Musical Tribute to Unsung Great War Heroes at the Kent & East Sussex Railway
Bodiam Station, which stands in the shadow of the magnificent Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, will be one of the poignant venues for a series of free concerts marking the on-going centenary of the First World War to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
Acclaimed folk trio Harp and Monkey has teamed up with Arts Council England and the Western Front Association to deliver a project which will see the band performing a number of free concerts at unusual sites across Britain with Great War links including a show at 3.15pm on Sunday, September 4, at Bodiam Station.
This performance is aimed at documenting the role that the rail network played in the war effort. It will take place in front of the railway wagon that bought home the body of Edith Cavell, the English nurse shot for spying in the war, and that later carried the body of the Unknown Warrior home to be buried in Westminster Abbey.
The show will include field recordings and interviews with veterans, new songs and re-workings of traditional and contemporaneous songs and will be filmed for a documentary. The shows are tied to the band’s critically acclaimed third album, ‘War Stories’, which was released in July 2016 and described by the likes of The Observer as “bold and brilliant”. It has also resulted in the band appearing live in session and discussion on such high-profile BBC Radio 2 shows as Good Morning Sunday with Clare Balding and The Mark Radcliffe Folk Show.
Harp and a Monkey front-man Martin Purdy, who is a First World War historian, author and broadcaster, said: “It is very exciting for us to perform at Bodiam as the Kent & East Sussex railway is steeped in history and played its part in the war effort. The fact that we are being given the chance to have such a poignant and emotive backdrop as the Cavell Van is wonderful.
“We will be making a short documentary around the performance and intend to make sure that the role of the railways, including their attachment to some of the most interesting stories of the war, including those of Edith Cavell and the Unknown Warrior, are not forgotten.”
The railways were crucial for the movement of troops and equipment not only around Britain but also on foreign shores.
By the time Britain was just one month in to the war, trains travelling to just one of the key overseas departure points, at Southampton, had already transported 118,454 servicemen, 37,649 horses, 314 guns, 5,221 vehicles, 1,807 bicycles and 4,557 tons of baggage.
Light railway systems often ran all the way up to the edge of front-line positions. Specialist ambulance trains often played a ‘round-the-clock’ role in the care of wounded men, while railway stations were the hub of partings and reunions and a community focal point.
More than 20,000 railway workers would end up being killed after enlisting for military service, including Harry Osborne, who was an employee at the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Harry was born in Robertsbridge and a plaque in his memory at nearby Salehurst Church reads:
IN MEMORY OF PRIVATE HENRY OSBORNE .NO. 113, 7TH ROYAL SUSSEX REGT. OF THIS PARISH, WHO FELL AT THEBATTLE OF LOOS, IN FLANDERS SEPT. 25TH 1915 AGED 39 YEARS
THIS MEMORIAL TABLET WAS ERECTED AS A MARK OF RESPECT BY THE DIRECTORS & STAFF OF THE KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY, UPON WHICH UNDERTAKING HE WAS EMPLOYED IN THE ENGINEERS DEPARTMENT.
Visitors planning to attend the concert can choose to arrive by train from Tenterden Station. The 1420 train departing from Tenterden will arrive in Bodiam Station at 1510. After the concert trains will depart from Bodiam Station at 1635. Travelcards are £17 for adults, £11.50 for children or a family can travel for £38 (tickets bought in advance will also receive a 10% discount on these prices). A valid travelcard will also allow reduced admission into Bodiam Castle.
For further information about the Kent & East Sussex Railway and the Cavell Van please visit www.kesr.org.uk
For further information or to request high resolution images please contact Caroline Edmunds at Pennington PR on 01892 616647.
