Delville Memorial Oak - Tonge Mill Memorial Park - Tonge, Kent - World War I Memorials and Monuments on Waymarking.com

An oak tree taken from delville wood with dedicatory plaque placed in a wooden stand in front of it.


Inscription -

THIS TREE IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE SERVICEMEN WHO FELL DURING THE/ 1914-1918 WAR/ AND IN ALL SUBSEQUENT CONFLICTS, IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY AND FREEDOM/ IN THIS YEAR OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GOLDEN JUBILEE 2002./ THIS TREE IS A GIFT FROM THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE PEOPLE OF SITTINGBOURNE,/ FROM DELVILLE WOOD ON THE SOMME, FRANCE WHERE AN ESTIMATED 420,000/ BRITISH AND COMMONWEALTH SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMEN LOST THEIR LIVES./ THIS TREE WAS TRANSPORTED AND PLANTED AT TONGE BY THE ROYAL ENGINEERS ON BEHALF OF/ THE SITTINGBOURNE AND MILTON REGIS BRANCH OF THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION./ AFTERMATH/ HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YET?/ FOR THE WORLD EVENTS HAVE RUMBLED ON SINCE THOSE GAGGED DAYS./ LIKE TRAFFIC CHECKED WHILE AT THE CROSSING OF CITY WAYS;/ AND THE HAUNTED GAP IN YOUR MIND HAS FILLED WITH THOUGHTS THAT FLOW/ LIKE CLOUDS IN THE LIT HEAVEN OF LIFE; AND YOU A MAN REPRIEVED TO GO./ TAKING YOUR PEACEFUL SHARE OF TIME, WITH JOY TO SPARE/ BUT THE POST IS THE SAME - AND WAR'S A BLOODY GAME.../ HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YET?/ LOOK DOWN, AND SWEAR BY THE STAIN OF THE WAR THAT YOU'LL NEVER FORGET./ DO YOU REMEMBER THE DARK MONTHS YOU HELD THE SECTOR AT MAMETZ/ THE NIGHTS YOU WATCHED AMD WIRED AND DUG AND PILED SANDBAGS ON PARAPETS?/ DO YOU REMEMBER THE RATS: AND THE STENCH/ OF CORPSES ROTTING IN FRONT OF THE FRONT LINE TRENCH./AND DAWN COMING, DIRTY WHITE AND CHILL WITH HOPELESS RAIN./ DO YOU EVER STOP TO ASK, "IS IT ALL GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN?"/ DO YOU REMEMBER THAT HOUR OF DIN BEFORE THE ATTACK./AND THE ANGER, THE BLIND COMPASSION THAT SEIZED AND SHOOK YOU THEN/AS YOU PEERED AT THE DOOMED AND HAGGARD FACES OF YOUR MEN?/ DO YOU REMEMBER THE STRECHER-CASES LURCHING BACK/WITH DYING EYES AND LOLLING HEADS, THOSE ASHEN GREY/MASKS OF THE LADS WHO ONCE WERE MEN KEEN AND GAY?/ HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YET?/LOOK UP AND SWEAR BY THE GREEN OF THE SPRING THAT YOU'LL/NEVER FORGET./ SIEGFRIED SASSOON (1886-1967) MARCH 1919/DISTANCE FROM THIS SPOT TO DELVILLE WOOD IS 125 MILES

Delville Wood - (visit link)

Date the Monument or Memorial was built or dedicated: 03/04/2002 Private or Public Monument?: Other Name of the Private Organization or Government Entity that built this Monument: Tonge Parish Council Geographic Region where the Monument is located: Europe Website for this Monument: [Web Link] Physical Address of Monument: Tonge Mill Memorial Park Tonge, Kent England ME9 9AW Rate this waymark: Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes

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