Pte Robert Smalley Kennedy 4170 Aged 18 1/4Th Btn Lincs Regiment B

THE WAR MEMORIALS AT CHERRY WILLINGHAM Notes compiled by Charles Parker The War Memorial is in SS Peter and Paul’s Church, Cherry Willingham and consists of two small cast brass plaques above the entrance door inside the nave. There are two further plaques for World War I and World War II on the lych gate; the names are the same as those within the church. “At a public meeting held in the day schoolroom on Monday evening 23rd January 1922, chaired by the Revd Benjamin Anderton Marsden MA (Vicar), it was reported that sufficient funds were available to provide a village war memorial. After discussion it was unanimously resolved that new oak gates be erected at the entrance to St Peter and St Paul’s churchyard carrying a bronze plaque bearing the names of the fallen. Three months later on Monday afternoon 17th April 1922 a short service was held in the church conducted by the Revd Marsden and assisted by the Revd Henry Wardale Hall (Vicar of South Carlton and former Vicar of Cherry Willingham) and Canon Thomas Hotchkin Vines MA (Vicar of Fiskerton). After the service the large congregation filed out to the memorial to witness the unveiling by Major Herbert E Newsum of the Lincolnshire Regiment and following his address, Canon Vines performed the dedication. Accompanied by organist Mr. R Tindall of Reepham the hymn O God Our Help In Ages Past was sung and the sounding of the Last Post and The Reveille ended the proceedings. Later tea and meat sandwiches were provided in the Day Schoolroom and in the evening a whist drive and dance were held to entertain the villagers.” (The First World War Memorials of Lincolnshire by Michael Credland, SLHA 2014) At that time there were approximately 160 people in the village occupying less than 40 houses. (Source 1911 Census) so this relatively modest memorial reflects the size of the population. [“The unveiling and dedication of the War Mernorial took place on Monday afternoon. The memorial takes the form of a lych gate at the entrance to the churchyard and bears a tablet with the names of those of the village who fell in the Great War. A short service was held in church conducted by the Rev. L. A. Marsden, assisted by the Rev H.W. Hall (South Carlton) and Canon Vines (Fiskerton). After the service the dedicatory notes was read by Canon Vines, and Captain Newsum of Lincoln performed the unveiling of the gates and made an appropriate address. The hymn ‘0 Lord our help’ was sung by a very large gathering. Mr. R. Tindall, of Reepham presided at the organ and played suitable music for the occasion. The “Last Post’ was sounded at the close. After the ceremony a meat tea was provided in the day schoolroom, and in the evening a whist drive and dance was held there being a large number present.” Lincolnshire Chronicle dated 22nd April 1922, also Faculty Book 14, page 397] The two plaques were removed for safety reasons in 1969. They were kindly cleaned and mounted by Nettleham and District Branch of the British Legion and placed in the church above the door. The gates were repaired in 1974 but as they would not have been able to be repaired again they needed to be replaced and at the 1975 Annual Parish Meeting a sub-committee was formed. This consisted of two members of the Parish Council, the Parochial Church Council, two members of the public and two members of the British Legion. The sub-committee agreed that the best method to raise the money was by public subscription and fund raising was carried out for a period of one week during 14 – 20th March. (Letter to Lincolnshire Police from Ken Shackleton, Clerk to the Parish Council, 1st March 1976 asking for permission to conduct a collection.) Collection boxes were placed in local shops and the Public House and there was a concert in the Church Hall, a Coffee Morning at 8 Church Lane (by kind permission of Mr. & Mrs. Lawson) and a Youth Club Disco. £236.44 was raised by these events and individual donations plus accrued interest. The gates were supplied by Wm Wright & Son, builders