Everyone has a favourite bun, whether it’s covered in gooey toffee, smothered in chocolate or iced to an inch of its life. Well our story this week is centred around the travels of a Chelsea bun. It’s no ordinary bun, it was made in Herefordshire, it’s over 100 years old and now resides in the museum in Leominster. It’s journey was long and arduous, it’s mission was to bring a smile to the face of a young man who had gone to war, to be a reminder of home, joy in the midst of darkness. But alas the two were destined never to meet and it was never devoured or enjoyed as the sender had hoped it would be.
In 1914 a young Private by the name of Alex Hodges was waved off by his family and friends as he headed off to war. He had joined the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry with his brother Jim. He like many young men of his generation bravely set off to fight for their country, living in conditions that were less than amiable and fearing for their lives on a day by day, hour by hour basis.
Back home Private Hodge’s family like many other families were keen to hear news from the front and how they could make this terrible time more bearable for their loved ones. Lily Poston, Private Hodges’ sister decided she knew exactly how to lift his spirits and set about her task. Her brother had always been partial to a Chelsea bun or two from the local bakery. Mrs Pewtress’s bakery was a popular stop off for many locals and the smell of her bread and cakes would lure unsuspecting passers by into her shop in an instant.
After purchasing the Chelsea bun Lily carefully wrapped it up and put it in a tin which she lovingly sent off to her brother in the hopes that it would lift his spirits and let him know that his family were thinking about him. Private Hodges a 19-year old soldier was however deep within the trenches of war. In 1916 he found himself on the front line in the Battle of the Somme but disaster struck on his very first day there. He was injured by a shell blast and as a result was shipped out to receive medical care. Some would say that this event may have actually saved his life as 20,000 soldiers lost their lives in the Battle of the Somme.
Private Hodges was transferred to St Thomas’s hospital in London where he spent the next two years recovering. So when the parcel from his sister Lily arrived for him at the front and he was no longer there to receive it, it was posted back to her. Lily kept the bun as a memento and it remained in its original tin which the family kept on a shelf of the family home in Leominster.
Years passed and time moved on but deep in the depths of the cupboard the tin remained undiscovered until Private Hodges’ daughter Hazel came upon it while going through her late Aunt’s belongings. She vaguely remembered the tin but never knew what was inside and was quite surprised to find the Chelsea bun still intact, obviously a little stale but in excellent condition.
In memory of her father Hazel donated the bun to Leominster museum and there it sits today in all its glory.
We bet Lily could never have imagined that a Chelsea bun which she sent as a loving gesture to her brother so long ago would still be remembered and celebrated today over a hundred years later. How wonderful!