A possible memorial at Lorton

Although I am reasonably familiar with memorials in South Lakeland, there are many in the outer reaches of Cumbria I am not familiar with. On odd occasions I find something that needs following up. And this photo of a 'Memorial Seat' at Lorton is a case in point. Is it a War Memorial? Dunno! I must try to find out when the summer comes.

The principal memorial is in the quiet and secluded parish church of St Cuthbert.

It is a lovely decorated and carved oak panel with the names of the fallen inscribed on a brass plaque. The care taken over it is manifest; not a speck of dust or splashed paint. What a gem.

There is a second world war memorial in the form of a brass plaque mounted on oak. It bears two names. I only have a blurred image.

New web site - South Cumbrian War Memorials - The Men

Over the years that I have been researching War Memorials throughout Cumbria a friend of mine, Andy Moss, has been steadily researching the names that appear on the memorials in the southern part of the county. It is very much an ongoing project.

The website can be accessed here

If you are looking for the service record of a paricular man this is the place to look. Andy has also accumulated a huge archive of supporting documentation.

A Crimean fatality

Just back from a week with my daughter in Portsmouth. Some nice presents, including a history, by Figes, of the Crimean War. He is a spectacular historian. An earlier book, 'Natasha's Dance', is an illuminating treatise on Russian identity. While away I also bought an old Victorian print from a little antique shop in Southsea, 'The Thin Red Line', reproduced from a painting of 1881 by Robert Gibb. It depicts the 93rd of Foot, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, holding off the Russian cavalry at Balaklava on October 25 1854.

Both book and print put me in mind of a memorial at St Columba's church, Warcop. It is the lych gate, erected in memory of a certain Captain Preston.

Captain Henry Preston, son of the Rev William Preston of Warcop Hall, late vicar of Warcop church and Lord of the Manor, died aged 28 on September 8, 1855  leading his company of the 90th Light Infantry (Perthshire Volunteers) in the storming of the Redan at Sevastopol in the Crimean War. The gate and a window in the church were created by his mother, brother and sisters. There are two further memorial windows, including one provided by fellow Officers. I don't have photographs.

However, the Crimean campaign was photographed by Roger Fenton who produced some of the earliest and most extraordinary images of conflict in existence. Among his collection is a group of Officers of the 90th L.I.

Unfortunately none are named but it may well be that young Capt., Preston is pictured.

As was the case is most of the British Empire's colonial wars memorials were erected on the battlefields and a significant number may be seen throughout the Crimea, specifically on the more famous features; Cathcart's Hill, Telegraph Hill, The Alma - and at Balaklava where an obelisk, much like a Great War memorial, commemorates all the Brits who died in the campaign.

Although Henry Preston hailed from Warcop his Regiment was Scottish, specifically from Perth. And so it is no surprise that a memorial to the 90th Light Infantry (Perthshire Volunteers) may be seen in St John's Kirk in that city.

The memorial, sculpted by Samuel Manning (Junior) of London, was erected in 1857 and bears the names of five Officers of the 90th L.I., four of whom died in the storming of the Redan, including Henry Preston.

The Preston family's service and sacrifice for Queen and Country did not end with Henry. Just three years after his demise his 20 year old younger brother, Moyles Preston, died of wounds on September 27 1858 while serving with the same Regiment at Alumbagh en route to relieve Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny (or the First War of Indian Independence!).

The Old Palace at Alumbagh, middle distance left, was held by by the mutineers as an outpost to Lucknow. After it was taken it served as a command centre for Henry Havelock's assault on Lucknow itself. Young Moyles Preston was most probably wounded in this preliminary action.

He too has a memorial window in Warcop church.

Such were the families who served the Queen Empress.

Clearly I need to access the church with my new camera!

Happy Christmas & Yule and a prosperous(!) 2012 to all who visit

Alston Part 2 - Nowell Oxland, poet, player and Cumbrian,

Just had a posting from a guy called Stephen C who is interested in the Alston memorial, specifically one man named on the memorial screen - Nowell Oxland. It appears that he was a local Cumbrian poet, rugby player and son a former vicar of St Augustine's parish church. Stephen is clearly a rugby player and enthusiast and has set up a website describing the commemoration of the men of Rosslyn Park Rugby Club, Roehampton who died in the Great War. Check it out here.

Of particular interest to me was the information that the reredos, featuring two painted panels depicting Saints George & Michael(?), are in fact portraits of Lt Noel Oxland, 6th Borders.

The memorial screen can be seen here with the reredos behind the altar. On either side of this reredos the painted panels can just be made out.

