Last week, the country commemorated the end of the Battle of the Somme, one of the deadliest battles in the First World War. The British Army sustained 57,000 casualties on the first day alone, with over 19,000 dead. By the end of the battle in November 1916, 20 weeks after the initial bombardment, the Allies had succeeded in advancing a distance not dissimilar of that from Litton to Buxton (7 miles). This had been at the cost of 614,105 Allied casualties, and an estimated cost of 650,000 German casualties. The human cost of the Battle of the Somme is difficult to imagine.
After the First World War, then known as the Great War, war memorials were erected by public subscription in cities, towns and villages throughout the land. Ten men from the small Derbyshire village of Litton sacrificed their lives in the conflict and did not return home, but until now there has been no permanent memorial recording their names. This was rectified last week.
A memorial, recording the names of those men, was finally erected and dedicated in Litton at 11 am on Friday, 11 November 2016. The open-air dedication service, led by Rev Simon White, was attended by over 70 local residents and by the teachers and 50 pupils from Litton Church of England primary school.
A wreath from Litton Parish Council was laid by two of the pupils and a bouquet of flowers, arranged by Mrs Ann Evans, was also laid by pupils on the memorial plaque in remembrance of Miss Penfold. The Memorial has been erected at the entrance to Litton Memorial playing field, which had been donated by Miss Penfold in 1938 as a gift to the village as a living “Memorial to those inhabitants of Litton who fell in the Great War 1914 to 1918”.
The erection of a permanent Memorial has been one of the key objectives of the Litton First World War project group, formed by village resident and former parish councillor, Michael Renger, in 2014. The project has been supported by every community group in Litton, including the Friends of Litton Village, Millers Dale W I, and Litton Parish Council, as well as Litton C of E primary school, Litton Methodist Chapel and Christ Church, Litton. The project has been funded by the heritage lottery fund, whose financial contribution is acknowledged on the entrance to Litton Memorial playing field.