Among the old pictures on display in The White Lion in Broadwindsor, now a community pub, is a poignant photograph, next to a display of horse brasses, of farm horses in the village square being requisitioned in World War I.

The horses were used by cavalry regiments in battle, moved guns and supplies to the front and even pulled ambulances.

Britain lost over 484,000 horses in the war - one horse for every two men.

In his book, My Story: of nigh eighty years in the Broadwindsor area of the hill country of West Dorset, Leonard Studley tells the story of how his father hid his one and only horse, Bob, so that the ‘selectors’ wouldn’t be so likely to see him:

‘He didn’t like to be offered a tempting price for a horse he had no wish to sell; there seems to be some superstition regarding this, if you refused good money for a horse, some ill fortune would befall the animal, you’d be sure to lose en, some how or “nother”.’

A project is now underway to research the names and stories of the men from Broadwindsor and the surrounding parishes who were killed in the two world wars.

The photo of Broadwindsor Post Office was taken on or shortly after November 5 1914, the date on the recruiting poster declaring: 100,000 men are needed at once. Join for the war. The shop is now the new home of The Wobbly Cottage artisanal bakery.

Other pictures from through the years show that, the village square hasn’t changed that much, although traffic – as everywhere – has had an impact.

The village green is named Bernards’ Place after Bernard Pinney, MC RHA of Racedown, Broadwindsor, who was killed in action in November 1941 and his uncle, Bernard Head, who was killed in action in August 1915.

The green has just been revamped to incorporate new play equipment at the top end and open space at the lower end for community events, exercise and as a place to gather.

*With thanks to Beaminster Museum, Margery Hookings and Helen Doble for pictures and information.