Category: World War 2

Liverpool Naval Memorial

Heritage, Liverpool, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, ships and shipping, United Kingdom, World War 2

Liverpool Naval Memorial may be found on the Mersey River Bank between the Ferry Terminal  and the Museum of Liverpool. (GPS co-ordinates: 53.40349, -2.99659). There are 1408 identified casualties from the Second World War  on the memorial. 

The memorial was designed by C. Blythin and S.H. Smith and was unveiled by the Admiral of the Fleet, The Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, K.T., G.C.B., O.M., D.S.O., on the 12th November 1952.

More than 13000 officers and men from the Merchant Navy served with the Royal Navy and they were  subject to Naval discipline while generally retaining their Merchant Navy rates of pay and other conditions. Liverpool was manning port for many of the various types of auxiliary vessels, including armed merchant cruisers and boarding vessels, cable ships, rescue tugs, and others on special service. 

Representative panel

Representative panel

Two of the more well known ships on the memorial are HMS Rawalpindi and HMS Jervis Bay which were both sunk protecting their convoys from German surface raiders.

The memorial is a difficult one to photograph as it is a very popular spot with people, and I was never really able to get decent photographs of it from land side, and the closest I got from the ferry was:

It is also very close to the statue of Captain Frederic John Walker RN.

Appropriately the Merchant Navy Memorial is also in this area.

This was not one of my better memorial explorations, but if ever I return I will rectify the situation.

DRW © Created 16/06/2018

Updated: 16/06/2018 — 12:39

Liverpool Exchange War Memorials

Heritage, Liverpool, Memorials elsewhere, Outside RSA, Personal, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

There are two war memorials in the open square behind the Liverpool City Hall that is bounded by a large building that seems to have been called “Exchange Flags” but is now called Horton House and Walker House.

The first memorial was dedicated to “the Men of the Liverpool Exchange Newsroom”

Funded by donations raised from members of the Liverpool Exchange Company in 1916 and originally intended to be dedicated to those members who had joined the forces, the emphasis of the memorial changed at the end of WW1 to commemorate members and sons who had sacrificed their lives. Made of bronze and marble by artist Joseph Phillips, the sculpture features Britannia sheltering a young girl with two soldiers and a sailor looking outwards while  a Queen Mary Auxiliary Services nurse tends a wounded soldier.

Unveiled in 1924, the sculpture was moved to its current location in 1953. (https://www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/memorials-memories/)

The names are listed on the stonework next to the central dedication panel.

Above the memorial on two columns on either side of it are 4 figures: a female adult with a young boy and a male adult with a young girl. I do not know whether these are part of the original memorial or not.

The Exchange Flags square may be found at Google Earth  53.407654°,  -2.992094° 

The second memorial is in visual range and is The Unknown Soldier, Liverpool Cotton Association Memorial.

Unusually the bronze soldier stands at ground level  having been relocated in 2013 to be closer the ICA’s new office in Walker House.

Commissioned in 1922 by the International Cotton Association (ICA), known then as the Liverpool Cotton Association, the bronze statue of the Unknown Soldier was originally situated in Liverpool’s Cotton Exchange Building on Old Hall Street. (https://www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/memorials-memories/)

There is one further memorial in the square which is neither a First or Second World War Memorial. It is known as the Nelson Monument  and it  is really a monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson.

It is somewhat of a wedding cake of a monument, with  four statues depicting prisoners sitting in poses of sadness and representing Nelson’s major victories, the battles of Cape St Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar.

The first stone was laid on 15 July 1812, and the monument was unveiled on 21 October 1813, the eighth anniversary of Nelson’s death. In 1866 the monument was moved to its present site in Exchange Flags to allow for an extension to the Exchange Buildings.

DRW © 2018. Created 10/06/2018

Updated: 10/06/2018 — 09:30

Merchant Navy Memorials, Liverpool

Belgium, Heritage, Liverpool, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, Personal, ships and shipping, transportation, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

The Merchant Navy Memorials in Liverpool are situated on the waterfront facing the Mersey and the Birkenhead side of the river bank.  The city played an important role in the Battle of the Atlantic as Western Approaches Command was based in the city, and many of the men and ships that sailed in the convoys came from this port.

