To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice, St Agnes Parish Council has funded and erected a granite headstone on the unmarked grave of Henry Jennings DCM, his sisters and his mother in St Agnes Cemetery. The stone symbolically commemorates all those servicemen and women of St Agnes Parish, including Henry, who returned from the Great War and resumed their civilian lives, some like Henry decorated for their gallantry, and recovered from their wounds.
On Saturday 10 November Henry’s two nephews, Joseph Sawle (89) and his brother Martin (86), together with other members of the family, travelled to St Agnes to lay a wreath at the headstone in the presence of the Chair of St Agnes Parish Council, Jinny Clark, and several members of Museum Committee who had become involved in research into the life and war record of Henry Jennings, and tracing his descendants. Philip Mitchell laid flowers on behalf of the Museum. Joseph’s grandson, Scott Turnbull, read Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen.
Henry was the subject of a short Cornish-made documentary film called Cornish Tommies being widely shown locally around the time of the Armistice. Part of the film was shot at the Museum with volunteers Joan Bunt and Philip Mitchell taking part.
After the ceremony the group returned to the Museum for refreshments. Roger Radcliffe thanked everyone for coming and paid tribute to the determined research of Museum Curator, Clare Murton.