Memorials elsewhere – Blogging while allatsea

Malvern Priory War Memorial

On: 23/09/201921/05/2020 By: JA

I visited Malvern Priory on 13 September 2019 and took the following images of the War Memorial inside.

The memorial may be described as :“Large wall-mounted stone tablet is flanked by stone figures of Mary with Child and crown (left) and St George (Right) Inscription and names are in the centre of the tablet.”

There are 43 names from the First World War (1914-1918) and 15 from the Second World War (1939-1945) commemorated on the Memorial. (Names may be seen at the IWM listing for the Memorial).

The Memorial was made by Messrs Caroe And Passmore and unveiled on 11 November 1920.

Outside the Priory is a wall mounted plaque with the the bases of the crosses as mentioned.

Unfortunately the legibility of the bases is poor with two exceptions:

Great Malvern War Memorial

On: 23/09/201919/12/2019 By: JA

on 13 September 2019 I visited Great Malvern, and on my list of things to see was the War Memorial. The War Memorial in the Priory is dealt with in a separate post.

The War Memorial is directly in front of the library and has no names inscribed on it. It is described as:

“WINGED SEMI-NUDE MALE FIGURE, REPRESENTING YOUTH, WITH ARMS STRETCHED UPWARDS HOLDING A FLAMING TORCH. THE FIGURE LOOKS UPWARDS TOWARDS THE TORCH. TREE ROOTS ARE WRAPPED AROUND THE FEET OF THE FIGURE, WHICH STANDS ON A STONE PLINTH AND FIVE STEPPED BASE. THE INSCRIPTION IS CARVED PROUD ON THE PLINTH.”

The inscriptions read:

12 O’Clock: “TO THOSE WHO/ NOBLY SERVED/ 1914-1919/ 1939-1945

6 O’Clock: “THEIR LIFE THEY/ GAVE THE LIGHT/ OF LIFE TO SAVE“

The memorial may be found at Google Earth co-ordinates 52.112887°, -2.326983°.

The memorial is a Grade II listed structure and it was unveiled in 1923 and was made by Captain Richard Reginald Goulden. (Information from Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register).

Bladon War Memorial

On: 18/09/201919/12/2019 By: JA

On 24 August 2019 I visited the village of Bladon to view Sir Winston Churchill’s grave and as I was leaving the grounds of St Martin’s Parish Church I spotted the Bladon War Memorial which is close by.

Google Earth co-ordinates are 51.830480°, -1.350584°. The memorial is described as:

“Obelisk set on a square plinth and two steps. Incised Latin cross surrounded by green wreath is placed at the top of the obelisk with two plaques on front face of plinth and a small plaque on front face of first step. The whole stands on a gravel surround and is enclosed by a low wall.”

https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/59955

The inscription reads:

IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN

1914-1918/ “Faithful unto Death”/(Names)

1939-1945/ (Names)

There are 28 names on the memorial; 23 from the First World War and 5 from the second.

The only War Memorial I found in St Martin’s Parish Church was a simple framed Roll of Honour, however it could be that I did not see a larger or more elaborate memorial.

Stratford-upon-Avon War Memorials

On: 17/09/201919/12/2019 By: JA

The main War Memorial in Stratford-upon-Avon may be found in The Remembrance Gardens bounded by College Street and Old Town (Google Earth co-ordinates: 52.187884°, -1.708347°).

There are a number of memorials in the gardens and it is a peaceful place.

Memorial Cross.

The Memorial Cross commemorates is of a similar design to that of the Cross of Sacrifice only without the sword on the front face. It commemorates casualties that lost their lives in the First World War. The bronze plaques to the remaining seven sides of the pedestal list the names of the 235 men who died in the conflict. There is an additional bronze plaque to the second stage of the pedestal which is titled FIRST WORLD WAR 1914-1920 and gives the names of 12 men and the date of their death. It was unveiled on 12 February 1922. Name plaques may be viewed at https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/85900

The Memorial was originally erected in Bridge Street but was moved to a site overlooking Bancroft Gardens before the Second World War. In 1954 it was relocated to the newly created Garden of Remembrance.

Screen Wall

The Second World War casualties are commemorated on plaques mounted on a screen wall.

This memorial is a concave 3 panelled wall with commemorative plaques attached to it. There are 100 names on the memorial. Plaques may be viewed at https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/85897

Other Memorials.

King Edward VI School Memorial.

King Edward VI School Boat Club

Dedication Plaque

Oxford War Memorial

On: 01/07/201919/07/2019 By: JA

The War Memorial in Oxford may be found 130 metres south of St. Giles’ Churchyard, on the intersection of Banbury and Woodstock Roads (Google Earth co-ordinates: 51.758313°, -1.260130°). It was unveiled and dedicated on 13 July 1921 and may be described as: “Seven-stepped octagonal base surmounted by an elaborate octagonal sectioned plinth, square-footed, octagonal sectioned tapering shaft, moulded octagonal boss and decorative cross.” (https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/31813)

There no names mentioned on the memorial.

