Hayfield pays tribute to fallen WW1 heroes

A poignant and moving tribute to the men who lost their lives in the First World War has gone up in a classic phone box in Hayfield.

By The Newsroom
Tuesday, 15th May 2018, 4:49 pm
Updated Tuesday, 15th May 2018, 4:51 pm
The phone box of rememberance in Hayfield
The phone box of rememberance in Hayfield

To commemorate 100 years since the end of the Great War, Mike Greensmith, custodian of the heritage phone box on Kinder Road, has created a special way to bring back the soldiers into the community.

The Call Of Duty phone box not only features a statue of a Silent Soldier issued by the Royal British Legion but also the 69 names of the brave young men who never made it home on its window panels.

The phone box is part of the Silent Soldiers campaign with the Royal British Legion

Mike said: “What is very upsetting is a lot of the names have the initials MPK after them which means Missing Presumed Killed.

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“How lucky are we as a generation to have avoided such carnage? The phone box looks the most stunning at night when it is lit up.”

The phone box was put up last week and Mike said it has already become a tourist attraction.

He said: “I am most humbled by the comments from locals and tourists.”

The names of the soliders who died from Hayfield during the First World War have been brought back into the community at the phone box on Kinder Road

And because the phone box has been created to remember the past and to make sure it is not forgotten by the next generation, a special ceremony was held with the Hayfield May Queen to pass on the baton of remembrance.

Hayfield Royal British Legion member Jane Carrington, the country's longest serving standard bearer Neil Deville from Hayfield RBL and Hayfield May Queen Amy