The end of WW1 in 1918 saw millions of ex soldiers returning to civilian life, many of them bearing physical and mental wounds after four cruel years of industrialised slaughter not just in Flanders but in war theatres around the world and at sea.

It would be inaccurate to say that they were ‘the lucky ones,’ but of six million men and women mobilised during the conflict, 886,000 were killed and approximately three times that figure were wounded. 

A range of charitable organisations sprang up during and after the war seeking to help the ex-service personnel, many shocked by their experiences, cope with ‘ordinary life.’

In Sturminster Newton The ‘Old Comrades Association’ was formed in 1919 by Colonel William Whatman and this became a founding branch of the British Legion on July 28, 1921 when the many institutions were amalgamated under a common name. 

The building was a wooden hut which Col Whatman arranged to be brought from Blandford Camp. It was placed where today’s Royal British Legion stands, on Bath Road just north of the town centre, on land donated by the Pitt-Rivers estate. 

The ‘hut’ as it was known, was a popular destination for local people; not just ex-servicemen and women, as it was used as a cinema when mobile movies came to town. Its popularity increased in the 1960s when a dance hall was added, although this was disused in 2016 due to the high cost of refurbishment needed.

When it was first opened, the ‘hut’ was looked after by Mr Robert (Bob) Hatcher MM. 

Bob was a local war hero, having been awarded the Military Medal during the First World War. Bob was appointed Steward in 1919 – a post he kept until he took over the Red Lion public house in the mid 1940s. 

This pocket of local history, our Royal British Legion, celebrated its centenary last month with an evening  paying tribute to the work of the RBL, and to the various local organisations who have supported the Legion over the 100 years of its existence in the town. 
The presentations were followed by a buffet supper and a magnificent birthday cake created by Portia at Stur of the Moment, a surprise donation by the Club Chairman, Andy Conduit.

It is not widely known that anyone can become a member of the RBL and help support generations of the armed forces community. Find Sturminster’s RBL on Facebook here.

1921 – a snapshot of England

Only men over 21 could vote (and women over 30 who met certain property-owning qualifications. It wasn’t until 1928 that women could vote equally with men.)

There were 1.1 million domestic servants in England, earning way below the national salary average due to no minimum wage levels and deductions for bed and board. 

The average life expectancy for women and men was 60 and 56 respectively.

The average house price £320

The average salary was £178 for men. For women it was £99.

The average average car price was £270 – two thirds the cost of a house

A litre of fuel, however, was only £0.03

A Pint of beer? That would be the same as the petrol – thruppence.

By: Andy Palmer

A police helicopter and armed officers chased a gang of poachers across east Dorset on the night of Friday July 29th. 

They were called to an area near Blandford after a local person reported people in a 4×4 car targeting hares and damaging property. 

Officers followed the vehicle before it was abandoned and the men fled on foot. Four people were arrested in connection with the incident and two dogs were seized along with a suspected air rifle. 

The four men arrested were: 

• A 27-year-old, from Basildon, Essex, on suspicion of entering land as a trespasser at night with poaching equipment, possessing a firearm and suitable ammunition in a public place, driving a motor vehicle dangerously and driving a vehicle on common land
• A 24-year-old, from Romford, London, on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle dangerously and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place
• A 21-year-old, from the Cambridge area, on suspicion of entering land as a trespasser at night with poaching equipment and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place
• A 19-year-old, from Essex, on suspicion of controlling/handling a dog in the course of/for the purpose of a hare coursing event, possession of a firearm and suitable ammunition in a public place and driving a motor vehicle dangerously.

All suspects have been released while inquiries continue. 

Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team is asking the public for increased vigilance as criminal gangs involved in coursing target farms in the Dorset countryside. 

While the activity is considered a hobby for those involved, large sums of money, often linked to organised crime, are used for betting on the dogs used.

The highest number of incidents of hare coursing in the county occur in north east Dorset. To flush out hares, offenders will walk across a field, perhaps spacing out trying to locate and bolt hares, then release dogs on the hare. They will often use their vehicles to drive across the field, releasing dogs from moving vehicles, damaging not only soil or crops, but also gates, hedgerows and fencing.

Farmers have reported being threatened by these individuals, who will leave livestock gates open on purpose. 