The two trees on the site are plaqued as follows:

Sedgeberrow War Memorial

On: 06/11/201802/03/2019 By: JA

Sedgeberrow is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, about 4.8 km south of Evesham. I first spotted the war memorial from the bus en route to Evesham and in early November 2018 made a trip to photograph it.

The memorial is next to the church of “St Mary the Virgin” and may be found at 52.045395°, -1.965749° and it really comprises 2 entities: A Crucifix, described as “Crucifix in stone under a canopy set on three steps. The inscription is on the risers of the steps.”

On the exterior wall of the church is affixed another plaque, and it is dedicated to those who served in The First World War. If I read it correctly there are 3 sets of brothers on the two memorials, although that would require additional research.

Unfortunately I was not able to access the church to see whether there were any memorials within it, and there are no formal CWGC graves in the churchyard.

Overbury War Memorial

On: 29/10/201802/03/2019 By: JA

I visited the village of Overbury in Worcestershire on 20 October 2018 to photograph the war graves and war memorial in St Faith’s Churchyard. The war memorial is incorporated in the lych gate which makes it hard to photograph the inscriptions on the sides. There are 5 CWGC graves in the churchyard.

The Memorial commemorates the Men of Overbury and Conderton who gave their lives in the Great War (and the Second World War). There are 26 names from the First World War and 4 from the Second World War. (https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/32563)

The names on the memorial are shown below.

The Second World War plaque is much smaller.

The lych gate and war memorial in St Faith’s churchyard may be found at Google Earth co-ordinates 52.034918°, -2.064199°

Kemerton War Memorial

On: 24/10/201802/03/2019 By: JA

Kemerton is a small village in a string of villages between Tewkesbury and Evesham. I visited the village to photograph the memorial on 20/10/2018.

The War Memorial is described as a “Latin Limestone Cross atop a tall shaft, which is on a 5 stage base. The design of the cross was adapted from an ancient village cross in the village of Laycock.” (https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/32460). It was unveiled on 9 January 1921, and was made by Sir Herbert Baker RA (possibly the architect?), Messrs E T Taylor of Tewkesbury and Mr A Stanley of Kemerton. It is a Grade II listed structure.

There are 20 names from the First World War and 7 from the Second World War on the memorial.

The memorial may be found at Google Earth co-ordinates: 52.033202°, -2.079959°.

DRW 2018. Created 24/10/2018

Ashton-Under-Hill War Memorial

On: 23/10/201802/03/2019 By: JA

Ashton-Under-Hill is a small village between Tewkesbury and Evesham, and is one of a string of villages that I visited on 20/10/2018. The War Memorial is described as “Cross, with laurel wreath wrapped round the shaft, on a stepped square base,” it has 8 names from the First World War and 2 from the second. (https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/52116)

The main inscription is as follows:

On each side there are additional inscriptions, and I suspect the World War 1 names may have been added at a later date.

Guy Lea is buried in the nearby churchyard of St Barbara’s Church.

The church has three private memorials and a framed Roll of Honour mounted on a wall inside:

(RAF Memorial text recreated because of reflections)

The War Memorial may be found at Google Earth co-ordinates: 52.039634°, -2.005106°

Royal Naval Division Memorial in London

On: 15/10/201802/03/2019 By: JA

The Royal Naval Division Memorial is located on Horse Guards Parade in London, but unfortunately is almost lost in the space as it is such a modest structure. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and was unveiled on 25 April 1925.

The Royal Naval Division (RND) was created by Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty at the time, and it was manned by sailors, Royal Marines, and naval and marine reservists who were not required at sea. Although it was a land based division it was known for its strong maritime traditions, including the use of naval ranks and terminology. After serving in the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign it was deployed to the Western Front in late 1916 until the armistice in 1918. It lost 10,737 officers and men during the war; while 30,892 were wounded.

The Admiralty Citadel partly obscure the poem by Rupert Brooke 1887–1915 which is inscribed on the one side of the memorial. Brooke, a member of the Hood Battalion of the RND, died of disease while en route with the division to Gallipoli in April 1915

Blow out, you bugles, over the rich Dead!

There’s none of these so lonely and poor of old,

But, dying, has made us rarer gifts than gold.

These laid the world away; poured out the red

Sweet wine of youth; gave up the years to be

Of work and joy, and that unhoped serene,

That men call age; and those who would have been,

Their sons, they gave, their immortality.

The memorial was removed from its original site when work was started on the citadel, and it was eventually erected in a number of places before being re-installed in its original site on 13 November 2003. It is designated a grade II listed building.

In my opinion the glowering and overgrown citadel really overshadows the memorial, leaving it to look more like a feature as opposed to a proper memorial.

DRW 2013-2018. Created 14/10/2018