At the end of December 1992 the Benhall & Sternfield Parish Council received a letter and detailed document about a ‘spectacular opportunity to participate in BEACON EUROPE 1992. A pan-European celebration that will bring together the peoples, the families and the communities of Europe to celebrate … the advent of the Single European Market.’
As Great Britain held the presidency of the European Council for the last six months of 1992 Beacon Europe was promoted as a ‘Grand Finale.’ Though if you google it today, it appears that Beacon Europe just didn’t happen and the document on how to construct your very own beacon was placed in the History Group’s archive!
The lighting of beacons isn’t a new concept, beacons had been lit for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, more recently for Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilees, her Golden Jubilee in 2012 and her 90th birthday in 2016. Though there wasn’t a beacon in Benhall & Sternfield for these occasions.
It wasn’t until 2017 that it was decided to build a beacon in Benhall ready for 11th November 2018 in order to mark 100 years to the day since the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War. Across the country, over 1200 beacons were to be lit as part of ‘Battle’s Over’ – a tribute to the millions who were lost or who participated in the war, whether on the battlefield or the home front.
So how was it made?
From Pauline Graham, who took part, “In 2017, all local councils in Britain were asked to participate in a nationwide Beacon Lighting on Sunday November 11th 2018 at 7pm. Pages of instructions poured in, including a very detailed plan of a beacon construction. This was duly carried out by John Slade (a local Agricultural Engineer) and it was mounted on the trunk of an oak tree, supplied by the Benhall Estate, and fixed at the bottom of Benhall Green. Unfortunately, there are no suitable safe higher spots in either village.”
100 year old oak from Dodd’s Wood
Jumbo Felton cut down the tree from Dodd’s Wood. Counting the rings the tree was about 100 years old so very appropriate for the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI in Europe as the tree would have self-seeded at the end of the war!
John Slade advised, “I made the beacon basket from stock steel. We, myself and my son Callum, cut to length (as per the specification) and then rolled them into the circles. The round base was plasma cut to size/shape. Uprights were just shaped on the ends and then welded into place with all the other parts. The bolts we put in purely to make it look more original.”
John continues, “The sign was again made in the workship but was painted by my Mum in Essex who is a retired artists. From memory the basket and sign took about 2 days to fabricate and then about a day to install with the help of Barry Denison who supplied a teleporter and tractor with a cement mixer!”
When was it lit?
Pauline Graham remembered, “The beacon was filled with wood and a trial lighting took place, successfully, the weekend before. On the 11th November, about 100 people gathered to see the lighting of the beacon, preceded by a short service, the reading of the names from the WWII Memorials, and the Last Post played by Philip Glennon. At 7pm, John Slade climbed up and lit the beacon from 3 different points and it blazed away, illuminating the faces of the watchers.
It was a moving event, particularly knowing that upwards of 1000 such beacons were being lit across the country at the same moment. Something to remember.”
The second occasion for lighting the beacon was for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. From the East Anglian Times, 7th February 2022: More than 35 beacon lightings have been confirmed as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Suffolk. Locations range from towns including Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Southwold, to a farm near Sutton Hoo.
Bruno Peek, the Queen’s pageant master said: “The county and the community of Suffolk have always played a leading role in the lighting of beacons for The Queen’s Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilee and the Queen’s 90th birthday. I would like to encourage every Town and Parish Council to take part in this special tribute, celebrating a unique milestone in The Queen’s reign and in her life too. I am confident they will rise to this wonderful occasion.”
The following image from the Platinum Jubilee 2022 courtesy David Burns. For more images see also: 2022 Platinum Jubilee under Historic Events.
