War Memorials: Warminster: Copheap

Dedication Service To Be Held At The Lych Gate, Copheap, Warminster

Tuesday 15th July 2014

Warminster Town Council have acknowledged that the recent sorry state of the Lych Gate at Copheap, Warminster, was due to decay and not vandalism, [as reported on Danny Howell’s website in November 2013 and January 2014].

The memorial has now been fully repaired to a high standard by volunteers from Aspire. At last night’s meeting of the Town Council the repair of the Lych Gate and a suggestion for an annual service at the Lych Gate or a dedication service for it were discussed.

Councillor Paul Batchelor told his fellow councillors that the maintenance had received good publicity. He confirmed that there had been no vandalism over the Christmas 2013 holiday period (as had been reported in the Warminster Journal) and that the missing pillars and fallen roof tiles of the Lych Gate had been caused by rotting wood and general neglect. He said the carpenters from Aspire had now restored the memorial to a high standard.

Councillor Batchelor suggested that rather than hold an annual service at Copheap as some people had expressed a wish for, it might be more appropriate to hold a dedication for the Lych Gate on 11th November. It was noted that the Warminster Branch of the Royal British Legion holds a remembrance ceremony at St. Lawrence’s Chapel in the High Street, Warminster, on the morning of the 11th day of the 11th month, and maybe this could be followed in the afternoon with a dedication service at the Copheap Lych Gate. Councillor Batchelor proposed this and Councillor Paul Macdonald seconded. Voting was unanimously in favour. The Town Clerk, Heather Abernethie, will liaise with the Warminster Branch of the Royal British Legion.

An Update On The Lych Gate “Vandals” Story At Copheap, Warminster

Saturday 11th January 2014

Danny Howell writes ~

Thought you might appreciate an update on the “Vandals” story regarding the Lych Gate at Copheap, Warminster. The Town Clerk Heather Abernethie and I exchanged emails yesterday and “yes, we are still talking to one another.” In fact, we spoke at the Civic Trust meeting held yesterday evening at Warminster Civic Centre.

It seems the Police still believe “there was some vandalism at the Lych Gate at Christmas”. Maybe they are saying that to ‘save face’ but we all know there wasn’t any vandalism. The damage to the Lych Gate was evident back last year and my photographs taken in November 2013 show this to be true. The sorry state of the Lych Gate is due to rotting timber and missing roof tiles, mainly due to weathering and neglect. What has been happening recently is when I and other community-spirited people like me visit Copheap (and I visited Copheap several times over the Christmas and New Year period walking my dog and checking the area where the First World War dog’s grave is (initial moves towards the Copheap dog’s grave restoration project) we pick up the Lych Gate pillars off the ground and put them back in situ, only for them to soon fall out again until the next time we visit. Sometimes, children mess around with the fallen pillars, but it’s not vandalism per se, and sometimes, adults pick up the pillars off the Lych Gate floor and put them to one side again, or even place them to the back of the Lych, in an effort to stop others from tripping over them. Sometimes the pillars just fall out of their positions and end up on the ground behind the base walls of the Lych. That’s all.

I have also heard from the Mayor of Warminster, Paul Batchelor. I guess he may be embarrassed or annoyed that he has found himself part of the story in the Warminster Journal (although he hasn’t said that to me), but he has emailed me to say he wishes he had known about my reporting the sorry state of the Lych back in November before the Journal asked him for a quote and a photograph. I am told that the story in the Warminster Journal was initiated by the Police and not the Town Council. Unfortunately there is now some flak doing the rounds, mainly aimed at the Town Council. I only hope this publicity, bad as it is, will speed up efforts to get the Lych Gate repaired and in a condition befitting the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in two World Wars. We owe it to them.

I would like to publicly thank everyone who has emailed me about this. I appreciate your interest and I am inspired by your support. Several of you have suggested we should raise the money for the repairs ourselves and go do the work ourselves if the Town Council or Wiltshire Council can’t carry out our wishes. I don’t think we need to do that. The Town Clerk Heather Abernethie assures me she is on the case and I have every faith the work will be carried out in due course, hopefully sooner rather than later! You can, of course, always contact the Town Council, by email: admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk

Warminster Journal Story About Copheap Lych Gate Attacked ~ Let’s Put The Record Straight

Thursday 9th January 2014

Danny Howell writes ~

The back page of today’s Warminster Journal features a story about an apparent attack by vandals on the Lych Gate at Copheap. Accompanying the story is a photograph of the Mayor of Warminster, Town Councillor Paul Batchelor, pointing out that the supporting pillars of the Lych Gate are missing. The article suggests that “the damage occurred sometime between Tuesday 31st December and Thursday 2nd January (2014].” PCSO Lorraine Rice of Wiltshire Police wants anyone with information to contact her.

Readers of this website will know that this damage did not occur over the Christmas and New Year period. If the Clerk of Warminster Town Council looks through her emails she will also know that this is not the case. Why?

Because I featured a story, complete with photos, about the sorry state of the Lych Gate, with its missing pillars and holes, on Wednesday 20th November 2013. This damage may have been partly due to vandals in previous years but the missing pillars, roof tiles, holes, etc., are mostly due to neglect. They are rotten and have been getting worse as the winter days with the continued wet weather have progressed. You can see my post of Wednesday 20th November 2013, with regard the damage, on my blog.

Further to posting my story I emailed the Town Clerk of Warminster Town Council about the Lych Gate damage, also on Wednesday 20th November 2013, again with photographs showing the damage. For the record, here’s a copy of the words of my email:

“Wednesday 20th November 2013.

