The Fletching Canadian War Memorial
Remembering the Canadians who called Fletching home, 1942–1945
A permanent memorial in glass and brass to honour the thousands of Canadian servicemen who lived, trained and prepared for war in the heart of the Sussex Weald.
A village and its Canadian neighbours
Between 1942 and 1945, approximately 6,000 Canadian servicemen were stationed in and around the East Sussex village of Fletching. They camped in the parkland at Sheffield Park, were billeted in local houses and farms, and became a familiar part of village life: in the pub, at church, on the lanes and in the fields.
They came from every corner of Canada. Among the units stationed here were Le Régiment de la Chaudière, the Cape Breton Highlanders, The Royal Canadian Regiment and several regiments of the Royal Canadian Artillery. Brigadier Guy Simonds, later one of Canada's most senior commanders, was billeted at the Sheffield Arms. Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Snow of The Royal Canadian Regiment served as camp commandant.
From Fletching, these men went on to fight in Italy, Normandy and North-West Europe. Many never came home. More than eighty years on, there is still no permanent memorial in the village to mark their time here. We are changing that.
The Memorial
The Fletching Canadian War Memorial will be a permanent engraved glass and brass memorial in the parish church of St Andrew and St Mary the Virgin, Fletching. It is being created by two of Britain's leading glass engravers, Mark Raynes Roberts FGE and Tracey Sheppard FGE.
The memorial will honour the Canadian servicemen who were stationed in and around Fletching and will stand as a lasting symbol of the friendship between this Sussex community and the people of Canada. Installation is planned for November 2027.
Working Together
The memorial is being delivered by the Maple Leaf Trust in partnership with the Fletching Canadian Commemoration Charitable Foundation and the Royal British Legion (Fletching Branch), with the support of the parish of Fletching.
Is your family part of
this story?
We are building a record of the Canadian servicemen who served at Fletching, and we would love to hear from their families. If your father, grandfather or great-grandfather was stationed in or around Fletching or Sheffield Park during the Second World War, please get in touch. Letters, photographs, service records and family memories all help us tell their story.
Help us remember them
We are raising £100,000 to create, install and care for the memorial. Every gift, large or small, helps ensure that the Canadians who lived among us are never forgotten.