World War – Blogging while allatsea

Swindon Railway Works Plaques

27/08/2018

Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, Trains & railways, transportation, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

The plaques in this post were photographed at Steam. Museum of the Great Western Railroad that I visited in 2015. Unfortunately my images did not come out well, it really has to do with camera shake and long exposures associated with not using a flash. I have sharpened them as much as possible.

The Great Western Railway had it’s engine works in this railway town, and even built housing for its workers there, it was the biggest employer too and the Museum tells the story of the men and women who built, operated and travelled on the Great Western Railway. In wartime the works would have played a major part in maintaining the steam engines and in some cases using their heavy industrial facilities for wartime production. The labour force of men would have been affected by volunteering and conscription, and women began to play a role in keeping the works running. The carnage of the Western Front would have also affected the men who worked here, and a number of plaques have survived, commemorating those who never returned.

Bristol Cenotaph

JA

22/07/2018

cenotaph, Heritage, Memorials elsewhere, Military, Outside RSA, United Kingdom, World War 1, World War 2

The Cenotaph in Bristol may be found at Google Earth co-ordinates 51.454987°, -2.596391°. in Magpie Park, Colston Avenue, Bristol. I believe the area around the cenotaph as recently been remodelled so everything is in a reasonably good condition. War Memorials Register entry

It was unveiled on 26 July 1932, attended by: Field Marshall Sir William Birdwood. There are no names on the memorial, and only two commemoration panels. The panel on the face above is:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF BRISTOL’S SONS AND
DAUGHTERS , WHO MADE
THE SUPREME SACRIFICE.
THEY DIED THAT MANKIND MIGHT LEARN TO LIVE IN PEACE

The opposite side panel reads:

“O VALIANT HEARTS WHO TO YOUR GLORY CAME,
THROUGH DUST OF CONFLICT AND THROUGH BATTLE FLAME:
TRANQUIL YOU LIE, YOUR KNIGHTLY VIRTUE PROVED,
YOUR MEMORY HALLOWED IN THE LAND YOU LOVED:
SPLENDID YOU PASSED THE GREAT SURRENDER MADE.
INTO THE LIGHT THAT NEVERMORE SHALL FADE.
ALL YOU HAD HOPED FOR, ALL YOU HAD, YOU GAVE
TO SAVE MANKIND, YOURSELVES YOU SCORNED TO SAVE.”

There are no names on the Cenotaph.

DRW 2018. Created 22/07/2018

Chasetown Saint Anne’s Church War Memorials

JA

11/07/2018

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

St Anne’ Church in Chasetown has become the caretaker of 4 plaques that were sited at the colliery pits where many of the men from the area worked. They commemorate men from 2,3,8, and 9 pits who lost their lives in World War 1. The four plaques are mounted on the exterior wall of the church.

Unfortunately for most of the time that I was in Chasetown the church was surrounded in scaffolding and I only discovered these memorials towards the end of my stay so was never able to find out much from the people at the church.

Even though the plaques are in a good condition they are difficult to read.

To the Memory of the Men from No. 2 Pit who fell in the Great War

Thomas Brookes • John Rochelle • Enoch Hancox
William Deakin • Alfred Ross • George H Evans
William A Elson • Enoch Smith • Albert Fairfield
Alfred E Fisher • Charles E Williamson • Walter Reynolds
John Rushton • W Harrold Williamson • Reginald Lees
Ernest Craddock • Frederick Crutchley

To the Memory of the Men from No. 3 Pit who fell in the Great War

Harold Spencer • Thomas Lewis • Albert Lees
Bert Gozzard • Joseph Robinson • Arthur Wright
William Buckley • Joseph Witton • William Daker
Horace Derry • Thomas Downing • Charles Beach
Arthur Heath • Walter Evans • Henry Griffin
John Kelly • Thomas Rose • William Robinson
William Robinson • Percy Bradshaw • William Fellows

To the Memory of the Men from No. 8 Pit who fell in the Great War

Alfred Bradshaw • John Dolman • Richard Stevens
Frederick Bailey • William Longdon • Herbert Nicholls
Edward Bills • Albert Meaton • Enoch Bedow
William Day • Nonnie Pritchard

To the Memory of the Men from No. 9 Pit who fell in the Great War

Harry B Yardley • Roland Foster • Samuel Evans
Hubert Millard • Joseph W Roberts • Noah Lysons
Henry Duffield • Eli Bott • Bert Roper

Merchant Navy Memorials, Liverpool

JA

05/06/2018

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.

Liverpool Cenotaph

JA

05/06/2018

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.

Evesham War Memorial

JA

20/05/2018

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.

Gloucester Post Office War Memorial

JA

15/01/2018

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:

Booker. C.Wm.H.	Hanman. P.J.
Capon. G.G. (*)	Hawkins. C
Clark. C.E.	Hughes. D.A. (*)
Clissold. E.V.	Johnson. T. (!)
Constance. A.E. (?)	Jones. E.G. (!)
Daniell. A.	Knight. Wm.C. (*)
Dovey. G.H. (*)	Nash. Wm.F. (*)
Durrett. T.	Parry.H. (*)
Evans. A.H. (!)	Phillips. G.(!)
Gleed. Wm.A.	Rodman. F.
Gill. G. (*)	Stephens. E.L.
Turner. Wm.H. (*)

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

Beachus. F.J	Harman. V.A.(!)
Cook. E.J.(*)	Hewitt. F.N (*).
Cook. R.J.(!)	James. I.T.(!)
Duberley. G.H.	Jones. G.E.A.(*)
Edwards. N.D.	Nicholls. G.D (*).
Flower. C.J.	Payne. A.L. (*)
Preece. W.A.

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

Ashchurch War Memorial (Tewkesbury)

JA

26/12/2017

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

Prestbury War Memorial

JA

04/11/2017

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.

Durban High School War Memorial

JA

10/07/2017

Border War, Heritage, Korean War, Military, Natal, School Memorials, South Africa, Victoria Cross, World War 1, World War 2

The images of the Durban High School War Memorial are courtesy of Shelly Baker. It may be found at GE co-ordinates -29.844204°, 30.997675°.

The school has existed since 1866 and recently celebrated it’s 150th anniversary. Sadly the Roll of Honour lists so many from the school that perished during the two World Wars as well as the Korean Conflict and the Border War, and one of it’s most famous old boys was Edwin Swales VC. It is the oldest standing school in Durban and one of the oldest in South Africa.

250 old boys died, and more than 2000 were injured in both World Wars. The Victoria Cross (VC), 27 Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFC), 21 Military Crosses (MC), 10 Military Medals (MM) and 8 Distinguished Service Orders (DSO) were awarded to old boys in these and subsequent conflicts. In the Battle of Delville Wood in 1916, 12 old boys were killed, 9 wounded and 3 were taken prisoner. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durban_High_School)

The dome was designed by Professor L. Croft, and old boy, and was erected at the Durban High School and Old Boy’s Memorial Trust through the generosity of the late Mrs Lilian Readshaw, a benefactor of the school. Dedicated by the Reverend R. Horrocks, 11 November 1992.

Roll of Honour panels are available on request.

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Tag: World War