To:
The Town Clerk, Warminster Town Council,
Warminster Civic Centre,
Sambourne Road, Warminster, BA12 8LB.

Dear Heather Abernethie,
Would you be so kind as to bring to the attention of the members of Warminster Town Council the sorry state of the Lych at the top of the Path Of Remembrance at the entrance to Copheap.

Roof tiles are missing from both sides, and the upright wooden pillars that support the roof are either rotten or missing. Some of the pillars are thrown to the ground at the sides of the Lych.

It goes without saying that if this disrepair is not attended to soon, the Lych will deteriorate even more, particularly with the winter weather approaching.

Bearing in mind that next year will be the 100th Anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, and that commemorations will be taking place in Warminster, perhaps with locals and tourists visiting Copheap (which is a memorial to the Warminster fallen of both World Wars), I’m sure all our Town Councillors, like myself, would like to see the Lych in good repair and in a safe condition.

Yours sincerely, Danny Howell.

P.S. I have attached some photographs, taken last week, showing the roof with its missing tiles, and the condition of the pillars.”

–

Unfortunately, I did not get an email reply from the Town Clerk about this matter. I know that Chris Trimby, Station Officer at Warminster Fire Station, Wiltshire Fire And Rescue, also made known the damage and neglect of the Lych Gate, to the Town Council, back in November. Chris regularly walks his dog on Copheap. Chris and I had both hoped for action to be taken on the matter before the winter came.

Coincidentally, Chris emailed this very morning (a few hours before today’s Warminster Journal was available for sale), asking me if I had heard anymore about the Lych Gate damage we had reported. He informed me he had heard no more.

I did mention this matter to the Town Clerk, Heather Abernethie, when I saw at the Christmas Fayre at the Civic Centre on Saturday 28th November 2013. She then verbally acknowledged receipt of my email and told me the repair of the Lych Gate was a matter for Wiltshire Council and that she had passed the message on.

I must admit I am rather annoyed that the matter was not put on a Council meeting agenda for discussion by our Town Councillors. We rely on our elected representatives to listen to what people are saying and to act where necessary in carrying out the wishes of local people. In this case, this has not happened.

I hope that PCSO Lorraine Rice will not waste her time looking for so-called vandals who ventured to Copheap at Christmas and New Year. I hope the Warminster Journal will correct their story. But above all, I hope Wiltshire Council or Warminster Town Council (whoever is responsible) will REPAIR THE LYCH GATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

As I said before, the state of the Lych Gate is a shameful disrespect to the men and women of Warminster who courageously served or gave their lives in two World Wars. Copheap and the Lych Gate and the Path Of Remembrance are a memorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sir Harry Secombe And Highway

Some recollections by Danny Howell:

“During early autumn 1990 I received a telephone call from a producer at HTV, in Bristol, asking if I could suggest some suitable locations in the Warminster area for the Highway programme. I was told that the programme in question was to be broadcast on Remembrance Sunday and that the locations should have a military connection.”

“I suppose I was asked about locations, because I had worked during the previous year, suggesting locations and supplying script details for Along A Wiltshire River which featured Clive Gunnell. That series had been shown on HTV.”

“I knew what the Highway programme was about because I had seen it on Sunday teatimes. It was a religious programme, not in the same vein as BBC’s Songs Of Praise, but filling a similar God-slot on tv. The format was really Sir Harry Secombe visiting a different location each programme, usually with a theme, and in the programme he would sing some hymns and meet and talk to various people, usually asking them about their experiences and their faith in God. Sometimes there would be other music, like a choir, and sometimes guest singers. Each programme was 30 minutes.”

“The programme makers told me they were going to Imber but needed other places to film interviews and places to film Harry Secombe miming to songs and hymns pre-recorded by him in a studio.”

“They asked if I knew of a pleasant garden where Harry could be filmed singing a particular song. I suggested Brigadier Proudman’s garden behind Mill Cottage at Bishopstrow, where there were some lovely shrubs and flowers, and a backdrop of the little iron footbridge over the mill race. They got in touch with Brigadier Proudman and he agreed. They went there to film but the day they chose it poured down with rain and the blooms and colours didn’t look their best on the tv screen.”

“I also suggested that Copheap would be a good place to film an interview, for two reasons – it gave good views of Warminster and it was a memorial to Warminster’s war dead, with its Lych Gate plaques and the Path of Remembrance. They took me up on that suggested location as well – that’s where they filmed Sir Harry talking to Mrs. Sarah Jones, the widow of “H’ Jones who was killed in the Falklands.”

“I also suggested that they go to the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Sutton Veny. The producer pricked up his ears when I told him about the area’s connection with Anzac troops. I got the impression he was previously unaware of this. He immediately said incorporating something about the Australians and New Zealanders would add a lot to the programme. So they went to Sutton Veny, as well, for the programme. They filmed Sir Harry singing Waltzing Matilda at Sutton Veny.”

“When they came to Warminster to do the filming I was given the opportunity to meet Sir Harry. He was exactly like he was on television. He asked me things like “Did I live locally?” and “Do you watch the programme?” He came across as very pleasant and most sincere.”

Copheap – Warminster War Memorial Committee, 1960

Warminster War Memorial Committee, 1960:

Chairman: Mr. H.N. Dewey, J.P.

Hon. Treasurer: Mr. E.R. Pound, Lloyds Bank, Warminster.

Hon. Secretary: Mr. T. Davies, J.P., The Lindens, Heytesbury.

Formed in 1947 for the purpose of providing a permanent memorial to Warminster men who made the supreme sacrifice in the form of preserving for the benefit of the town the amenities and the beauty of Copheap.