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You are here: Home / Community / In Loving Memory of Wilfred Herbert Hillier

In Loving Memory of Wilfred Herbert Hillier

February 25, 2015 By Janet Williams 2 Comments

On the 7th of October 1916, 30-year-old Wilfred Herbert Hillier from Chandler’s Ford was killed in action in France. There was no known grave.

You’ll find Wilfred Herbert Hillier’s name on Chandler’s Ford War Memorial.

This post tells you the story of a lost and found plaque for Wilfred Herbert Hillier, and a special dedication service which will take place this coming Saturday at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church.

Wilfred Herbert Hillier was the great uncle of local historian Barbara Hillier.
Wilfred Herbert Hillier was the great uncle of local historian Barbara Hillier.

Margaret Doores, in her post on Chandler’s Ford War Memorial, mentioned the sacrifices of the men and woman from Chandler’s Ford during the First World War:

“In Chandler’s Ford, at the outbreak of WW1 in August 1914, the population was probably a little over 1,000. By the end of the war some 51 men and 1 woman, whose names appear either on the war memorial, or on the memorial plaque inside the church, had made the ultimate sacrifice.

By Margaret Doores in her post: Chandler’s Ford War Memorial. Can You Help?

A special dedication service for Wilfred Herbert Hillier

This coming Saturday – at 11.15am on 28th February 2015, there will be a special dedication service in the Dovetail Centre of Methodist Church to remember Wilfred Herbert Hillier.

Wilfred Herbert Hillier was the great uncle of Chandler’s Ford historian Barbara Hillier, whose book on the history of Chandler’s Ford should be on the bookshelf of every Chandler’s Ford household.

You can now buy the book, The Chandler’s Ford Story: From Earliest Times to the 21st Century, by Barbara Hillier and Gerald Ponting, from WH Smith at the Fryern Arcade.

Chandler's Ford book by Barbara Hillier and Gerald Ponting - sold at WH Smith in Chandler's Ford.
Chandler’s Ford book by Barbara Hillier and Gerald Ponting – at WH Smith in Fryern Arcade, Chandler’s Ford.

Barbara Hillier: how the plaque disappeared and then discovered

I met Barbara Hillier in the Dovetail Centre at Chandlers Ford Methodist Church yesterday morning.

Barbara showed me a plaque about her great uncle. The plaque has only been fixed on the wall in the Dovetail Centre just a week ago. However it is not a new plaque.

Barbara told me that the original plaque was placed in the Methodist Church’s chapel, but had been lost in the church for decades during the church’s renovations since 1950s. To Barbara’s delight, recently the plaque was discovered, and it has now been carefully restored, and a wooden frame was added to it by a member of the church, Brian Hopwood.

The plaque carries the text:

In loving memory of Wilfred Herbert Hillier
A devoted servant of God and this church
Who fell in action in France
October 7th 1916
Aged 30 years
Erected by the Congregation and Sunday School

A restored plaque at the Dovetail Centre in Chandler's Ford Methodist Church: remembering Wilfred Herbert Hillier.
A restored plaque at the Dovetail Centre in Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church: remembering Wilfred Herbert Hillier.

Barbara told me that she talked about her great uncle at the Remembrance Sunday service last year at the church. Since the discovery of the plaque, the church minister Reverend Peter Cornick suggested a dedication service and blessing, which Barbara happily accepted.

You’re invited: dedication service

A restored plaque at the Dovetail Centre in Chandler's Ford Methodist Church: remembering Wilfred Herbert Hillier.Barbara said the dedication service on the 28th of February at 11.15am will be very short, for about 10 to 15 minutes.

You are very welcome to witness this special event, not just about this precious ‘lost and found’ plaque.

It’s about the link of the family history of the Hilliers, the church, Chandler’s Ford, and the war that shook the world 100 years ago.

You'll find the name of Wilfred Herbert Hillier on Chandler's Ford War Memorial, St. Boniface Church, Hursley Road.
You’ll find the name of Wilfred Herbert Hillier on Chandler’s Ford War Memorial, St. Boniface Church, Hursley Road.

You can read more stories on Chandler’s Ford War Memorial and related posts in Chandler’s Ford Today:

Post Series: Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research, by Margaret Doores:

  • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial. Can You Help?
  • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research: Part 2
  • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research: Part 3
  • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research: Part 4
  • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research: Part 5


Related Posts:

  • My Poignant Visit To Auschwitz 30 Years Ago
  • Beyond The Sunset
  • Remembrance Sunday In Chandler’s Ford 9 November 2014
  • Re-dedication Of Chandler’s Ford War Memorial
  • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Rededication
  • Story Of Chandler’s Ford War Memorial
  • Renovating Chandler’s Ford War Memorial
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Related posts:

Reverend Peter Cornick, Barbara Hillier, and her daughter Jo Nash: re-dedication of memorial plaque of Wilfred Herbert Hillier at Chandler's Ford Methodist Church, 28 Feb 2015.Barbara Hillier: Story of My Great Uncle Wilfred Herbert Hillier and His Memorial Plaque Margaret Doores on Chandler's Ford War MemorialChandler’s Ford War Memorial. Can You Help? Re-dedication of Chandler’s Ford War Memorial William Henry Kelsey featureChandler’s Ford War Memorial Research: Part 2 Jon TannRenovating Chandler’s Ford War Memorial
Tags: Barbara Hillier, Chandler's Ford, community, culture, Dovetail Centre, education, event, history, Hursley Road, local interest, memory, Methodist Church, St. Boniface Church, war memorial, World War One

About Janet Williams

I created Chandler's Ford Today. I use this website to share our passions and inspiring stories, to build a connected community. We inform, educate and enlighten. We share resources.

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  1. Barbara Hillier: Story Of My Great Uncle Wilfred Herbert Hillier says:
    March 3, 2015 at 1:24 pm

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  2. Remembrance Sunday in Chandler’s Ford 2017 - Chandler's Ford Today says:
    November 12, 2017 at 8:34 pm

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