Friends of Dunchurch Society
Dunchurch At War

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day
we are starting a new section for our FODS website History Archive

Soldier

Men and women of Dunchurch & Thurlaston have always answered the call when the nation needed them.

 

1939 Census Register - Dunchurch

Residents from the 1939 Register
Including Children and Adults evacuated
to Dunchurch in 1939.

1939 Census

Stone War Memorial


The population of Dunchurch & Thurlaston in the 1914 census was just 935 which probably meant no more than 180 adult men. Our village stone war memorial (1919) records that more than 45 men killed are remembered from the 1914-18 WWI conflict.
More information

Stone War Memorial

Stone Cross

Thatched War Memorial WWII

Our wonderful thatched bus shelter is a registered war memorial (see the brass plaque set in the pavement adjacent to it), built in 1949 in memory of the Dunchurch civilians who died in the German Nazi bombing raids in 1940.
More information Thatched War Memorial

Bus Shelter Memorial Plaque

Bus Shelter Memorial

Halifax Bomber Plane

Canadian WW11 War Memorial
–The Heath

Quite recently local historians discovered a wartime story of a Halifax bomber (Royal Canadian Airforce) crashing in the Parish of Dunchurch whilst on a bombing mission to Germany in October 1944, killing 5 crew – 4 Canadians and 1 British airman – all part of the Royal Canadian Airforce ‘Blue Nose’ Squadron.

 

 

 

More information....      Halifax Bomber

Bomber Memorial

The memorial stone was funded by
and is managed by the community.

 

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

British Commonwealth War Graves

It may be little known that St Peters Churchyard is an official British Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. There are 5 Commonwealth war graves in the churchyard.
More information.... Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Saxon Soldier

Richard The Lionheart

A Long History of Service

Who knows? It is possible that men of Dunchurch accompanied Richard the Lionheart (who’s brother, King John built the market cross at our village crossroads) on his crusades in the 13th century

Market Cross or Butter Cross

 

Local Family History

We have some records of Dunchurch men and women who served during the WWI & WWII and other conflicts and we are asking for more military and other war records to be copied, reproduced and safely stored on our Dunchurch online Archive. If you have any records/photos related to wartime Dunchurch, our archive team would be pleased to hear from you friendsofdunchurch@gmail.com
To have any photos/documents copied please contact Barbara at Village Green House, The Green Tel: 07837 182114, we can easily copy these while you wait. You may keep the originals

Frederick William Miles

Frederick William Miles

 

Friends of Dunchurch, a charity formed on 6th September 2018 by like-minded residents who love Dunchurch and its heritage and wish to protect and enhance its environment in order to make the village a better place to live in, work in and visit.

CONTACT US
Email: friendsofdunchurch@gmail.com
Village Green House, The Green, Dunchurch CV22 6NX
CIO Charity Registration no.1203193