Read the full Dorset Police report on Coursing here

Hare coursing

The lesser known cousin of fox hunting and deer hunting, this traditional country ‘sport’ was immensely popular in earlier times with thousands of people turning up to see the larger events and place bets. Coursing is the now-illegal activity of using dogs acting on sight to chase animals such as the brown hare and deer. 

In the late 1880s the Waterloo Cup, run on Lord Sefton’s estate at Altcar was so popular that carrier pigeons conveyed the results to major cities across the country. It is reported that when news of the winner reached London the Stock Exchange shut down for the rest of the day while traders celebrated their wins from bets placed on their hunting hound of choice, many of which become national names. 

The Waterloo Cup was the idea of William Lynn, proprietor of the Waterloo Hotel in Liverpool, who also conceived the still-held Grand National horse race at Aintree. 

The activity was banned under the Hunting Act 2004. 

The dog will always win

Hares have evolved to sprint at high speeds over short periods to avoid predators such as foxes. They cannot match the stamina of hunting hounds who will continue the chase until the hare is exhausted. Even if the hare escapes it is widely understood that its welfare is seriously compromised due to the trauma. 

According to the Hare Preservation Trust the number of brown hares in the UK has dropped by 80% since the late 1880s. Modern farm practices are thought to be the main cause of the decline. Hare hunting and coursing also had an impact. 

The brown hare is listed as a conservation priority in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan. 

By: Laura Hitchcock

Champion of Champions!

A Blackmore Vale butchers shop has won one of the most prestigious awards in the meat industry for their sausages. T Buttling Butchers of Ludwell near Shaftesbury, work to a closely guarded family recipe and have been entering the Champion of Champions competition for around 20 years. This year their traditional pork and sage sausage won the judges over.

The Champion of Champions award is run by the Meat Trades Journal with butchers entering their finest sausages from all over the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is unique in presenting the best quality sausages. There are regional finals which T Buttling has won several times and they have also been finalists, so clearly something was more than just good. The 2020 competition was judged on 7 July in Crawley with T Buttling receiving the prestigious trophy for producing the best sausages in the UK and Ireland.

Paul Buttling explained how the finals worked. “We have to submit six raw sausages and six cooked ones. There are 50 points to be won both for raw and cooked products. The competition used to be at Butchers Hall in London, and then a top hotel, but this year because of COVID, everything was online so I delivered the sausages to the headquarters in Crawley and had to turn the car round.”

My mind is racing just thinking about how where you even start with judging a sausage. Paul outlined what the judges look for and it all comes down to the finest quality: “With raw sausages it’s all about the filling, the texture, and the size as well as the smell. Cooked sausages are judged on shrinkage, any defects such as air pockets, and of course the taste. It is quite technical, but the judges are looking for a succulent well-filled product.”

The Champion of Champions cup is proudly displayed on the shop counter above the award winning sausages. On the back wall, among the diagrams of prime cuts of meat are several other trophies. They also won the 2020 Craft Butcher Awards for their pork sausage. T Buttling have been quietly selling award wining meat for years, something Paul sees as a team effort and not an individual success. Fellow butchers Dave Smart and Allan Seldon along with colleague Mario were all in on the win. But what do the local customers think?

“They told us ‘we always knew you were winners. We always knew the quality was good’,” smiles Paul. T Buttling is a fourth generation butchery. The family has been in the meat trade  since 1898, firstly in London until the family moved to Wiltshire and  took over the Ludwell premises in 1978. All the meat is sourced locally but Paul also looks for quality in his suppliers.

So what difference has the Champion of Champions competition made to the industry nationally? Roger Kelsey, one of the judges from National Craft Butchers summed it up.” I’ve been judging competitions for 30 or 40 years. I have to say that over the years the standard of sausage making in this country is so much better than when I started.”

So what’s next for the Champion of Champions winners? “ We’ll look at  another competition for a different type of meat,” says Paul. As if the standard can’t get much better at T Buttling, I’d say we’re in for a treat in the Blackmore Vale with local businesses like this one having a constant eye on driving up quality for customers. And the judges were right- those sausages are outstanding and absolutely delicious.

By: Rachael Rowe