Cedar
It is probably Cedrus libani, usually known as the Cedar of Lebanon, a tree often planted in Victorian and Edwardian times in churchyards. It symbolises strength and spirituality.
The foundation stone for the Crowthorne church of St John the Baptist was laid in 1872, and the church was consecrated in 1873.
The churchyard houses Commonwealth War Graves from both World Wars. Three brothers from the Boyde family are commemorated there, although all were buried abroad. Private Arthur Boyde, Royal Sussex Regiment, was twenty when he died in 1916 at the Somme. His brother, Corporal George Boyde, of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, died in 1917. Private Walter Boyde, from the same regiment, died in 1919, after the cessation of war, possibly from war injuries. One can only imagine what grief must have been visited upon the Boyde family.
In addition, a cross in the churchyard honours those who died and were buried without memorials.
The churchyard is a peaceful, well-kept ground, with headstones for tiny children, and others for those who lived a long and fruitful life. Fresh posies appear on graves from time to time, and not always for the most recently deceased.
The poor Boyde family. It is nice that we're today writing and thinking about them and their sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteThe tree does evoke feeling of safety and permanence.
It is important to remember.
DeleteThe shock and grieve many families experienced during the two wars is very hard to understand.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at footage from the battlefields it is hard to believe that anyone could survive, and yet they did.
DeleteMy father served at the Somme, invalided out with crippling leg wounds. He limped for the rest of his life, never spoke of the war, like a lot of other people who've seen combat. There were families who lost all their sons. My mother knew one family like that. Terrible to take all of them into the leaving women at home often with no one left to support the family.
ReplyDeleteThose cedar trees feature in Victorian novels, where families gathered for afternoon tea on Sunday!
It is commonplace for veterans not to talk about their experiences. So many young men enlisted in the First World War, buoyed up with patriotism, not knowing what horrors lay ahead.
DeleteI quite fancy a cedar tree in my garden, with a bench built around it. It will never happen!
Into the military left out a word.
ReplyDelete😊
DeleteIt's a magnificent tree. As sad as they can be, cemeteries are nice places to visit.
ReplyDeleteI like cemeteries.
DeleteHow sad about the Boyde family. I can’t imagine how the mother felt losing all three of her sons.
ReplyDeleteThen she needs cedar is a magnificent tree and perfect for a cemetery. I have three California Incense Cedars in my front yard ( they resemble a redwood) and one small one in my back yard. I’m a tree lover so I always notice the trees. 🌲
The cedars are so stately. I have a cedar wood chest that belonged to my parents. It smells wonderful.
DeleteI am not morbid, but I find cemeteries very peaceful.
ReplyDeleteSo do I.
DeleteSo sad to lose so many from one family. I dread another world war, there are five within my family of an age to be called to fight, though none are in the military. We had a huge cedar here within the grounds that got uprooted by a huge wind storm quite recently. Last year I think, it crushed one parked car.
ReplyDeleteI often think about the young ones in my family and how they would react if war were to be declared. It would be a very different war, though.
DeletePerhaps it's odd, but I find most cemeteries/graveyards peaceful and inspiring. They're storied places, and stories (even the saddest ones) bring me solace.
ReplyDeleteIt's not odd, at all. I think many of us feel the same. There's no discord there, just peace and stillness.
DeleteThe cedar is magnificent.
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful.
DeleteThat Cedar is wonderful Janice - if it symbolises strength & spirituality then it is perfect for a church yard.
ReplyDeleteIt is the perfect setting.
DeleteA well kept churchyard is such a lovely place to wander, sit and wonder. The cedar is an awesome tree
ReplyDeleteOften, the people who look after churchyards are volunteers. I think they must be very giving souls.
DeleteIt's a fine looking tree, our church yard at Portchester castle, St Mary's has some ancient yews.
ReplyDeleteYews are wonderful trees, so dark and mysterious.
DeleteOver the tops of graves, the giant cedars look and feel protective.
ReplyDeleteIt looks a protective tree.
DeleteSad for the Boyd family to have lost so much. That is a beautiful Cyprus tree
ReplyDeleteSo many families lose so much in wartime.
DeleteThere was a similar family in our town whose three sons all died in the war. That is so sad.
ReplyDeleteVery sad, indeed.
DeleteWhat a huge cedar! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI do love a graveyard. Such stories they can tell. And what a wonderful tree.
ReplyDeleteThe graves pose more questions than they answer, I find, but that's part of the attraction.
Deletethe grief of the Boyde family reminds me of the story of the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa, USA. During WWII, all 5 of them served aboard the USS Juneau at the same time. All 5 were killed when the ship was torpedoed.
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible. I hope such bad appointments would not happen again.
DeleteI love wandering though old cemeteries and reading the tombstones.
ReplyDeleteSome lives are so brief, while others are long and well-lived.
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about it but cedars often grow in the cemeteries of the southern U.S. where I grew up. Perhaps they were planted in remembrance of the churchyards of England from which many southerners had come.
ReplyDeletePerhaps so - an interesting thought to ponder.
DeleteThat cedar is quite impressive!
ReplyDeleteThat poor family, though. Commonwealth War Graves always give one food for thought. And mankind will never learn, it seems. xxx
I find war graves and memorials very sobering - such a waste of life.
Deletesuch beauty in the cedar tree. I enjoy visiting our local cemetery..not only because my family is buried there but it's a place where I find God.
ReplyDeleteCemeteries are peaceful and serene.
DeleteWe had an amazing cedar, about that size, in Hampstead Cemetery until a couple of years ago. It was cut down some time during the pandemic, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was becoming old and unstable. I still miss that tree.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad. Such trees make an enormous impact.
DeleteA magnificent cedar tree! How very sad for the Boyde family.
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
DeleteI aim to plant another one in our churchyard
ReplyDeleteAn act of optimism for the future.
DeleteA wonderful tree.
ReplyDeleteSo sad for the Boyd family.
All the best Jan
Very sad, and common to so many.
DeleteWill that be your last resting place too Janice? Tell them you will need a pillow and a thick blanket plus a pile of magazines... oh and a torch as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to live forever, so no need . . .
DeleteThat tree makes it a nice burial site.
ReplyDeleteIt does.
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