That on the left depicts St Michael, if indeed this the right attribution..

On the right, St George.

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It is self evident that they depict the same man.

Stephen's biography of Oxland on his website is most interesting and includes a photo which is clearly the same man as the portraits on the painted panels ....

Born in Cumberland, a vicar's son who attended Durham School as a Scholar, rower and XV rugby player and from 1909, Worcester College, Oxford, reading history when war broke out. While at Oxford he played rugby for Rosslyn Park (1910-11 XV photo), Richmond, Middlesex and Cumberland. He was gazetted as a 2nd Lieut, 6th Border Regiment in 1914 (staying loyal to his northern roots although his parents now lived in Portsmouth) and went to the Dardanelles,Turkey in June 1915 (as did Arthur Dingle and several other Park players).....

His poem 'Outward Bound' appeared in the Times in August 1915, and can be found in many anthologies. Written en route to Gallipoli, he invokes the past invasion by the Greeks  at Troy (across the Dardanelles) but dwells more on his fond memories of his home county:

We shall pass in summer weather/We shall come at eventide.../One with Cumberland for ever/We shall go not forth again.

What a lovely sentiment. A Cumbrian lad indeed!

Oxland was killed on August 9th 1915 aged 24, two days after the 6th Border's Brigade had taken Green Hill and Chocolate Hill, Gallipoli. He is buried in Green Hill Cemetery.

Thanks Stephen and sorry for the lousy quality of the photos!

A precious little document.

I have just realised that what is probably the most poignant little memorial I have found in my years of researching, indeed one of the best, has not been described!

When first looking for memorials, sometime after the millennium, I had no idea how many memorials there were in South Lakes and simply drove around, checked out village and town centres and looked in churches. It very soon became apparent that - a) there were memorials everywhere and - b) many had been lost.Thus it was wonderful to find one that was long thought lost.

While looking in Staveley in Cartmel church, the warden mentioned in passing that there had been a memorial in the village school, now the village hall, which lies beside the church. She remembered it was in a cupboard for years but having taken a look it was no longer there. After much chuntering and encouragement it turned up in the office of a local business.

Badly damaged with damp, unframed, but what a gem, a rare survival.

Slightly smaller than A4 it was drawn up by the children of Staveley in Cartmel village school on 24 May 1915 and lists the names of those village lads who had joined up in the great surge of volunteering of 1914/15. I imagine the teacher actually drew it.

The language is naturally the 'elevated rhetoric' or 'language of courage' that emerged during the Great War.

What have I done for you 'England my England'.

Sadly I took this pic years ago with a rubbish 2mp camera and I can't read it!

Colton's lovely memorials

As I have said on this blog often, communities throughout the country went to great lengths to find and erect memorials that they considered appropriate for men and women who had served and died in the years 1914-19. And so most of the memorials that are encountered, certainly in Cumbria, exist as a consequence of this process. However, there is a case to be made for memorials being foisted on communities by social elites; gentry, vicars, weekending industrialists, etc. Askam in Furness is arguably an example.

Another, in a less conspicuous way, might be Colton.

Colton is an ancient community in the fells above the valley of the Crake. Its church, consecrated in 1575, is dedicated to All Saints. A beautiful place.

And of course it contains war memorials.

The primary object of remembrance is a lovely window on the south wall of the nave. The imagery is quite odd. It depicts Saints George and Alban but wearing Tudor costume, probably a reference to the church's origins. It was created by Abbot & Co of Lancaster.

Below are two brass plaques naming the dead of the two World Wars. 

 But there is a secondary memorial mounted on the wall at the west end of the nave. It is a triptych with a central panel bearing the names of the dead and two doors with the names of those who served and returned.

This shrine (with or without the doors?) was given to the church by Colonel Dobson of Rusland in 1919. Such objects were created by Hughes Bolckow & Co, shipbreakers & builders of Blythe, Northumberland from the timbers of HMS Britannia, formerly Prince of Wales, a line of battle ship of c1849. Hughes Bolckow acquired the ship for breaking in 1916 and took the opportunity to utilise the well seasoned exotic timbers that she provided in abundance to create all sorts of objects. Folding chairs were designed with wounded soldiers in mind - 'their high back is very restful, but does not interfere with the hat when seated' - tea trolleys appropriate for - 'hospitals and nursing homes they ease the extra work brought by the war'. Crucially for this posting there were three patterns of memorial shrine, the names could be added - 'in black at a halfpenny a letter, or in gold at a penny a letter'.

There are a number of examples of the shrine across the country.

A newspaper account of April 1923 states that Colonel Dobson had the doors added, again at his own expense.