TTHHEE LLAASSTT PPOOSSTT It being the full story of the Lancaster Military Heritage Group War Memorial Project: With a pictorial journey around the local War Memorials With the Presentation of the Books of Honour The D Day and VE 2005 Celebrations The involvement of local Primary School Chidren Commonwealth War Graves in our area Together with RREEVVEEIILLLLEE a Data Disc containing The contents of the 26 Books of Honour The thirty essays written by relatives Other Associated Material (Sold Separately) The Book cover was designed and produced by the pupils from Scotforth St Pauls Primary School, Lancaster working with their artist in residence Carolyn Walker. It was the backdrop to the school's contribution to the "Field of Crosses" project described in Chapter 7 of this book. The whole now forms a permanent Garden of Remembrance in the school playground. The theme of the artwork is: “Remembrance (the poppies), Faith (the Cross) and Hope( the sunlight)”. Published by The Lancaster Military Heritage Group First Published February 2006 Copyright: James Dennis © 2006 ISBN: 0-9551935-0-8 Paperback ISBN: 978-0-95511935-0-7 Paperback Extracts from this Book, and the associated Data Disc, may be copied providing the copies are for individual and personal use only. Religious organisations and Schools may copy and use the information within their own establishments. Otherwise all rights are reserved. No part of this publication and the associated data disc may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Editor. Printed in Palatino Linotype 10/12 Typeface Printed by Kent Valley Colour Printers Ltd Kendal Cumbria DEDICATION We have been asked who this book is for It is for the 2700 men and 6 women commemorated on our War Memorials It is for their families, their relatives, their friends It is for the Lancaster and Morecambe Community FOREWORDS “It is hard to express in words how proud and privileged I was to present a book of honour. A wonderful tribute to a lot of brave men and women and a father I never knew.” “Thanks to the information you found about my fathers military service, to my children, he is not just a name any more; he had a life, he had a history. They want to know more and will visit his grave and the place where he fought”. “I don’t know if this is any use to you but it is a lovely feeling writing about these things”. “I never knew my cousin who was killed in action on the Somme on 9th August 1916, but during the simple but moving ceremony on 8th May 2005, I felt that our lives had touched briefly and a bond had at last been established “Without this book the men and women who were lost through war may be forgotten – now they will not!” “The soldier named on the cross we had died on the same date as when we looked at it - we were very sad that day “ Child taking part in the Acorn Project – The Field of Crosses. “Wasn’t it wonderful when the Mayor turned and spoke to the lads on the memorial” “My grandchildren couldn't stop talking about it on the way home”. “As a family we cannot thank you enough for the way you have honoured my husbands father and all his comrades who gave their lives for a better world. The day was a credit to Lancaster “. “Thank you for the lovely day I had out on Sunday, I’m sorry I can’t write but I can’t hold a pen, but I just wanted to say a great big thank you”. An elderly lady by telephone. “When the firing party fired their shots I burst into tears”. From relatives and friends: iv CONTENTS Page Forewords iv Introduction 1 Chapter 1 General 2 Chapter 2 Lancaster 11 Chapter 3 Morecambe and Heysham 57 Chapter 4 The Northern Parishes 73 Chapter 5 The Eastern Parishes 94 Chapter 6 The Southern Parishes 105 Chapter 7 The War Memorial Project 116 The Origins 116 The Research 116 The Books of Honour 118 The Presentations 118 VE 2005 “A Community Remembers” 121 Schools Participation 126 Epilogue 134 Acknowledgements 135 Annex A Searching for Information 136 Annex B Relatives Essays – Content 138 Annex C Book of Honour Foreword 140 Annex D Data Disc Content 141 Annex E British War Effort 1914-1918 142 Annex E British War Effort 1939-1945 143 Annex G Further Reading and References 144 Index 146 Colour Plates (Centre of the Book) CP1-CP8 v Memorial Window Carnforth Congregational Church vi INTRODUCTION “ God and the soldier we alike adore, In time of danger, not before The danger passed and all things righted God is forgotten , the soldier slighted.” Anon The Lancaster Military Heritage Group was One of the most significant visible records of service founded in 1999 by a group who were concerned are our War memorials which commemorate, by that the historic links between the area of Lancaster name, those who died in, or as a result of, war. and Morecambe and the Armed Forces were However even some of these are disappearing, or diluting as various defence reductions took place. are not readily available to the public. Much Conscious from the outset of the debt the armed material was uncovered during the project and the services owe to the local communities, who provide main part of this book is an illustrative survey of their sons daughters and support in times of all the War Memorials in the Lancaster and conflict, a War Memorial Project was set up so as to Morecambe area. say “Thank you” to the local population. Over a 3 year period the biographies of nearly three There is currently intense interest in family history, thousand local people who are commemorated on enlivened by the accessibility of records on the local war memorials were researched, compiled and Internet and the activities of various societies. The bound into Books of Honour. These were then depth and availability of service records is an presented to various organisations on appropriate important aspect of family history. At the same time occasions. there is renewed interest in “Remembrance”, particularly as the 60th Anniversaries of the end of The Project has been a fascinating and emotive the Second World War take place, possibly the last journey, uncovering detail of the lives of those who of the National Commemorations as those who died in conflict. The local community responded actually went to war are no longer with us. It is with stories of their relatives and friends and loaned hoped that this book will provide an interesting their memorabilia to help with the biographies thus overview of this topic as well as providing some ensuring that this information is recorded for sign posts for those interested in family, art, social posterity as the living collective knowledge of the or military history. Perhaps the book may community fades. This gives added significance to complement the study of such topics in schools. A the immortal words: “Their names will live for suggested reading list is included to aid further evermore”. research. This Book records the activities undertaken during However the dominant reason for the Project, and the project, including the activities of school this book, is to say thank you to the men and children and of the final presentation of sixteen women who took part, particularly those who gave Books of Honour to the Mayor of Lancaster on 8 their lives and to the relatives and the community May 2005, the Sixtieth Anniversary of VE Day. who supported them. 1 Chapter One - General CHAPTER ONE - GENERAL about. For example a one off sample of the Internet with the keywords WAR MEMORIALS produced 530 web sites from Google and 152 books for sale 'You don't make a tombstone for the sake of giving on Amazon! pleasure but in order to put up a record of names and dates. If incidentally it does please you, so Who put them up, why and where did the money much the better - nay, more, it will be in some sort, come from? What about their condition now - who a proof that the work has been done properly.' looks after them? What can we do? This chapter is Eric Gill, Autobiography, 1940 meant to serve as a “primer”, an introduction to a topic now known as “Memorialisation”. It is a vast To take a book out of the library on War Memorials and much studied subject which ranges from topics may be seen as somewhat specialised; to buy one such as “The Socio-economic consequences of the indicates a real desire for more information, to write Great War” through to the records of the last letters one seems to be a fairly oblique occupation! War of a dead soldier to a loved one. So what follows is Memorials are a part of every day life. We all pass meant for those who wish for a gentle scene setter one at least once a week; on Sundays maybe fixedly along with a few sign posts; hopefully it will stare at one in the form of a Roll of Honour or stimulate more in depth research about the local stained glass window. They have become well men and women who died in conflict and are known, but largely ignored parts of church and remembered in their home towns and villages. It is street furniture. Yet they are a part of our heritage, appropriate to start with history, how it all began the very fabric of our being, commemorating as they and why.