World War One Memorials
Charles Hancox was one of the first villagers to join up shortly after the war started. A Farm Labourer from Kings Newnham, he was the son of William and Sarah Hancox, born in 1891, He joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (First Battalion), and was killed on 26th April 1915, and his memorial is on the Menin Gate in Ypres. He joined up and fought alongside Alf Day and Walter Cooke from the village. Walter wrote a letter home during the war which was reported in the Rugby Advertiser on 15th May 1915.
Ralph John Dunn was the son of William and Mary Dunn who were based at Manor Farm in Kings Newnham from early in the 20th Century. He was in the Warwickshire Yeomanry with a rank of Second Lieutenant, and died on 24th September 1915 in Belgium, aged 24 and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial. Ralph had an MSc in Chemistry from Birmingham University, and need not have signed up to fight, but he joined the Royal Engineers.
The Battle of the Somme started on 1 July 1916. By the end of the battle, in November, 420,000 British men had died. In that July four men from Church Lawford and King’s Newnham lost their lives. It is these four men, recorded on our village War Memorial, that Church Lawford Bellringers paid tribute to during July 2016, having paid tribute to Ralph Dunn and Charles Hancox earlier.
On Friday 1 July 2016 St Peter’s bells were rung half muffled at 11,00am to remember Arthur Henry Hammond. He was a Private in the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He was born in Preston Capes in Northamptonshire and enlisted in Rugby being a resident of Long Lawford.
Two days later, on Sunday 3 July, the bells were rung to remember Private Arthur Cashmore at 11.00 am following the morning family service, which was themed around Remembrance. The children had made paper poppies which were placed near the belfry, and during the service the congregation was given a brief picture of Arthur’s life in Church Lawford, where he had lived, worked and worshipped, before enlisting with the 10th Ser¬vice Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1915. He died on the third day of the conflict.
On Friday 15 July the bells were rung to remember Lance Corporal Ernest Payne. He was born in Pailton in 1885. At aged 16 he was a stockman living at Shilton Fields. In 1907 he married Sarah Florence Mason and by 1911 he had become a waggoner, living at Fennis Fields, King’s Newnham, with their son Stanley, aged 2. He enlisted with the 11th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was aged 31 when he was killed in action on 15 July 1916. Ernest is also remembered on the war memorial in Pailton.
For the ringing to remember George Henry Gurney on Saturday 30 July 2016 the bellringers were privileged to be joined by his niece, Doreen Lane and her granddaughter. “Uncle Harry”, as he was known to Doreen, was born in Wolston to Harry and Clara Gurney. The family lived in Church Lawford in the early 1900’s where George was a farm labourer. He had four sib¬lings, Frederick, Herbert, Gwendoline (Doreen’s mother) and Reginald. He was a private in the 10th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment and died on 30 July 1916.
It is interesting to note that the service numbers of Arthur Cashmore, 9844, and George Gurney 9846, means that it is highly likely that they signed up together, and sad to note that they died in the same month.
Herbert Addison was born in 1895 at Catthorpe, the eldest child of William and Lois Addison. According to the 1911 census, Herbert was 15 at this time, they were living at Brandon and he was already a farm labourer. He now had two sisters, Ethel and Amy, and two brothers Frank and Percy. At the time Herbert enlisted the family were living in Kings Newnham. Herbert, when he was killed in on 13th May 1917, aged 21. He was a soldier of the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwick¬shire, and died fulfilling the role of stretcher bearer.
Sydney John Batchelor was a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and he was 28 years old when he died in 1917. He is buried in Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun, France. He was the brother of Lucy Batchelor, who was well known to many villagers as the school cook – Mrs Ingram.
As well as the memorial bell, all of the above eight men were remembered during 2018, the one hundredth anniversary of the armistice, with a special presentation inside the church, with each man having a church window decorated in their honour.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning.
We will remember them.
A plaque in the church also remembers two veterans of the conflict who died after the Armistice, Clarence Beers (1921) and Arthur Ernest Cockerill (1923). On Clarence Beer’s headstone, next to that of his parents, is the inscription “In Loving Memory of dear CLARENCE the only child of W. and E. BEERS wounded at Cambrai and Prisoner of War died 21st May 1921 aged 22. Arthur Cockerill died in 1923 aged 24, which gives an indication of his young age during the Great War. He is buried near Clarence Beers and the memorial to Ralph Dunn in the row of graves next to the footpath.
Also in 2018, Frank Hartley wrote an article for the village magazine to complement the various activities that went on to during 2018 to remember the conflict, as well as other post-war events. The article is reproduced here.