A few metres further is a raised block with a number of relevant dedications. The two memorials are between Google Earth co-ordinates: 53.403829°  -2.996822°

Of particular relevance was this plaque that does not really make up for the lack of recognition of men and women from so many other countries that lost their lives in the Merchant Navy during both wars.

There was also an Arandora Star Plaque which served as a reminder that all ships were in danger of being sunk, whether combatant or non-combatant.

Norwegians, Poles and Belgians are also commemorated on this block.

Unfortunately these plaques are mounted on what appears to be some sort of housing for some unidentified machinery/access chamber and really do not connect too well with the Merchant Navy Memorial close by. I would have thought that a unified MN memorial would have meant much more instead of having these two distinct groupings that appear as an afterthought. 

The Maritime Museum also had a very good Merchant Navy exhibition on while I was visiting. 

A few steps away is the Liverpool Naval War Memorial which I will cover separately.

DRW © 2018. Created 05/06/2018

Updated: 10/06/2018 — 09:34

Liverpool Cenotaph

cenotaph, Heritage, Liverpool, Memorials elsewhere, Outside RSA, ships and shipping, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

The Cenotaph in Liverpool may be found at Google Earth co-ordinates  53.408540°,  -2.979478°, it is situated in front of St George’s Hall and consists of a  rectangular block of stone on a platform, with bronze, low-relief sculptures on the sides depicting marching troops and mourners. It was designed by Lionel Budden, with carving by Herbert Tyson Smith. It is a Grade I listed building.

​The inscription on the front face reads:

TO THE THE MEN OF LIVERPOOL WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR

AND ALL WHO HAVE FALLEN IN CONFLICT SINCE.

AND THE VICTORY THAT DAY WAS TURNED INTO MOURNING UNTO ALL THE PEOPLE

 

This addition to the Cenotaph was unveiled in May 2003 by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Jack Spriggs. The inscription reads: 

THIS PLAQUE COMMEMORATES

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

AND THE PIVOTAL ROLE PLAYED BY THE CITY

AND PORT OF LIVERPOOL IN THIS THE

LONGEST AND MOST CRUCIAL SEA AND AIR 

CAMPAIGN OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

THIS BATTLE LASTED 5 YEARS, 8 MONTHS, 4 DAYS;
HAD IT BEEN LOST, SO TOO WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WAR

BY THE MARKER, LIVERPOOL’S  UNPARALLELED SERVICE
AND SACRIFICE SHALL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.

As far as Cenotaphs go it is really not a very noticeable one, although the carvings are very beautiful. It is really overshadowed by the very large St George’s Hall behind it and while appropriate to the setting is just does not make much of an impact. 

The inscription on the rear face reads:

AS UNKNOWN AND YET WELL KNOWN AS DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE.

OUT OF THE NORTH PARTS, A GREAT COMPANY AND A MIGHTY ARMY

It was only dedicated in November 1930 and the delay was attributed to the Lord Mayor who announced that due to the high unemployment he was postponing the appeal for funds. The appeal was finally initiated in 1925.

DRW © 2018 Created 04/08/2018

Updated: 10/06/2018 — 09:33

Evesham War Memorial

France, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, Parish Memorial, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

The principal war memorial in Evesham, Worcestershire, may be found in the Abbey park overlooking the River Avon.

 

The memorial is a wide one and it stands on the edge of a sloped embankment, so getting the whole memorial in from straight in front is almost impossible as the camera would no longer be able to see the lower half.

It consists of a curved limestone screen wall with a pedestal topped by a bronze sculpture of a soldier wearing his helmet at a jaunty angle and carrying a slung rifle with bayonet attached.

The soldier is the work of Henry Poole R.A and is a particularly good one because it really could be the poster figure for the Old Contemptibles that held the line in the opening months of the First World War.

