Valentine Fleming Commemoration Concert: Remembering the Great War

A commemoration concert will take place to mark 100 years since the death of Valentine Fleming, the man who opened the village hall.

The hall was built by his landowner father Robert Fleming in 1913. Valentine (who was the father of Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books) was a Member of Parliament for Henley on Thames.

The Fleming family still own the building.

Valentine was called up in 1914 and was killed by German bombing in Picardy, France in 1917.

For his service, Valentine was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order and his obituary was written by Winston Churchill.

His picture hangs in the hall above the bar.

The main act for the evening will be Coope, Boyes & Simpson.

In 2014 the English folk trio issued 'In Flanders Fields', a two-CD album as a homage to the music and songs of World War One, having been involved with the In Flanders Fields Museum since 1993.

They will be performing two songs they have written about Valentine as well as some readings about his war exploits.

The evening will also include a performance by Steve Knightley, the singer and musician from Show of Hands, who as well as selling out the Royal Albert Hall for the fifth time in April, released his acclaimed album ‘Centenary – Poetry & Music of the Great War’.

The show also features a reading from Lucy Fleming and performances from several other artists.

As funds are currently being raised for the refurbishment of the building’s roof, after costs, proceeds from the evening will be donated to the roof fund.

Tickets are £15 (£16 on the door).

The Phil Beer Band will perform the night before the event bringing their unique blend of folk and roll trawled from Phil’s treasure trove of traditional songs and American country rock.

The five piece band featuring members on fiddle, guitar, squeezebox, bass and drums promise to deliver a lively cocktail of folk, rock, country and blues.