and the work was done by J Bailey. The final cost was £315.49; the balance of which was paid by the Parish Council and they were able to recover VAT of £22.20 giving a net cost to the village of £293.29. Clearly, at some time the plaques were copied and the replacements affixed to the new gates but I do not have a record at present (May 2014). The gates were refurbished once again in 2013 in anticipation of the centenary of the Great War. 1914 - 18 Pte Robert Smalley Kennedy 4170 Aged 18 1/4th Btn Lincs Regiment Enlisted Lincoln B. 1897 Killed in Action 18/10/16 Buried Berles Position Cemetery, Pas de Calais grave ref D5. Son of late James and Sarah Kennedy of Broxholme, foster son of Jane Clay of Cherry Willingham. (*Dorothy Bowman notes [p2] that a Mrs Clay lived in the white bungalow on the corner of Green Lane and she was a pillar of the chapel.) Pte Charles William Whitelam (spelt Whitlam on SDGW) 5028 Aged 20 1/4th Btn Lincs Regiment. B. 1896 Louth. Killed in action 18/10/16 Buried Berles Position Cemetery, Pas de Calais, Grave ref D3. (Presumably these two were some of the last casualties of the Somme offensive.) Born Binbrook, Lincs., enlisted Lincoln. Son of George and Ellen Whitelam, of Cherry Willingham, Lincoln. (*Dorothy Bowman refers to “old granny Whitelam and George” [p4] who lived in the third of Seeleys Cottages [p7] but also says they lived in one of the wooden huts on Waterford Lane in two places?) Pte Benjamin Brumpton 201621 1/4th Btn Lincs Regiment, attached to 468th Field Company Royal Engineers D. 23/10/17 (Third Ypres?) Also appears on the memorial in Fiskerton church. Resident of Fiskerton, enlisted in Lincoln. Died of wounds, buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, Grave Ref VI.G.75 (1911 Census - Benjamin Brumpton Aged 20. Second Waggoner on farm, Holton-cum-Beckering. Born Lissington, son of Benjamin & Jane Brumpton, Ord. Ag Labourer) (The 1/4th Lincolns was a Territorial Force battalion, 138 Brigade of 46 (North Midland) Division, landed Le Havre 1st March 1915. Moved to Egypt 7th January ‘16, but back to France on 4th February ‘16.) Pte John Thomas Cliff Taylor 8595 3rd Btn Lincs Regiment B. 1870 Discharged 11/10/17 No longer fit for service. Died 2nd quarter 1918 aged 49. Quarryman. (Originally enlisted 1888 s/no 2160?) (I find it difficult to believe that a man discharged as unfit for active service could go and work in an ironstone mine unless he was on light duties such as a tallyman/weighman. Anyway, he appears to have died of his injuries or illness sustained in the army. I’m going to get his death cert when I get a few minutes which should give us a few more clues. 3rd (Reserve) Battalion moved from Lincoln to Grimsby in Aug 1914 and remained in UK throughout the war.) (*Dorothy Bowman refers to several Taylors [p2]) *Dorothy Bowman in conversation with the local history group October 1985. 1939 - 45 Thomas Henry Goodchild (listed as Thomas HARMAN on CWGC) Lieutenant HMS Gurkha, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Died 17th January 1942 aged 31. Son of Mr & Mrs W H Goodchild, husband of L Patricia Goodchild (nee Hancock) of Lincoln. Commemorated on Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon. Panel 76, column 3. HMS Gurkha was the second ship of that name, it was originally named HMS Larne, but it was renamed after the loss of the Tribal Class destroyer Gurkha in 1940. At 0735hours on 17 January 1942, HMS Gurkha (Cdr. Charles Nugent Lentaigne, DSO, RN) was hit by one torpedo from the German submarine U-133 and caught fire from bow to stern. The Dutch destroyer HRMS Isaac Sweers towed the destroyer clear of burning oil on the surface and most crew members were then transferred to the Dutch destroyer by boats and were landed at Tobruk in the evening. The burning destroyer had to be scuttled north of Sidi Barrani in position 31º50'N, 26º15'E. HMS Gurkha had been escorting the Malta convoy MW-8B (four fast transports covered by Admiral Vian’s Mediterranean Fleet cruiser force), which arrived Malta on 19 January without further casualties.