Tag: World War

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

Durban High School War Memorial

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.

© DRW 2017-2018. Created 10/07/2017

Updated: 12/01/2018 — 07:16

Derelict War Memorial in Springs

East Rand, Extinct Memorials, Heritage, South Africa, World War 1, World War 2

Since I first started photographing memorials I have been of the opinion that war memorials on the East Rand are really wasted. The only exception to the rule was the former Brakpan Roll of Honour that was claimed by the Cosy Corner MOTH Shelhole in Brakpan.

The latest in extinct war memorials was found by a correspondent; William Martinson, who kindly sent me images of what is left of what may have been a memorial erected by a MOTH shellhole in Springs.

The clue here is an inscription that is left on the structure.

Naturally I wanted to know more, so have mailed off my contact in the area to see whether he can shed any light on it. There is a Honey tank in Springs and she does not seem to have a a context in the place where she is now (being stripped while nobody is looking), and I could not help wondering if she was not the gate guard from there. I did a blogpost on her recently, and this may be part of the puzzle.

The next question is: just where is this structure. It took me some time but eventually I found it on Google earth.  The co-ordinates are roughly -26.246636°, 28.429237°.

I was very curious about the area that the derelict is in, from GE you can see a large parklike area with lots of trees shaped like a cross. You can see the trees in the image below, the white arrow points to the derelict.

The cemetery can just be seen in the top centre of the image. Historical images on GE date back to 2008 and it appears as if it was a wreck even then. My own thoughts were: “Why build a war memorial there anyway?” From a 2017 perspective it makes no sense, but immediately after the 1st world war it was a totally different story, the memorial being erected in the 1930’s. The other derelict war memorial in Springs pretty much sums it up.  A change in demographics, less money for maintenance and more for mercs, a culture of neglect for history and the never ending quest to cut costs so that the suits will have more to spend on salary increases in spite of them never earning one in the first place. 

Many years ago the MOTH was a thriving organisation, with shellholes in most cities, but the decline in their membership, and a policy of declining former national servicemen membership really put the nail in the coffin. Witness the closure of the former headquarters in Johannesburg and the abandonment of the war memorial in “Remembrance Square”

Whatever the reason for the state of this structure, had the inscription not remained it would really have been worth ignoring, but the words “Mutual Help, Comradeship and Sound Memory” really are a farce in this case.

My thanks must go to William Martinson for his images. He also sent me a link to the Artefacts site that has an entry on the  memorial.  The link also provides an answer to the cross shaped trees in Olympia Park. It is a pity that no images have surfaced that could show how this structure looked when it was originally inaugurated, perhaps the answer is in the local library in Springs? assuming one exists in the first place. 

I am hoping that somebody will be able to add to the history of the structure. If you do have any information I would love to hear from you. 

Update 07/07/2017

My contact had the following to say: “I managed to track down that this structure was a cenotaph and garden of remembrance for the Springs Dugout of the MOTHs during the early 30s. There are no longer any Shellholes in Springs. The last one to close was Mudhook which was situated diagonally across the road of the new Springs Civic Centre. The Shellholes in Spings were Mudhook, Black Cat and Seven Seas. We have the Bell from Seven Seas Shellhole at Cosy Corner,  There are supposedly two field guns standing close to the public swimming pool that used to stand next to the wall of Remembrance,I will make a plan and go and check it out. The park as far as I know is called Olympia Park.”

The monument also featured in an article about illegal dumping in the Springs Advertiser of 6 August 2015.

So there we have it in a nutshell. The MOTH shellholes closed down and the memorial was left behind. The field guns? who knows. I have not forgotten this memorial though and will keep an eye open. Somewhere out there must be an image of some information. 

© DRW 2017-2018, created 02/07/2017, updated 07/07/2017, 18/07/2017

Updated: 12/01/2018 — 07:17
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