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At the beginning of the 20th Century, St Mary's Church was at the centre of life for the Rea family of Kempsey. They were married, christened and buried there.

Francis Rea was a keen bell ringer. Together with his wife Mary, he had four sons and three daughters. The five men sang in the church choir and the eldest son William also sang in the voluntary choir at Worcester Cathedral.

When war broke out all four sons signed up; 31-year-old William joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, 29-year-old George joined the Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment, 24 year-old Albert joined the Hampshire Regiment and the youngest, 18-year-old Ernest joined the Worcestershire Regiment.

In April 1917 Ernest was shot in the head in action on an attack on Gillimont Farm in Flanders – he was 20 years old. His body was never recovered.

Five months later, on 1 September; 33-year-old George died of wounds he had received in battle fighting near Ypres - 13 days later his older brother William died of the wounds he had received fighting just a few miles away from his brother. In just six months the Rea family had lost three much-loved sons.

Their sister, 22-year-old Beatrice Rea was determined to do whatever possible to save the family from more heartache. She wrote to the British Army asking for their help. Would they please arrange for her brother Albert to come home?

Albert returned to Britain and spent the rest of the war serving on the naval signal stations in the Solent. He went on to have a son with his wife Sarah and died, aged 78 in 1967 in Malvern.

Recently the roof of the bell tower at St Mary’s Church was repaired and names were found scratched into the lead – they were those of William, George, Ernest and Albert Rea and their father Francis. They arre still there today, preserved on the new roof.

One hundred years on since the start of the way, the Rea family is still active in St Mary’s Church; marking the births, marriages and deaths of the people of Kempsey.

Location: St Mary and the Virgin Church, Kempsey, Worcestershire WR5 3JH
Image: William Rea with his family. Photograph courtesy of Michael Rea
Narrated by Nicola Goodwin

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