Memorial Details

NEWMP Memorial Image
Photo: F. Pearson

Memorial

Plaque Parish 1914-18 St. Paul

Reference

W84.02

Place

WHITLEY BAY

Map ref

NZ 354721

Original Location

St. Paul's Church., Marden Road/Park View. North wall between two stained glass windows.

Which war

1914-18

Dedication, Creation or Publication date

Unveiled 11 November 1923 by Major Spicer and dedicated by Rev. F.L. Cattel.

Memorial Description

Plaque 4 feet 6 inches high x 5 feet wide. There is a raised patterned border of vine leaves and grapes. Inside this, on either side, is another raised pattern of which the background is painted sky blue, and half way down each side there is a small shield (left) the badge of St.Paul and (right) the badge of Northumberland.
At top right and left are two highly coloured enamelled rectangular panels showing a cross against a background of orange, green and blue, the cross having a ribbon round it bearing the words “Ora Pro Nobis” (“Pray for us”). Running inside all these is a very narrow border of gold and blue which forms the surround of the central panel.
The dedication is at the top, carved in Gothic script in gold. Below this, the dates "1914" and "1918" in large gold figures stand on either side of the quotation, which is written in black with gold initials to each word. The names are below this, listed in three columns in Roman capitals.

Materials used

White clunch stone

Inscription

To the glory of God and in memory of the / following men of this Parish who made / the Supreme Sacrifice in the Great War / 1914 / Greater love hath no man than this, that / a man lay down his life for his friends. / 1919

Names

Who commissioned

Church Committee

Cost

about £100

How money was raised

Parishioners' donations

Present condition

Good, and although there is a crack running through the plaque, it was cleaned and refurbished in early 1980s, at a cost of £1,000, paid for anonymously by a family in the parish.

Sculptor, Artist or Designer

Mr. Reid of Armstrong College
Plaque designed by E.C. Charlewood, Architect, 31 Beverley Terrace, Whitley Bay. of Hicks and Charlewood.
Enamel plaques probably designed by Rene Bowman, of the Armstrong College School of Art and member of the Newcastle Arts and Crafts

Notes

1. This church was originally called “St. Paul’s, Cullercoats”, when Cullercoats was larger than Whitley. When the enlarged Whitley became Whitley Bay in 1890s, St. Paul’s became St. Paul’s, Whitley Bay

2. “The next two windows, both single lights, are in memory of William Spicer, (the same Major Spicer who unveiled the war memorial) who died in his home in Delaval Road in 1925 at the age of 81. He was a Yorkshireman by birth, but had lived in Whitley Bay for most of his life and had worshipped at St. Paul’s for 55 years. By profession he was a bank manager, but his numerous voluntary commitments must have occupied as mush time as his banking. He was a churchwarden, and for sixteen years an officer in the Tynemouth Royal Garrison Artillery Volunteers. When conscription was introduced in 1916, Major Spicer was appointed a member of the Tynemouth Military Tribunal, in which capacity he would have sat in judgment on would-be conscientious objectors.” St. Paul’s, Whitley Bay. Visitor’s Guide.

3. “On August 14th, 1916, immediately after the local Zeppelin raid, a parishioner, in thanksgiving to God for the safety of those dear to him, himself and property, gave the Vicar £25 to be disposed of at his discretion.” The Vicar proposed to put this sum towards a war memorial.

Newspaper cuttings, photos or archival material

Photos: Nigel Eltringham, J. Brown

Northumberland Record Office Summary of Minutes of Meetings of Church Committee Ref. EP.61/92 [NRO3921] 4/11/89.

Shields Daily News 13/11/1922 reports unveiling.

Whitley Bay Observer 05/02/1921 reports proposals.

St. Paul’s, Whitley Bay. Visitor’s Guide.

Source of quotation
“Greater love hath no man . . .” St.John’s Gospel 15 v 13

Research acknowledgements

F. Pearson, Whitley Bay; Nigel Eltringham; the late R.W. Gould; Rev. Peter Rendell; Dorothy Hall

Research In Progress

Angela Conroy is researching the WW1 names on this memorial

Contact: 2014@newmp.org.uk

Plaque Parish 1914-18 St. Paul (W84.02)

 
WHITLEY BAY, St. Paul's Church.
     
