On this page we want connections regarding happenings here a 100 years ago.Ā
We want people to find or tell us stories about this place.
PEOPLE
Do you know if any of your relatives were brought to the hospital in WW1?
Have you have any photographs or memorabilia?
We want these stories to keep the memories of these soldiers alive.
PLANTS
Here is a connection between the plant next to the plaque, and what the plaque represents. The plant with red stems/leaves is called Dogwood. Latin name is Cornus sanguineaĀ
ItĀ is important to distinguish it from another plant that used to be called Dogwood, with the latin name Frangula alnus. We now call this plant Alder Buckthorn.Ā
'Alder Buckthorn' (then 'Dogwood'), became a very important plant in World War One, because of its use in making gunpowder - a mixture of it's charcoal, sulphur & potassium nitrate. 'Dogwood'produces the best charcoal because it burns slowly and very evenly.Ā
It replaced Alder in mid 1800s. In her book.Ā Beryl Lucy (1978) says 'the charcoal for ordinary gunpowder was made from alder wood burnt in pits in the way that had been practised...from time immemorial'.Ā
We have Alder this wood - alongĀ Left Path in the Walk in the Woodland,Ā Ā
The plot (get it?) thickens.
We used to get most of the 'dogwood' charcoal from France and German, so presumably the enemy was using itĀ in the trenches. Can you imagine how important it was to grow more Alder BuckthornĀ in the UK. It grows mainlyĀ in the South East, but if anybody knows of any locally.....Ā Ā
Test of store page DocumentsĀ