The story of Rose Harsent's murder at Peasenhall in Suffolk was a sensation at the time. The murder of a pregnant servant by an unknown intruder was only made more dramatic when it was discovered that the prime suspect was a respected churchman with a family of his own. The case has been written about a lot, been featured in tv documentaries - most notably Julian Fellows Investigates, a docu-drama that can still be found online, and has been covered by many amateur investigators. It was never officially solved and perhaps this is the reason the story endures. We visited Rose's grave on our travels around Suffolk this summer and spent some time walking in her footsteps around the village. There is a fantastic little tea-room in the village and we spent a happy couple of hours enjoying this Suffolk village on a Sunday afternoon.
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In the same cemetery we find another headstone to a life lost too soon. Private William Rowe had joined the army as soon as he was old enough and was with 22 Battalion Training Reserve at the time of his death. Unfortunately I can’t find the circumstances of his death but on 21st May 1917 he passed away in Cambridgeshire. He was just 18 years old. I can only assume it was illness or accident that took him away so young, but if anyone can shed any light on his story, please let me know in the comments. His service number was TR10/7235. His father, like many men in the village, also worked at the Seed-Drill works.
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This cemetery also contains a wonderful living memorial to the First World War. A group of fruit trees was planted to mark the 100th anniversary of the war and there is one tree representing each year of the war and the men from the village lost that year. Photos in the gallery below
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