GOVILON War Memorial has recently benefited from a makeover courtesy of the tenacity of local man Ivan Beatty and the donation of time, manpower, and resources from Llanmoor Homes.

All war memorials are unusual in that they are made of form and stone, but their purpose is to help us remember flesh and blood. The key thing is remembrance.

Basil Amyes, William Eastup, William Miller, Reginald Sheen, Brynley Evans, William Davies, Wilfred Jones, Godfrey Morgan, Thomas Smith, Harry Phillips, Percy Davies, George Matthews, Edward Morgan, and May Prosser are all names that are immortalised in stone in the village of Govilon. Eleven of the fallen have no known grave, but they do have a memorial.

Ivan told the Chronicle, “War Memorials stand at the heart of virtually every community in the United Kingdom. They are not just for November 11; they are for people who wish to remember the fallen throughout the year. It is our duty to ensure they do not fall into a state of neglect.”

Ivan was instrumental in Costain’s extensive 2018 refurbishment of the Govilon War Memorial, which is unique in that it contains the name of ‘Canary Girl’ Mary Prosser, whose skin turned yellow when she worked in a munitions factory during World War One.

Fast forward to 2025, and the elements and hands of time had conspired to make the memorial look a little worse for wear.

After Llanmoor Homes came on board, the memorial was pressure washed, scraped, the teram relaid and covered with slate, and it was once again restored to its former glory.

Ivan explained, “Many people were involved in actually doing the work, but it was all done by the direction of Llanmoor Homes, and I wholeheartedly thank the Grey Family and Phil Jones for their hands-on approach to the project. They really wanted to help, and you don’t get many organisations like that these days.”