" Lightens the heart, Brightens the soul"


The Village War Memorial has had a facelift over recent months.
It has been a project led by farmer Alun Hughes.
Alun " Med" had noticed that the memorial had looked rather unloved of late and has made it his mission to do something about it.
Through some serious research he found out that through accident or design five local men names had been left off the War Memorial. He liaised with the powers that be and had the mens' names reinstated as well as organising for a general face lift of the area with members of Community council .
I found him reviewing his work this morning.
I've always thought of Alun as a gentle, thoughtful man and that assessment proved to be right after I congratulated him on his work.
" It lightens the heart and brightens the soul" he said quietly .


47 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:31 am

    Well done that man and nice words. The remark that through accident or design, names were left off is interesting. It is hard to imagine by what design that names were omitted. Could the omitted have commited a village sin? Whatever one of those might be.

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    1. I thought that too... whatever the reason balance has been restored

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  2. Farmers have a heart of gold, and know how to make things happen. The world needs more like him.

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  3. Good work Alun! It's one thing noticing that a job needs doing but it's another thing entirely to actually do something about it!

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  4. Lynn Marie10:42 am

    That's going on my quote list. Thanks to Alun and you for sharing. A good thought for the autumnal equinox.

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  5. Sadly I think it's not uncommon for names to have been left off, it is good that they have been added in time for the centenary. Another heartwarming story, thank you John.

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  6. It looks wonderful now, something to be proud of ... well done Alun. What a lovely post, that and a good deed just done, have brightened my day.

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  7. Did anyone discover why the names had been omitted?

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  8. a man that seized the chance to do some good.

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  9. Well done Mister Alun person . . .
    I really like this . . .

    “It lightens the heart and brightens the soul.”

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  10. I really admire people who quietly do things for their community.....not looking for attention or praise. Great work Alun!!

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  11. What a lovely thing to do.
    I believe some names were deliberately left off war memorials if the soldier deserted or was court-marshalled. I think there was a campaign in a village nearby to have such a soldier's name added to the memorial. I think they won.

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    1. Yes, there was a storyline about that on Downton Abbey, lol. Mrs. Patmore's nephew, I think?

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    2. I wondered that too, which is a sad state of affairs if true. I'm just glad Alun has reinstated all of the names now

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  12. A nice thing to read about. People go about their lives just being good and doing good, and we don't always give notice of that like we do to the negative. Lovely to highlight this.

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  13. Well done to Alun. It's nice to see.

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  14. I see one name is just "Stanley". Interesting - I can't imagine that the full name was not known...

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    1. I need to find this out but i suspect tgats all the info alun found out. " better half a name than none" he tpld me

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  15. Barbara Anne1:52 pm

    What a heartwarming and true story. Well done, Alun, and ta for sharing it with us, John.

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  16. Thanks for sharing this story. I love the end quote, "It lightens the heart, Brightens the soul." Words to live by.

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  17. It's wonderful that there are people like Alun out there, willing to undertake projects that are so meaningful. We need more like him.

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    1. Indeed, but in my experience there are many such unsung heroes

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  18. which war is the memorial for?

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    1. Both world wars mike, but there is only one war casualty from the Second World War

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    2. As we've disclosed over email you know I taught history at Berkeley for a semester before logic took over and med school
      The books I've read all say that some towns and villages lost all the men from age 17 to 40 in the 'Great War', and there were few to give in the next of what was supposed to be the 'war to end all wars', the first. If only it were true. I admire the British culture, for at that time, side by side in the trenches in 1916, were Lords among privates, famous poets, a genuine democracy, class ruled, but the upper echelon of Britain was there, not blocked behind their own close doors.

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    3. I remember very well my friend. .there are eleven names of the lost from our tiny village and that was just the dead not the injured

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  19. How is he for organising a facelift and structural underpinning of my old carcass?

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    1. Too big a job for the community it's council I'm afraid mave

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  20. Wonderful Sunday post. The Village War Memorial is very beautiful. Nicely done Alum.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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  21. What a kind man and a beautiful cross.

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  22. It is always good to read of really good, kind people doing jobs like this quietly and without fuss isn't it John.

    Is your ordeal this Wednesday? If so I shall be thinking of you as you zip across the landscape.

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  24. It's great that someone cares enough about the memorial to give it a facelift - and add the missing names. Good for Alun.

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  25. What an awesome thing he did. Love the quote, as so many others have said, words to remember, indeed to live by. The world definitely needs more heart lightening and soul brightening...

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  26. Well done, he should now be called Alun the Cross.

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  27. What a lovely phrase. It sounds like there is a story there...

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  28. Well done to Alun. It saddens me that their names were left off in the first place. We have one man missing from our cenotaph from the First World War. Please send me an email with his address as I want to send him a special poppy. Thank you.

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    1. I can't find your email so can u email me , jgsheffield@hotmail.com
      He would be very touched by your thought

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  29. What a wonderful man. The world needs more like him.

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  30. What a thoughtful man Alun is and by all accounts there are a lot of thoughtful people in your village who work together to make things happen.

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  31. As YP said, not just noticing that it needs doing but actually DOING it. Well done, Alun. Thank you for caring.

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  32. It’s remarkable when an individual sees a need and acts on it! This is for the greater good of the community. A selfless act indeed. Gabs

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