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Amblecote

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The  Lych Gate War Memorial

After the Great War (1914 - 1918) the Lych Gate was erected by the end of October, 1921 as the Amblecote War Memorial. The dedication service, performed by William Wilson Cash the Bishop of Worcester, took place on Sunday 6th November, 1921.
The names of 62 people from the area who were killed were inscribed on two painted wooden panels in alphabetical order.
In 1950 the wooden panels were replaced by panels cast in bronze and the names of the 17 casualties from the Second World War were added.

The Great War (1914 - 1918)
Sergeant William Allchurch M.M.
Age 32, South Staffordshire Regiment, Died of wounds, France, 10.10.1917 (CWG)
Private Cyril Attwood
Age 19, 2nd/5th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment, France, No known grave, 3.12.1917 (CWG)
Sapper George William Attwood
Age 19, Inland Water Transport Royal Engineers, Iraq, 1.4.1917 (CWG)
Private Percival Sydney Barker
Age 21, 2nd/6th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, France, 10.12.1917 (CWG)
Private Norman Stanley Barnes
Age unknown, 1st/8th Royal Warwickshire Regiment, France, No known grave, 1.7.1916 (CWG)
Private Charles Baxter
Age 19, 2nd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France,  13.5.1916 (SD)
Private Joseph H. Bills
Age 20, 7th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, Belgium, 16.8.1917  
Private Alfred Breese
Age 26, 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, Belgium, No known grave, 7.11.1914 (CWG)
Private William Breese
Age 22, 3rd Btn.Worcestershire Regiment, Belgium, 7.1.1915 (CWG)
Private Colin John Penrice Brindley
Age 21, 2nd/6th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment, France, Died of wounds, 10.4.1918 (SD)
Private George William Burrows
Age 19, 2nd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Belgium, No known grave, 15.4.1918 (CWG)
Lance Corporal John Henry Capel
Age 28, 11th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps, France, No known grave, 30/11/1917 (CWG)
Private John Henry Benjamin Cole
Age 21, 2nd/7th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France, 29/11/1917 (CWG)
Second Lieutenant James Roy Coombs
Age 22, Royal Field Artillery, France, No known grave, 24.3.1918 (SD) (CWG)
Private Albert Darby
Age 24, 2nd Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, France, Died of wounds, 5.12.1917 (SD)
Private Charles Alfred Friday Davies
Age 30, Machine Gun Corps. (Infantry), France, Died of wounds, Holy Trinity, 6.11.1918 (SD)
Private William Davies
Age 27, 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment, France, Died of wounds, 21.10.1918 (CWG)
Sergeant Robert Warren Dean
Age 28, 16th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment, France, No known grave, 2.9.1916 (CWG)
Private Charles Conrad Dean
Age 20, 16th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment, France, Died of wounds, 15.9.1916 (CWG)
Private George Alfred Dillworth
Age 26, 2nd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Belgium No known grave, 21.10.1914 (CWG)
Second Lieutenant Howard Joseph Edwards
Age 20, 7th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Belgium, No known grave, 9.10.1917 (CWG)
Private Sidney George Elcock
Age 21, 2nd Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, Germany, Died of wounds, 17.05.1917 (CWG)
Signalman Charles Eric Goodman
Age 20, Royal Navy - H.M.S. Simoon, Portsmouth Naval Memorial, 23.01.1917 (CWG)
Private Charles Henry Green
Age 30, 6th Btn. Kings (Liverpool Regiment), France, No known grave, 31.7.1917 (SD)
Guardsman Thomas Griffin
Age 30, 1st Btn. Grenadier Guards, France,  27.9.1918 (SD)
Private Horace Edgar Guest
Age 41, 2nd/8th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France, 18.4.1918 (CWG)
Sergeant William Basil Hale
Age 27or 28, Machine Gun Corps. (Inf), Buried at Holy Trinity, 25.6.1918 (CWG)
Private Thomas Harris
Age unknown, 2nd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France, No known grave, 15.7.1916 (SD)
Private Geoffrey W. Hingley
Age 20, 10th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France, No known grave, 3.7.1916 (SD)
Private Charles Howell
Age 35, 4th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Gallipoli, 30.11.1915 (CWG)
Private Harold A. Jones
Age unknown, 10th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, No known grave, 3.7.1916 (SD)
Private William Jones
Age 24, 4th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Gallipoli, No known grave, 6.8.1915 (CWG)
Private H. E. Kny
Age 30, Army  30, Army Cyclist Corps, Greece, 19.11.1917 (CWG)  
Private George H. Leighton
Age unknown, Royal Army Medical Corps. Buried at Holy Trinity, 09.04.1919 (CWG)
Edward Lowe 
Age 22, London Scottish/Gordon Highlanders, Gassed in France, Chorister at Holy Trinity,
Buried in Holy Trinity Churchyard, 04.09.1921
Private Percival Lowe
Age 33, 7/8 Btn. King's Own Scottish Borderers, France, No known grave, 17.9.1918 (SD)
Private Alfred Mason
Age 18, 9th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Iraq, 6.8.1916 (CWG)
Trooper Harry Benjamin Molineux
Age 24,  Household Cavalry. Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), France,  30.10.1914 (SD)
Private Albert John Morris
Age 26, 8th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, Belgium, No known grave, 16.2.1916 (SD)
Lieutenant Samuel Thomas Newton
Age 23, 1st/5th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, Died of wounds received 1916,
Buried in Stourbridge Cemetery, 13.12.1919 (SD)
Lance Corporal George Frederick Onions
Age 24, 1st Btn. Princess Charlotte of Wales (Royal Berkshire Regiment), France, 
No known grave, 21.8.1918 (SD)

