Lives of the First World War

Dedicated in 1921, the War Memorial, located on the village green, consists of a wall built by the estate bricklayers, incorporating decorative features, tablets bearing inscriptions including the names of the dead, and a central roof. It was designed by Mrs Wheatley, a cousin of Lady Brownlow and wife of Colonel Wheatley, the Ashridge Agent, to include 24 Italian moulded stone medallions from Ashridge House, set in the flanking walls. Nearer the centre are the two tablets bearing the main inscriptions. The left hand tablet reads: IN HONOUR/ OF THE/ MEN AND WOMEN/ FROM THE VILLAGES OF/ LITTLE GADDESDEN/ HUDNALL/ AND RINGSHALL/ AND SERVED IN THE WARS/ OF/ 1914 - 1919 AND 1939 -1945. THE NAMES OF THOSE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ ARE CUT/ ON THE STONES HERE. Below that, the names of the men who fell in the Second World War are named. The right hand tablet lists the 23 men who fell during the First World War below the heading 1914 – 1919. A life story has yet to be found for James Dunn – Machine Guns. The central part of the structure bears two shorter inscriptions: IN MEMORY/ OF/ THE GLORIOUS/ DEAD and THANKS BE TO GOD/ WHICH GIVETH US/ THE VICTORY/ recessed under a tiled, sloping roof. The timber work supporting the roof was made by local carpenter Harry Temple and just under the ridge, are bottles said to contain the names of villagers of importance before and during the War. https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/63601

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