Somerset Wood Fundraiser: William Bruford – ‘the face of the Somerset Wood’

William Palliser Bruford – The local farmer’s son, who gave his life on the Western Front

BORN: Taunton, 27th of March, 1880, DIED: Passchendaele, 24th of October, 1917

A joint presentation by Mike Batsch (Chair, Cheddon Fitzpaine PC) with Simon Augustyn

& Wouter De Witte from the Research Section of The Passchendaele Museum, 1917

Adopted as ‘the face of the Somerset Wood’, William Bruford grew up on old Nerrols Farm in Cheddon Fitzpaine on the very land where the Maidenbrook Country Park with its WW1-commemorative wood now stands. His life was tragically cut short at the age of 37 in the grounds of Zonnebeke Chateau near Ypres in Belgium during the bitterly-contested Battle of Passchendaele.

After the war, the chateau was rebuilt and later became the home of the Passchendaele Museum, 1917. Today, the exact spots, where Bruford and others fell are marked within its grounds for all to see. By looking at William’s life from the perspectives of where it began and ended, this presentation on the anniversary of his death will give a unique insight into his story and its place in the wider context of the First World War.

Admission will be by voluntary donation on the night but, so we can manage the number of attendees, please register your interest by booking a space.

Ticket Link = https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/somerset-wood-fundraiser-william-bruford-the-face-of-the-somerset-wood-tickets-1028178488537