Last of 134 Vale of Belvoir war heroes is honoured

Distant family member of Alfred Marshall, David Isom lays a wreath EMN-190403-175643001

Since September 2014 the lives of 134 men have been individually commemorated with short services and the laying of wooden crossesd.

The final service was for Private Alfred Joseph Marshall, who died of pneumonia resulting from wounds sustained in an air raid on the east coast, at Hose Baptist Chapel.

Graham Shipman, president of the Hose and Harby Branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “As we have passed the centenary of each recorded death we have held a service of remembrance for those individuals, laying small wooden crosses at the memorials on which they are named, reading out citations and performing the act of homage.

Members of Harby and Hose British Legion in the Baptist Church at Hose during the final Great War memorial service EMN-190403-175600001

“We have done this from the parishes of Long Clawson in the east of the vale to Muston in the west.

“The short services have been carried out at Long Clawson, Hose, Harby, Stathern, Plungar, Barkestone, Redmile and in association with Bottesford parish WW1 centenary project at Bottesford and Muston.”

Private Marshall, of Hose, was the last of the known casualties from the vale during the Great War and an adopted child of the Isam family.

It all started nearly five years ago when the late president of Hose and Harby legion branch, David Howley, organised a roll call to commemorate the start of the First World War.

A two-minute silence at Alfred Marshall's grave EMN-190403-175654001

This was a pilgrimage to nine churches through the vale. At each church, the names of the fallen were read out, followed by the Last Post, two-minutes silence and a short service. David then initiated an act of remembrance at each memorial.

The first cross was laid at St Mary’s Church, Bottesford, on October 22, 2014, for Private Frederick Shaw, of 1st Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment.