Chris Selby the new Parish clerk found this letter in the old minutes of the Parish

In the Autumn of 1921 the Rector of St Tudy, Henry Eardley, asked for permission from the Parish Council to plant a chestnut tree on "waste land" in the village. It was a very special tree; the following is the letter in the Parish Council records to Mr Eardley from Julia Caiman, who was the widow of the soldier who collected the corker^- before dying from his wounds aged 50 in 1916

"The chestnut tree was grown from a seed which my husband gathered in the midst of a violent attack on the Ypres Salient. He brought home six seeds and they all lived and are now trees. The seed was planted in 1915 (Dec). The name in full is Capt. H J Cannan, DSO Royal Field Artillery 79th Brigade 17th Division. I am very glad that the tree will have the honour of being placed near a War Memorial, so that it may speak of life after death and remind all of the Resurrection and Reunion and serve as a reminder that we must carry on the work for which millions gave their lives."

The tree over the last few years has given cause for concern. This year it dropped most of its leaves in August. Recently the Parish Council asked for a report from an Arboriculture Consultant who has advised that it should be felled this winter. The good news is that on Remembrance Sunday 2000 a number of corkers from the tree collected by a village boy were planted. Two have survived being eaten by rabbits, squirrels and an escaped bullock.

After felling the old tree, it is proposed that we plant the strongest one, now some five feet tall, 8 feet to the right of the parent tree in a new 10 foot diameter raised and turfed bed surrounded by granite kerbs and further protected by a metal tree guard. With the introduction of new soil and the avoidance of root compaction by cars, perhaps it will last another 90 years.

Has any one got any old documents or photos about the village? Please let me know if you would lick to see them on the Village Site.