Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter October 2014 Project Update: http://www.lincstothepast.com/home/lincolnshire-remembrance/ We still have a lot of work to do adding photographs and information, but over the next few months it should start to become a really useful resource. We would really like you all to check that we have information on your local memorials and please do let us know if there are any we have missed. There will be mistakes so please do let us know if you spot any! I am currently sorting through the memorial photographs with the help of some 'data angels' and I am compiling a list of memorials for which we do not have a good photograph. I will email this to you all as soon as I have a reasonable number so that hopefully we can gain a more complete record of the memorials. Training and Information days for Lincolnshire Remembrance We are running a series of training and information events in October and November. This will finally give us a chance to meet you all and give you a chance to participate in the project. Please do attend if you can; to book a place email me at [email protected] or call on 01522 554959. Lunch will be provided so please let me know if you have any special dietary requirements, or indeed any other special needs. All the events are free of charge and we have tried to choose venues with parking where possible. We can book some more events at other locations if there is sufficient demand – please let us know if you will find it difficult to attend any of the events listed. Lincolnshire Remembrance Training Events: Date Venue Time 7th October Lincoln, The Golf Centre, Thorpe on the 10am-3.30pm Hill, Lincoln LN6 9BW 9th October Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre, 28 Plough 10am-3.30pm Hill, Caistor, LN7 6LZ 3rd November Lincoln, Seminar Room, Robert Hardy 6.30pm – 9.30pm building, Bishop Grosseteste University, Longdales Road, Lincoln 10th Gainsborough Library 10am-3.30pm November Please book by contacting me (Cath Pike) at [email protected] or telephone 01522 554959 1 Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter October 2014 Other Events: 15th 'The Three Philip Henry's in Grantham Family History Society October the Lincolnshire Harrowby Methodist Church 7.15pm Regiment' - Peter Reichelt Harrowby Lane (on the corner of Princess Drive Post code NG31 9PY £1 donation for tea/ coffee 18th Lincolnshire Remembrance City Square, Lincoln October World War I event with All free. 10.30 - Time Tarts World War I re- 3.30pm enactors , West Gate School Choir and many special interest groups and displays. 18th The Long-expected Day Venue: St Peter-at-Gowts, High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7SR October A commemoration in £5 admission 7pm Words and music of the For further information and to reserve tickets (also Great War available on the night) please contact Julia Hart 01673 862426 18th Gainsborough's War Story Gainsborough Heritage Centre October 1914-mid 1915" Book 10am Launch 20th The German Atrocities in Western Front Association October 1914 – John Chester Robert Hardy Building, Bishop Grosseteste University 7pm Longdales Road, Lincoln £4 inc. tea/coffee 25th Royal British Legion – East Kirby Aviation Heritage Centre October Launch of the Poppy Appeal 2014 26th Echoes of the Past Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground October Family History event 30th The Christmas Truce Friends of Lincoln Tank October 1914 – Rod Fanthorpe The Royal Naval Association Club 7pm for Coulson Road 7.30pm Lincoln LN6 7BG £5.00 including light refreshments www.friends-of-the-lincoln-tank.co.uk 3rd Ceremony to mark the Gainsborough General Cemetery November restoration of 20 Hickman Hill 11am Headstones Gainsborough 8-9th Exhibition and guided Gainsborough General Cemetery November walk of Gainsborough Hickman Hill Cemetery Gainsborough 8-9th Willoughton Remembers Willoughton Village Hall and St Andrews Church November An exhibition telling the Vicarage Road, Willoughton, near Gainsborough. 10am – story of WW1 in a DN21 5SA 4pm Lincolnshire village, Artefacts including a unique WW1 Motorcycle, 2 Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter October 2014 rare RNAS photographs and RFC kit will be on show. 23rd Dedication of new plaque St Martin's Church November and service of South Willingham 6pm commemoration for the men of South Willingham who died in the Great War If you have events you would like us to advertise do email me at [email protected] Can Anyone Help? This article refers to a memorial for Corporal William Johnson of Swarby being installed in the Primitive Methodist Church at Swarby. The church no longer exists…but does anyone know what happened to the plaque or have a photograph of it? Grantham Journal Page 6, 16th February 1918 3 Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter October 2014 Memorial for Sale! Geoff Tann contacted me this week as he had recently visited an antiques fair and seen a brass plaque commemorating 'Members of St Aidan's Church who fell in the Great War' for sale for £160. With a bit of detective work we were able to establish that the memorial was from St Aidan's Church in Derby, which was demolished in the 1970s. But should the memorial be offered for sale? We contacted the War Memorials Trust for advice: War Memorials Trust believes that war memorials should not possess a commercial value and that the buying and selling of war memorials is wrong for the following reasons: war memorials form part of our shared past and national cultural heritage; war memorials should be accessible to the public for commemoration and remembrance of those affected by conflict; war memorials bought and sold maybe removed from public display which prevents them being available to people to commemorate those recorded, often including family members of those recorded on the memorial; buying and selling war memorials creates a market value for such items which could lead to more being removed from public display and encourage the theft of such pieces for commercial gain. The War Memorials Trust has a help sheet with advice which can be found at http://www.warmemorials.org/uploads/publications/58.pdf This includes a sample letter to explain to sellers why they should avoid buying and selling memorials. Conservation Focus: Lincolnshire graveyards often contain family graves with memorials to soldiers who died. There are also some soldiers who died who do not have Commonwealth War Grave headstones. These are some of our most vulnerable memorials; families may no longer be caring for them, weathering may have obliterated the lettering or the headstone may have toppled or been laid flat for safety reasons. The Friends of the General Cemetery in Gainsborough 4 Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter October 2014 have worked tirelessly to resolve these problems in remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives. The work to bring to public attention the servicemen buried and remembered in Gainsborough cemeteries has been going on since 2005 when Private Albert William Hill's grave was accepted as a War Grave and a headstone was erected during a ceremony held on a frosty March day by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He died at Rugeley Training Camp in 1917. There was an account of his death in the local paper but his grave in the cemetery was unmarked. Since then twelve graves of soldiers buried in the General Cemetery during WW1 have been accepted as War Graves and headstones have been erected by the CWGC. The latest grave to be accepted if that of Gunner Alexander William Cressingham who died on 7.3.18. It currently has a temporary marker. After consultations with the CWGC in 2011 the "Friends of Gainsborough Cemeteries and Chapel" working with Trent Valley Academy and supported by members of the Gainsborough branch of the Royal British Legion raised funds to repair family headstones marking the War Graves of two RFC officers buried in the cemetery. They had died in flying accidents flying for 33 Squadron which had its H.Q. in Gainsborough from late 1916 defending the country against Zeppelin raids. The crosses on both graves had been lying on the ground broken for several years. 2nd Lt. Laurens Jacoates Van Staden was from South Africa and Lt. Jack Harman was from London. Relations of both officers were traced and they agreed to the restoration. The work was carried out by Lincolnshire Co-op who generously funded half the cost. While the masons were carrying out the work they inspected four other family headstones marking the war graves of RFC officers Lt. Brophy, Lt. Menzies and 2nd Lt. Pinnock, all from Canada, and Lt. Benitz from Argentina. An unexpected problem was that all four needed to be made safe to meet modern standards so we set about raising the additional funds to achieve this. Finding relatives of the officers concerned was not easy but we did manage to trace relatives of all of the officers except Lt. Brophy. After an article appeared in the "Ottawa Citizen" newspaper and an interview on CBC Radio we managed to trace relatives of Lt. Menzies who sent photographs which added greatly to our knowledge about his R.F.C. career. We even received photographs of his military funeral in Gainsborough. So far these are the only photographs we have of a military funeral 5 Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter October 2014 in the town during WW1. The family of Argentinean officer Lt. Benitz also sent several photographs and information which added greatly to our knowledge. Two ceremonies were held to mark the restoration of the headstones.