There are four name panels (2 per side, World War 1 on the 2 inner panels), commemorating the men from Evesham that fought and died in the First and Second World Wars, and commemorative inscriptions.  It was unveiled on 7 August 1921.  Google Earth co-ordinates for the memorial are:  52.090656°,  -1.946112°.

The Memorial was restored in 2014 following a grant from War Memorials Trust.

The central dedication reads: 

TO THE

ENDURING MEMORY OF

THE GLORIOUS DEAD

OF THE

BOROUGH OF EVESHAM

WHO GAVE THEIR

LIVES FOR THEIR

COUNTRY IN THE

 GREAT WAR

 1914-1920

The War Memorials Register entry for the Memorial is 57,  The list of names is also available on that link. 

Not too far away between the Churches of St Lawrence and All Saints there is another War Memorial that could be easily overlooked. I believe these are called Calvarys.

The inscription is not very legible but there were poppy wreaths against the pedestal so the memorial is recognised.

 

Abbey Park.

DRW © 2018. Created 20/05/2018

Updated: 04/06/2018 — 06:20

Gloucester Post Office War Memorial

Gloucestershire, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Outside RSA, ROH, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

On Friday 12/01/2018 I went through to Gloucester to do some business at the post office, and as I was leaving I spotted a war memorial inside the post office. Fortunately I had my camera with and got permission to photograph it. The two plaques are mounted quite high up on the wall and the corner is cramped so these pics are the best I can do.

First World War.

The inscription reads: 

Pro patria. This tablet is erected by the Postmaster and staff of Gloucester and district in memory of the undermentioned colleagues who fell in the Great War 1914-1919.

The names on the Memorial (World War 1) are: 

  • Johnson. T. (!)
  • Constance. A.E. (?)
  • Jones. E.G. (!)
  • Evans. A.H. (!)
  • Phillips. G.(!)
 

An (*) indicates that may be the CWGC details for that person. (?) indicates that no casualty with that name was found. (!) Too many possibles and not enough information. Wm = William,  Name list obtained from http://www.royalmailmemorials.com/memorial/gloucester-and-district-war-memorial

Second World War.

The inscription reads:

Pro patria. This tablet is erected by the Head Postmaster and staff of Gloucester and district in the memory of the undermentioned colleagues who fell in the World War 1939-1945

  • Harman. V.A.(!)
  • Cook. R.J.(!)
  • James. I.T.(!)
 

Underneath the above plaque is a notice stating that The war memorial was maintained by Royal Mail and may not be removed without permission.  That is the first time I have seen such a notification on any war memorial, so hopefully it will not end up the way so many others have.

Gloucester Post Office

Interestingly enough, Geoffrey Howard Duberley is buried in West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg and I photographed his grave in 2007.

There is a similar memorial at the Royal Mail Depot in Tewkesbury.

Birt W.F (*)

Garratt C.E (?)

Peach R.F. (?)

Rowley H.G

DRW © 2018. Created 15/01/2018

Updated: 17/01/2018 — 07:05

Ashchurch War Memorial (Tewkesbury)

Gloucestershire, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Outside RSA, Parish Memorial, ROH, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

When I moved to Tewkesbury in 2015 it was inevitable that my camera lens would be on the lookout for churches, cemeteries and war memorials. The Parish Church of St Nicholas  in the village of Ashchurch being the one church closest to where I was living at the time.  I made two visits to the church and once I had done those I put it out of my mind and concentrated on other things. However, I was unaware that there was a war memorial associated with Ashchurch and this past week I realised that I had missed out. 

St Nicholas Parish Church

The War Memorial may be found on Google Earth at  51.997611°,  -2.105686°.  and it is not too difficult to find it, you literally follow the cycle path until you find St Nicholas church, then cross the road and there you are. 

