KINOULTON and its association with THIEPVAL, France

Kinoulton is another easily reached pleasant Village (in Nottinghamshire) which has a feature reminiscent of the Battle of the Somme

	Located about 1km north-east of the village of Kinoulton (NGR SK668313) is the now derelict Vimy Ridge Farm. Access to its approach avenue can be obtained from the recently well surfaced Nottingham-Grantham Canal towpath. A signboard at the junction of the towpath where it crosses a metalled bridleway tells us that " .The original avenue of 184 Lombardy poplar trees were planted by Sir William Jesse Hind and dedicated to the memory of his son Lt. Francis Montagu Hind who was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme on 27th September 1916. The trees also commemorate the 187 other officers and men of the 9th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters Regiment who died between 7th July (when the battalion entered the battle) and 30th November 1916 (the official end of the battle).
	The line of trees so reminiscent of those to be seen in northern France lead up to a group of buildings Vimy Ridge Farm, previously known as Pasture Hill Farm, which was renamed by Sir Jesse after he purchased the property in 1919. The farm was used to train ex-servicemen in agriculture after their return from the war and later to train orphan boys to help them find employment.
Lt. Francis Montagu (Monty) Hind was born in Nottingham on 16th January 1893. He was wounded at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli in 1915 and was aged 23 on his death. His name can be found on the memorial at Thiepval in France which commemorates the 73,077 officers and men who lost their lives during the Battle of the Somme and who have no known graves " The long, hot dusty roads trudged by Napoleon's troops gave birth to his idea to shelter the men in this fashion - here we see the replica at this local unwritten but living memorial by Lt. Hinds' father to his beloved son.
Like veteran soldiers, the trees themselves are not immune to the ravages of age and weather and too become "the fallen" - Kinoulton Parish Council commissioned the replanting of the poplar trees to recreate the original avenue and to mark the village Millennium celebrations and much work was in progress when these photographs were taken on 20th November 2000.
URGENT NOTICE 2003
Sad to relate but in July 2003 it was announced that these memorial trees are to be felled because they had become a safety hazard. The trees (some of which are 90ft tall), planted in 1919 are 10 years over their normal life-span and high winds have caused some of them to fall. Essential felling began early in 2003 but was then postponed on account of the nesting season. If the felling programme continues to completion, saplings will be planted during the Autumn of 2003 and therefore anyone wishing to see or photographically record the presence of the tall memorials are urged to do so without delay.
GOOD NEWS!
We are delighted to report that by the Spring of 2009 much work had been completed and the following illustrate the present situation: LINK TO CLOSE-UP OF NEW SIGNBOARD