Private Frank Parrish
Age 22, 7th Btn. Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry), France, No known grave, 30.11.1917 (SD)
Private James Partridge
Age 22, 14th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment,  France, Died of wounds, 26.10.1917 (SD)
Private Claude Arthur Pitt
Age 24, 2nd/5th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, France, 20/12/1917 (CWG)
Private Thomas Rides
Age 37, 2nd Btn, South Staffordshire Regiment, France, 27.6.1915 (CWG)
Captain D'Arcy St. Clare Roberts MC
Age 27 or 28, 4th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France,  26.4.1918 (CWG)
Corporal Herbert Roberts
Age 24, 2nd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Died of wounds, Holy Trinity Churchyard, 1.2.1917 (SD) (CWG)  
Private Ernest William Rogers
Age 20 'C' Cpy 2nd Btn. Durham Light Infantry, France, No known grave, 20.9.1918 (CWG)
Private Herbert Scott
Age 22, 1st/5th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, France, 12.10.1918 (CWG)
Acting Bombardier Horace Victor Sheriff
Age 28, Territorial Force Royal Field Artillery, France,  2.5.1917 (SD) (CWG)
Private Wilfred Shotton M.M.
Age unknown, 13th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers, France,  No known grave, 22.4.1918 (SD)
Gunner Edward Charles Smith
Age 20, 256 Siege Bty. Royal Garrison Artillery, Belgium, No known grave, 4.10.1917 (CWG)
Private Frederick Sparkes
Age 31, 4th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Gallipoli, No known grave, 6.8.1915 (SD)
Captain Reginald Alfred Squires O.B.E.
Age 27, 16th Btn. King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry), France, 25.4.1919 (SD) (CWG)
Private Clarence Ranford Starling
Age 19, 1st/14th Btn. London Regiment (London Scottish), France, No known grave, 16.4.1917 (CWG)
Private George Herbert Taylor
Age 22, 5th Btn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry, Belgium, 16.10.1917 (CWG)
Lance Corporal Herbert  Percival Wallens
Age 29, Army Service Corps Motor Transport, France,  2.10.1918 (SD)
Private Gilbert Wheelwright
Age 18, 22nd Btn. Durham Light Infantry, France, No known grave, 29.5.1918 (CWG)
Private John Ernest Whiteman
Age 24, 2nd/6th Btn, South Staffordshire Regiment, France,  9.5.1917 (CWG)
Private Bernard Wood
Age 29, 3rd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France, 22.5.1916 (SD)
William Charles Wyeth
Age 28, Army Service Corps. Motor Transport Section, Discharged due to illness.
Stourbridge Cemetery,  21.7.1918 (WMA)
Private S. Joseph Yardley
Age 25, 4th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, Gallipoli, No known grave, 28.4.1915 (SD)