The war memorial may be described as a “Cross with ‘roof’ ends on top and each arm, set on capital on top of square tapered column on three step base”.  (http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20772)

Remembrance Day was almost 2 months ago  and there are still wreaths at the memorial. The main inscription reads:

There are three panels with names from both World Wars, 24 from the First World War and two from the 2nd. It will be interesting to see how many of them are buried in the graveyard of St Nicholas Church just over the road. I do know that there is a memorial to Major Bertram Cartland in the grounds of Tewkesbury Abbey. 

Alternatively the names on the memorial may be seen at http://www.glosgen.co.uk/warmem/ashchurchwm.htm.   I created a community at Lives of the First World War specifically for this memorial. 

Ashchurch Village Hall

© DRW 2017-2018. Created 26/12/2017

Updated: 15/01/2018 — 08:03

Prestbury War Memorial

Cemetery, Gloucestershire, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, Parish Memorial, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

The War Memorial in the village of Prestbury, Gloucestershire may be found at  Google Earth co-ordinates 51.913794°,  -2.042938°. 

The memorial has plaques commemorating men from the village that served in both World Wars. There are a total of 41 names on the memorial and these are available at Remembering.org

The Parish Church of St Mary’s in close to the memorial and there are 5 casualties buried in the churchyard with one private memorial. The church has it’s own war memorial inside it.

The church and memorial are roughly 1 kilometre away from Prestbury Cemetery, that has the Gloucesters Memorial in it, as well as burials from both World Wars.

© DRW 2017-2018. Created 04/11/2017

Updated: 12/01/2018 — 07:15

War Memorials in Stroud

Gloucestershire, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Outside RSA, Parish Memorial, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

My visit to Stroud in September 2017 was somewhat of a disaster, although a number of goals were achieved. One of those goals was to photograph any war memorials that I would see on my way. Unfortunately the Stroud War Memorial was in an area which was far removed from where I ended up but one day I may return.  As far as I can see it is situated at  51.747915°,  -2.214784°. 

The major war memorial that I saw was in St Laurence Church in Stroud, and the World War 1 section was remarkably legible. 

Flanking this central Roll of Honour are the names for the Second World War. A Book of Remembrance is kept in a glass case near the memorial.

 

There are more images of the church in the blogpost that I did about my trip to Stroud

My next memorial I found in The Holy Trinity Church which I passed on my way to the cemetery. The memorial looks like it was made from alabaster and it had a screen blocking off the best view. The two windows on either side of it confused my camera too.

A shot from the side did leave me with a more legible Roll of Honour so all is not lost.

That was my collection from Stroud. I will have to return one day to get the war memorial and revisit Painswick. Just not this year.

©DRW 2017-2018. Created 01/10/2017

Updated: 12/01/2018 — 07:15

War Memorials in Painswick

France, Gloucestershire, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, Parish Memorial, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

While attempting to visit Stroud last weekend I ended up in Painswick in Gloucestershire instead, and while I was there I photographed two War Memorials.

The first was outside the parish church of Saint Mary in Painswick.

The memorial is surrounded by Yew trees, and I believe that there are 99 of them in this churchyard! unfortunately the weather was grey and gloomy and I did not take as many images as I would  have liked. It was designed by Arts and Craft architect Frederick Landseer  Maur Griggs and was erected in 1921 and commemorates the men from Painswick who lost their lives in the two world wars. 

The weathering of the stone has made the memorial hard to read, so it may be easier to have a look at the memorial inside the church.

What makes this memorial interesting is that it not only commemorates those who lost their lives in the two wars, but also those who served in it. The gold engraved names are of the former. I have darkened portions of the image to enhance legibility, 

It is a nice touch to know that all of those who served are on the ROH, and it is one of the few occasions that I have seen it done.  Unfortunately though there were chairs in front of the memorial so I was unable to get all of the plaques. I was also pressed for time so could not be picky about my pics.  The one thing I do know is that the village lost a lot of men in the wars, and I expect this church was the centre of the many memorial services that would have been be as a result of the wartime deaths. 

© DRW 2017-2018. Created 30/09/2017

Updated: 12/01/2018 — 07:15
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