This poem was written by Rebecca Farnfield, a pupil at South Farnham School, and was entered into the Never Such Innocence Poetry Competition 2016/17, and was awarded first place in the ages 9 -11 category.
The “Last Tree” is the only surviving hornbeam tree in Delville Wood, or Devils Wood as it was also known to the British Army. During the battle to capture the wood from the German Army from 15 July 1916 the German artillery shelled the British-held position to a pulp. The artillery shells splintered and smashed virtually every tree until the wood was almost completely destroyed.
This single hornbeam tree is the only tree that survived the shelling more or less intact and it has continued to grow since the war. Visitors will see that trunk is studded with shards of metal artillery shell casing.
The tree is looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The South African Air Forces Association placed a fence around the tree in 2009. [information obtained from greatwar.co.uk]
