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Dorchester was a thriving town in the early 20th Century, and one man who played a key part in that was Alfred Pope. He turned Eldridge Pope into a successful family run business which was one of the town’s biggest employers.

But like most families in Britain, World War One was to take its toll on the Popes. Ten of Alfred’s sons saw active duty in the war – and three of them died. Of Alfred’s four daughters, three of them were actively involved with the Red Cross and nursing in Dorchester. The other daughter became one of the country’s thousands of widows when her husband was killed in action.

Alfred was already in his seventies at the outbreak of the war – and when his son and chosen heir Alec died of his wounds in 1919, Alfred faced having to remain at the helm of Eldridge Pope into the next decade.

Location: Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1QR
Image shows the Pope family, courtesy of Howard Payton and Martin Cree