

March 1916

By Lyn Dyson There were no local casualties in March 1916. The 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment started the month training at Outtersteene, near Bailleul, with emphasis on bayonet practice. O...

A message from King and Queen

Christmas 1914 was supposed to have seen the war over. When it clearly wasn’t the ‘Royals’ thought they should send something to all servicemen. The King and Queen (George and Mary) sent a simpl...

February 1916

100 Years Ago by Lyn Dyson The Wiltshire Regiments 1st Battalion The 1st Battalion spent the whole month in Outterstene, training and exercising and playing some football. On 25th February they wer...

January 1916

100 Years Ago by Lyn Dyson 1st Battalion The 1st battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment spent most of January either in the trenches at Ploegsteert Wood in Belgium, or resting at The Piggeries. Whilst ...

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...

100 Years Ago

Christmas 1915 by Lyn Dyson 1st Battalion The weather was mild on Christmas day 1915 in Belgium. The 1st Battalion were in trenches Ploegsteert Wood. The Germans put up a white flag above their para...

Reginald Hillier

Perhaps we shouldn’t really have this photo in Market Lavington Museum for Reg was born in Devizes and moved to West Lavington with his family when he was less than ten years old. His father was pos...