Over the past year we have had the privilege of witnessing the amazing installation of 51 First World War Soldiers marching across the Strood; all were residents of Mersea (or had a strong Mersea Family connection) and all were sadly never to return. They were the brainwave of ex-RAF man, Duncan Pittock, who was first inspired to create the vision after seeing a photo of soldiers at Passchendaele marching across a similar landscape and believed the marshland of Mersea would offer the perfect setting to replicate this scene. His vision and wish to leave a lasting memory of what these young men gave for their country was not only achieved, but went far beyond all expectations; all who have seen them will be left with a lifelong memory of a deeply moving scene, be it the soldiers wading through the tide with the sun setting behind them, or the fog gently enveloping them and their heavy backpacks as the marsh slowly takes them to their final resting place.

After securing funding from various sources, including 6 local charities, Duncan and his daughter Faith meticulously created each specific profile and the Soldiers were then erected in time for the 100 anniversary of Armistice Day, November llth 2018. The reaction in the following days was overwhelming and people began to travel far and wide to see this unusually moving scene. They were only ever intended to be on view for the year, due mainly to the materials used and the harsh salty environment, and so sadly they were taken down early on the morning of 25th November 2019; as the last Sentry stood proud on a cold, misty morning, the Last Post sounded for these Mersea boys who were never to come home.

Once removed, the plan had always been to raise money for the local charities, and the first event was held on Friday 29th November at Essex Outdoor, Mersea. 150 people attended the WW1 themed Charity Auction, including food based on meals served in the trenches, as the first 26 soldiers were put up for bids. Kevin Bentley roused the audience with his speed, humour and wit to get the audience bidding against one another, and as the night progressed, the early bids of £500 were soaring up to figures around the £1500 mark. Each bid received a stunning framed photograph by local photographer Chrissie Westgate and kindly framed by Maxine Jones, recording the individual soldier's position on the Strood. The mood for the evening was enriched by the wonderful music provided by John Leyland and Barry Ransom, who also stirred the audience to sing along to many well-known tunes from the time, including a haunting and emotional rendition of 'Silent Night', so perfect for the time of year, but a reminder of the infamous football match that took place on landscape so similar to where these soldiers had once stood. All-in-all, a hugely successful evening that ensured the majority of these soldiers would be staying on the Island, many already visible to locals as they walk on the beach and drive through the village.

Of the many soldiers who finally found their way back on to the Island that evening, these are some of the more memorable moments of the night.

Working tactically whilst the bids were relatively low, Phil Plumtree managed to secure 3 soldiers early on in the bidding and these now stand opposite his home on Coast Road, back in the marsh. They look different at all heights of the tide and once again, evoke the silhouettes on the Strood. It is great that we have the opportunity to see a cluster of them still together.

A group of residents of East Mersea booked a table of 10 so that they could support Margaret Lawford (née Lord, daughter of Ralph and Wenda), in her bid for soldier Thomas Marriage, who died on 5th May l917. Wenda's maiden name was 'Marriage' and Thomas was her uncle, and the family farmed at Weir Farm, where some of his family still live.

The auction was in full swing and bids were quickly escalating when Margaret stood up from her seat and brandished a photo of her Great Uncle and emotionally explained her connection and her desire to bring her relative 'home' to his final resting place. All eyes turned to auctioneer Kevin and for a split second, the room was silent, before the hammer came down to a resounding 'Sold.' There was many a moist eye in the house as the reality of who these soldiers really represented came to the fore of peoples' minds and what the evening was about.

Unfortunately for James Sanderson, he was not so quick to point out his connection with The Old Rectory and former inhabitant Alfred Russell, who died on 23rd December 1918 (a month after Armistice)! James and his family have lived at the Old Rectory for over 15 years and were keen to bring Alfred 'back home', but being the last soldier to be auctioned that night, there were many people bidding against him. As the bidding went on past £1000, the final two bidders were witted against one another and all eyes were on them ... nobody wanted to see either party stop and it wasn't until James mentioned he lived in the soldier's former home did the room turn allegiance to him; finally, the hammer came down and Alfred is now back at The Old Rectory for those driving past on East Road to admire.

A few days later, another 10 soldiers were auctioned by Reeman Dansie in their Collector's Sale where, yet again, the soldiers' popularity ensured they commanded high values and this was helped by the kind generosity of Reeman Dansie who agreed to donate their commission fees to the Charities as well. The frenetic bidding on a cold December morning was proof yet again of the popularity of these figures not only in Mersea but further afield into East Anglia.

The final event was held at the MICA in late January where the Sealed Bids for 10 soldiers were announced and the raffle tickets for the final 5 soldiers were drawn. The Strood Soldier Committee were keen to make this an event available to all residents and for the £5 entry fee, guests were given a beautiful tin mug with the Soldiers silhouettes across it, which they were then free to fill with warming soup, along with bread and cheese. Jay Stapley had gathered a group of Mersea Musicians to entertain the guests throughout the evening as final tickets were sold for various additional artifacts, including miniature versions of the figures, and a beautiful painting kindly donated by James Weaver was auctioned to the audience too. The painting was finally won by Carmel and Sam Mitchell, who later advised the Committee that they were donating the painting to the Mersea Fire Brigade in thanks for their hard work in saving their house in a major fire on Boxing Day. Unaware as they ate their lunch in the Peldon Rose, their neighbours had alerted the local Fire Brigade to a car fire in their drive and when they arrived back to see the firefighters in full action, they were informed that the house was only 2 minutes away from a major Gas Explosion.....! More proof of what a great community we live in came when Carl Rowling, our very own mayor, gave up his Boxing Day night to attend to the house and help sort the electrics...

At the time of writing, Duncan and Carmel are arranging a visit to hand the painting over to the local Fire Station where it will hopefully be hung in pride of place.

The 'Sealed Bids' came from far-&-wide' but again, predominantly from the Island: it will be great to see Soldiers going to The Dabchicks Sailing Club, Colchester Oyster Fishery (to be situated on Pewet Island), Mersea Island Museum Trust (two soldiers are going to the Museum, one in honour of Brian Jay who was so passionate about ensuring the Museum had a Soldier of its own), and The Rotary Club who are kindly donating this to the MICA so all residents will see this soldier as they visit the village. Families at East Mersea were also successful in ensuring their lost members could be brought home and we are hoping that we will see Percy Whiting standing proudly in West Mersea Churchyard after a kind donation from Peter Fitt.

As I write this article, Jackie Bessey has just kindly donated soldier 'Harold Stoker' to stand at the seaward end of Cobmarsh Island. He makes a striking site, a solitary sentry marking the entrance to the creeks of Mersea with water surrounding him on all sides at high tide; what a fantastic reminder to us all of these incredible figures and what they stood for.

Both evenings were a huge success, not in just the amount of money that was raised for local charities, but for bringing a community together and reminding us of some of the young men who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Thank You Duncan - you will never know what you achieved by this amazing project.

Becca Brown 2020

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WW1 Memorial soldiers and sailors at the Strood

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