The Second World War 1939 - 1945
Private Frederick Edward Bishop
Age 19, 1st Btn. Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Italy, 19.4.1944 (CWG)
Corporal Reginald Harry Cooper
Age 25, 7th Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment, France. 8.8.1944 (CWG)
Leading Aircraftwoman Mary Harriet Elwell
Age 30, Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Runnymede Memorial, No known grave, 18.2.1945 (CWG)
Signalman Charles Victor Wynne Gill
Age 34, Royal Navy - H.M.S. Anking, Plymouth Naval Memorial, 04.03.1942 (CWG)
Assistant Cub Master at Holy Trinity and commemorated in South Side Window
Sergeant John David Greensmith
Age 19, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Flying Accident, Buried at Holy Trinity, 24.8.44 (CWG)
Private George Percival Hand
Age 24, Worcester Regiment, Buried at Holy Trinity, 09.04.1941 (WMA)
Able Seaman Kenneth Ronald Jukes
Age 19, Royal Navy, Udine War Cemetery Italy, 5.5.1945 (CWG)
Private Kenneth Alfred Thomas Lane
Age 21, 4th Btn. Royal Dorsetshire Regiment, Died of wounds, Buried at Holy Trinity, 13.7.1944 (CWG)
D. Meredith
Not positively identified. Could be Leading Aircraftman Donald Meredith RAFVR Age 21, 25.9.1943
Rifleman Reginald John Meredith
Age 21, 2nd Btn. Rifle Brigade, Died of wounds, Italy, 31.5.1945 (CWG)
Lance Corporal Edward Mills
Age 26, Corps. of Military Police, Germany, 7.6.1945 (CWG)
Private Arthur William Murray
Age 20, 7th Btn. Worcestershire Regiment, France, No known grave, 26.5.1940 (CWG)
Bombardier John Emmanuel Perry
Age 28, 140th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, Tunisia, 25.4.1943 (CWG) Rover Scout at Holy Trinity and commemorated in South Side Window
Lance Corporal Albert Roberts
Age 27, 2nd (Airborne) Brigade Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, Germany, 24.3.1945 (CWG)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Arthur Dexter Southall
Age 23, 214th Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, buried in Stourbridge Cemetery, 29.11.1941 (CWG)
Sapper Cyril Victor Sparrow
Age 26, 584 Army Field Company Royal Engineers, Germany, 25.3.1945 (CWG)
Flight Sergeant Bruce Albert Stratton
Age 28, 12 Sqd. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Runnymede Memorial, 20.2.1944 (CWG)

 "The Soldier"
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Rupert Brooke (1887-1915)


"Back"
They ask me where I've been,
And what I've done and seen.
But what can I reply
Who know it wasn't I,
But someone just like me,
Who went across the sea
And with my head and hands
Killed men in foreign lands...
Though I must bear the blame,
Because he bore my name.

Wilfred Wilson Gibson (1878-1962)

Special thanks to Mr. Ian Williams and several readers who have kindly helped to fill in some of the missing details.
Sources of information
SD - Soldiers Died in the Great War CD Rom. (Naval & Military Press Ltd.)
CWG - Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
WMA - War Memorials of Amblecote Part 2  by Ian Williams Published by the Amblecote History Society.

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