大象传媒

Until recently the quiet village of Shapwick had two claims to fame. The first is the nearby Nature Reserve on the peatland at Shapwick Heath; a popular spot for birdwatchers keen to observe starlings, bitterns and great white egrets among, and above, the reed beds. The second is the notoriety given to the area by the late archaeologist and Time Team expert, Professor Mick Aston. He undertook an ambitious and well-publicised ten-year project to study the local landscape and the origins of the parish. Now a third reason for fame has been uncovered.

Shapwick sent 32 men to fight in World War One. They all survived the conflict and returned home. The Thankful Village tag has been around since the 1930s but gained added poignancy and attention as the numbers of survivors of WW1 dwindled at the end of the 20th Century.

It鈥檚 taken the best part of a century for Shapwick to stake its claim as a Thankful Village; a delay which centres around confusion of a commemorative plaque in St Mary鈥檚 Church. On the right hand wall of the building sits a brass memorial to 2nd Lieutenant Andrew Graham Montgomery of the Queen鈥檚 Own Cameron Highlanders. The 19-year-old was killed on a night patrol near Arras in northern France in early September 1918. So it seems that for four generations Montgomery was considered to be Shapwick鈥檚 sole war dead. Now, thanks to the work of historian Rod Morris and his colleagues at the Thankful Villages website, the truth is known.

Montgomery was the son of a former vicar who had died in 1906. The Reverend Colin Montgomery was remembered by his parishioners with a church plaque but his widow and their child had to leave the vicarage and moved away, probably to the West Midlands. It seems that when Andrew was killed 12 years later, it was thought appropriate to place his memorial plaque next to the one which honours his father. The theory is backed up by evidence from the archives. A decorated, handwritten scroll featuring the names of all the local men who served 鈥楰ing and Country鈥� doesn鈥檛 include 2nd Lieutenant Montgomery. While none of the 32 names that are on the Roll of Honour appear in the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

It鈥檚 taken a long time to appreciate Shapwick鈥檚 good fortune. However, the clues were in existence all along. The church plaque diverted attention from the fact that the village doesn鈥檛 have a war memorial. There was also a long-forgotten local newspaper article, published shortly after the Armistice, which declared that 鈥渘ot one Shapwick man has died during fighting for his country in the war鈥�. But short paragraphs in dense newsprint can often get overlooked. Until now 鈥� a century later.

The confirmation reinforces Somerset鈥檚 status as the most thankful county in England. But numerically it also makes Shapwick the most thankful village in the most thankful county.

Now this quiet community on the Levels can join Aisholt, Chantry, Chelwood, Holywell Lake, Rodney Stoke, Stocklinch, Tellisford and Woolley in the roll call of places in Somerset with a special reason to feel blessed.

Location: St Mary鈥檚 Church, Church Road, Shapwick, Somerset TA7 9NE

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