Langley Vale Centenary Wood: The Regiment of Trees.

“The First World War had a devastating impact. Our First World War Centenary Woods were created to give thanks to those who gave so much. Over four years, we planted hundreds of thousands of trees to represent the millions of lives lost and affected by the conflict.

“Four flagship woods have been created in each of the UK’s countries, providing a living legacy to all those affected by the conflict. They stand now as places of peace and beauty to remember and reflect.”

— So begins the description of the First World War Centenary Woods on the website of the Woodland Trust.

The centenary wood in England is at Langley Vale, behind the Downs at Epsom, home to the famous Derby horse race. The others are at Brackfield Wood near Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland, at Dreghorn Woods in the Pentland Hills of Scotland and at Coed Ffos Las in Carmarthenshire in Wales.

As well as the thousands of trees, the wood currently includes a group of sculptures entitled The Regiment of Trees, a large oak structure entitled Witness, information boards, carvings and an orchard with picnic tables. The Woodland Trust website says that the artwork on-site commemorates those who sacrificed so much during the First World War as well as unveiling the local stories and history of the landscape. In due course, other installations will be added.

Langley Vale Wood website

Although the Langley Vale wood covers many acres, this article describes one element of the wood —The Regiment of Trees. The second article in the series will describe the Witness structure. Other installations, the visitor centre and car park are to be added. I have built this article around my correspondence with the sculptor, information from the internet (references noted as much as possible) and my own thoughts and photographs.

My early years were spent on and around the Downs, and, since I now live in the adjacent borough, they remain a favourite place for a walk. I had seen the trees planted in the fields, so when I was told in 2020 that sculptures had been erected beyond the houses at Langley Vale (in early November 2019 in time for Remembrance Sunday), I was keen to explore them.

Wanting to learn more, I contacted the sculptor Patrick Walls in Holmfirth in West Yorkshire to ask about his concept and the sculptures and he kindly sent me the following text, edited slightly from his email.

One of the things that I like most about the sculptures as a body of work is how it changes so much with the seasons, the time of day and the weather. It will also change as the trees grow and as the stone mellows with time and lichen and moss start to establish themselves on the sculptures.

I carved the inscription into the marker stone that gives a very brief explanation of the significance of the soldiers. When the car park and visitor centre are open, I understand there will be much more information available on site. But as yet there isn’t much to explain the significance of the sculptures.

You are aware of the inspection of troops by Lord Kitchener early in 1915. The figures in civilian dress represent the men that had most recently signed up and also an acknowledgement of the fact that there wasn’t enough equipment and uniform to go around.

The story goes that the men in the front row were fully equipped, the men in the rows behind had uniform but less kit, and the men at the back stood to attention in their civilian dress. I don’t know how much historical accuracy there is in the story, but I like it. I also like that the men in civilian dress represent everyday people from different walks of life.

The inspection of the troops took place on 22 January 1915. It was a severely cold day and men had travelled from far afield to take part — over 20,000 of them. There was a blizzard when the inspection took place by Lord Kitchener, together with the French minister of war, Alexandre Millerand. Apparently, the inspection was over very quickly as the conditions were so appalling. Some men suffered badly, sadly one later died.

The sculptures are arranged in four rows of three; the ones at the front have rifles, the second row have webbing but no rifles or bayonets, the third row are in uniform but no equipment, and the fourth row in civilian dress.

The men stand in the rows of trees, which also represent soldiers standing in line.

I researched the details of the equipment to make sure the references are correct. A local historian gave me considerable help with this. He advised which equipment would have been used at the early stage of the war (for instance, a previous set of designs included helmets and gas masks, neither of which were issued in 1915, so it was important to be accurate). The rifles are Short Magazine Lee Enfield.

I also visited the Royal Armouries museum and the Imperial War museum, both of which were very helpful.

The ranks of the soldiers are either sergeant, corporal, lance corporal or private. I didn’t include officers as I understand they would not have carried rifles on parade, and I assumed they would not have been in the rear lines during the inspection.

The cap badges refer to the two regiments that the majority of the men at the inspection served with; the 2nd London Division of Kitchener’s New Army and the Royal Fusiliers. I understand that there were others present but these were the majority. I brought examples of each to copy in the carving, which was rather fiddly.

On this point there are conflicting stories on the internet. Some articles state that all the 20,000 troops were from the 2nd London Division of Kitchener’s New Army, but there were others present. The information I received from the local historian was quite thorough.

Regarding the carving of the sculptures, I wanted the faces to be all very much the same and to have very few features. This was partly to give the soldiers a haunting presence but also to make them completely anonymous to represent everyone. I wanted the viewer to impart their own interpretation and to be able to relate to them as their own family members who had served.

The carving gets more detailed as we move up the sculptures from the base to the heads. The legs aren’t defined, just roughed out with a punch chisel, and I left the drill holes where I split off sections of stone at the sides. The punch marks gradually fade out into scutch chisel work. The details are carved with a small flat chisel and rubbed smooth with carborundum.

The stone is from Hill House Edge Quarry, Holmfirth. It is a particularly durable sandstone used as masonry stone, so is ideal for carving.

My first visits were in December 2020 and The Photographer’s Ephemeris showed me that around the winter solstice the sun would set just to the west of a large gap in the trees facing the sculptures. I timed my arrivals to be in position to capture the setting sun. One afternoon was clear and sunny and families came to see the carvings and explain something of their meaning to the next generation. On another, a shower of rain swept across the open field, the rain heavy enough to remain as the sun set.

The Regiment of Trees can now be visited and appreciated. Wreaths and crosses are being placed beneath the sculptures which are becoming a place for remembrance. Only when the adjacent trees have matured will The Regiment of Trees appear as Patrick Walls and the Woodland Trust originally intended. I look forward to appreciating it fully in the decades to come. For now it’s a matter of waiting.

As the sun set on a winter afternoon, I was reminded of the words of Laurence Binyon in his poem For the Fallen that we repeat each November at the service of Remembrance: “At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them”.

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