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A century ago, there was an estimated 1,600 villages in England – nearly all of which sent men to fight in the Great War. Of this number, only 52 were able to celebrate the fact that all their men came back. A writer in the 1930s went on to coin these as ‘thankful villages’ – and Dorset has only one.

The village lies approximately six miles north west of Weymouth and on a ridge above the Fleet, and goes by the name of Langton Herring. There were just 155 people living there in 1914, and 31 of the men saw active service.

Because of their good fortune, there is no war memorial in the village – and this means there is no service on Remembrance Sunday. Instead, villagers alternate between the nearby churches at Abbotsbury and Portisham, who lost 27 men between them in World War One.

To commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of war, a special service was held at Langton Herring, with a commemorative plaque being unveiled.

Location: Langton Herring, Dorset DT3 4HB
Photograph courtesy of Margaret Connolly
Presented by Tony Adams

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