Suffolk and Essex Free Press Wednesday 19/1/1921 reported:
'OTTEN BELCHAMP. War Memorial Unveiled. The unveiling took place on Sunday afternoon of the memorial cross which has been erected in the churchyard in memory of the men of Otten Belchamp who fell in the war. The memorial is rough Cornish granite, with a rustic cross, on which is inscribed; "In grateful memory of those of this parish who fell in the Great War, 1914-1918. They gave their lives for their country: Walter Burrell. Thomas S. Chaplin, Cecil G. Gooday, Percy Mason, Archibald S. Pearson, Harry Reeve.” The cross was the work of Mr. S. B. Pegrum, sculptor. Sudbury. The little church was crowded with villagers and sympathisers from the surrounding parishes, and seats were reserved for mourners and for ex-Service men, who attended in good numbers. The service was conducted the Vicar [the Rev. H. P. Parmenter]. The Clare Brass Band, conducted by Mr. A. M. Lawson, of Otten Belchamp. was in attendance, and as an opening voluntary played Handel's "Largo". They also accompanied the singing of the hymns very effectively. A brief address was delivered by the Rev. H.S. Carpenter, Rural Dean and Rector of Foxearth, who pointed out that the cross was the symbol of love and sacrifice. Christ gave His life for sinners, and those who had fallen gave their lives to save humanity, and the cross uplifted in the churchyard signified their love to God and their thankfulness to Jesus Christ. At the conclusion of the service an adjournment was made to the churchyard, where the cross stood. covered with the Union Jack, the band playing "Onward Christian Soldiers." The memorial was unveiled by Colonel Bond, D.S.O., of Clare, and it was dedicated by the Rural Dean. Colonel Bond said he was proud to be standing there as a representative of the Services, and was at once sensible of his duties to his comrades-in-arms, to those who had fallen in the war, and to those who surrounded him. The memory of those young men from that parish who fell was already enshrined in the hearts of those who loved them: they needed no cross to remind them of their loss. To these the cross would be a quiet place where hopes that would one day be realised and pride which was justified would inspire their thoughts and their prayers. To later generations the cross would stand as a witness to the fact that Otten Belchamp, too, took her part in the war, and made her sacrifice: "Then shall two be in the field; one shall be taken and the other left", and so it had been in the war. Many of those who came back had shattered nerves and shattered limbs, and he hoped that when they had recovered their strength an opportunity would be given them to take their share, according to their ability, in the daily work of the world. Then there were the remainder, who were such a source of pride at a time when the armies of England were almost at the limit of their endurance and resources. Some of them might have proved unworthy; some might have been hardened by what they saw out there; some few might have lost the will to work; but there could be few when they passed that village cross and saw the roll of honour, in whom some chord would not touched which might lead them to a healthier view of life. These memorials were raised as symbols of the consecration of the lives that were lost on the path of duty. In time, one hoped they would be looked upon also as a symbol of the thankfulness of the people for the return to normal life. He had noticed that when ex-Service men were asked what form their memorial should take, almost invariably it was the symbol of the Cross. There must be some reason for this choice of the Cross, for the majority of young men were not usually what we called "religious,” but deep down in the hearts of these men there was a feeling that, beside the discipline of the Service in which they served, beside their love for their homes and their will to protect them, there was some force which impelled them on to victory. He once asked a Staff Officer friend of his who went right through the war what, in his estimation, was the quality which carried our men through in that wonderful way to the end. His answer was to this effect: "Some might say it was patriotism, but I think that was far short of the truth. I look upon patriotism, comparatively speaking, as a second-rate virtue. I believe that it was the unconquerable sense of right".
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