Publication Date: 10-11-2025 09:00
Oak tree planted to honour fallen soldiers on site of former First World War training camp in Bexhill
An oak tree has been planted at a new housing development in Bexhill to honour fallen soldiers who trained at the military camp which once stood on the site.
Bellway hosted a ceremony at its Clavering Park development to mark the unveiling of a commemorative plaque next to the tree which recognises the bravery of men from the Royal Sussex Regiment who fought in the First World War.
Veterans from the Royal Sussex Regimental Association laid a wreath at the tree during the event which took place on Friday (7 November), ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
Soldiers from the regiment, which suffered devastating casualties on the Western Front on 30 June 1916 – known locally as ‘The Day Sussex Died’ – were trained at Cooden Camp, which stood on the site where Clavering Park is being built.
The eight-foot-tall oak tree has been planted in the public open space on the Clavering Park development, where Bellway has also installed a wooden bench next to the tree and the plaque.
The temporary plaque, which will be replaced by a permanent steel version mounted on a stone, reads: “This oak tree is to commemorate the Royal Sussex Regiment, who trained here and fought in the Great War 1914-1918. This oak represents the strength and resilience of all those who fought for our liberty.”
Mark Harrop, Sales Director at Bellway Kent, said: “It was an incredibly moving ceremony which paid tribute to the courage of the soldiers who were trained here before they went over to the fields of France to fight for the freedom we enjoy today.
“We were honoured to be able to invite members of the Royal Sussex Regiment Association, the Royal British Legion and other people who have deep connections to this site for this commemorative event.
“At Bellway, we believe it is not only important to create a sustainable new neighbourhood for the future but also to honour the important heritage of the site’s past. The planting of the oak tree and the installation of the bench within the public open space at Clavering Park will give people the opportunity to sit and contemplate the bravery of these young men, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”
Opened in 1914, Cooden Camp was used throughout the First World War, originally housing men who would form the 11th, 12th and 13th Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment. The Sussex men who trained at the camp were involved in The Battle of the Boar’s Head at Richebourg-I’Avoué in France on 30 June 1916, when the three battalions would suffer some 1,100 casualties.
The camp was subsequently used as the temporary home of men in training from as far afield as South Africa and Australia, later becoming the site of a Princess Patricia’s Canadian Red Cross Hospital in 1918, before closing the following year.
Before construction work began at Clavering Park, an archaeological excavation was carried out by Archaeology South-East – part of the UCL Institute of Archaeology - at the northern end of the site after trial trench evaluations conducted between 2019 and 2021 identified the extensive remains of features relating to the training camp and hospital. The dig uncovered objects including plates, bowls, bottles, boots and fired rounds.
To find out more about Clavering Park, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/kent/clavering-park or call the sales team on 01424 541229.