  To the glory of God and in memory of the 
  following men of this Parish who made 
  the Supreme Sacrifice in the Great War 
  
  1914    Greater love hath no man than this, that    1919 
          a man lay down his life for his friends.
  
  Percy Adamson       John A. Gibson       Amos Robson
  Frank Andersen      John W. Grey         Fredk. W. Robson
  Laurence E. Baker   Alexr. C. Heathcock  Frank Rodrigues.
  James F. Barton     Robert W. Hogg       William B. Saint
  Albert E. Bell      Harry Holland        Robert Savage
  Frank Cecil Bell    Alfred J. Holmes     John E. Scott
  Randall Bennion     Richard Hope         Walter J. Scott
  Roy Birkett         James A. Hopper      John T. Sims
  Ashton Black        George Hunter        William Smart
  William Bootland    George W. Husband    Robert Snowdon
  George Bradford     William B. Jobling   Henry S. Soulsby
  Sidney R. Brittain  Ernest H. Joy        Cyril Strong
  Elliot D. Case      Stanley H. Kent      Victor Sutton
  Harry E. Case       Edwin V. Laidlow     James H. Taylor
  Athol Chappy        James W. Lattimer    John W. Taylor
  Robert Charlton     Charles H. Lawson    Henry T. Thompson
  Standish Corbett    Robert McLaren       John Thompson
  Edwin C. Coster     Edward Milton        John J. Thompson
  Robert W. Davison   William Mitchelhill  Harry H. Thwaites
  Thomas Dawson       Joseph Newbery       Edward D. Todd
  Philip Downie       John T. Newton       Hugh F. Trevor
  Charles Dunn        Athol E. Nichol      Alfred Wallis
  Thomas W. Dykes     Hugh Price           Edward Watson
  John J. Embleton    Claude Redshaw       Ernest Watson
  John P. Forster     Norman Renton        Charles Whinham
  Matthew Geddes      Lohorn Renwick       James D. Williams
  Frederic Gibbon     John W. Revell       John J. Wood
  John Gibson         Fred. G. Richardson
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Whitley Bay Observer 5/2/1921 and 17/11/1922 add variations on names on a preliminary list:
 
   Percy Adamson                  Joseph Newbery
   Frank Anderson                 John Thomas Newton
   Laurence Edgar Baker           Athol Ernest Nichol
   Albert Ellmore (Elmore) Bell   Hugh Price
   Frank Cecil Bell               Claude Redshaw
   Randall Bennion                Norman Renton
   Roy (Ruy) Birkett              Lohorn Renwick
   Ashton Black                   John Watson Revell
   William Bootland               Amos Robson
   George Bradford                Frederick William Robson
   Sidney Riches Brittain         Frank Ridriques
   Elliott (Elliot) Dryden Case   William Bell Saint
   Harry Ernest Case              Robert Savage
   Athol Chappy                   John Ellison Scott
   Robert Charlton                Walter John Scott
   Standish Corbett               John Thomas Sims 
   Edwin Charles ?Coxtar          Robert Snowdon
   Robert William Davison         Henry Stanley Soulsby
   Thomas Dawson                  Cyril Strong
   Philip (Phillip) Downie        Victor Sutton          
   Charles Dunn                   James Henry Taylor 
   Thomas Walker Dykes            John Wood Taylor
   John J. Embleton               Henry Taylor Thompson
   John Percival Forster          John Thompson
   Matthew Geddes                 John James Thompson
   Frederick Gibbon               Harry Hutchinson Thwaites
   John Gibson                    Edward Douglas Todd
   John A, Gibson                 Hugh Fowler Trevor
   John William Grey              Alfred Wallis
   Alexander Coverdale Heathcock  Edward Watson   
   Robert Wallace Hogg            Ernest Watson
   Harry Holland                  Charles Whinham  
   Alfred J. Holmes               John Joseph Wood
   Richard Hope                   James D. Williams
   James Arthur Hopper 
   George Hunter           
   George William Husband         
   William Bowan Jobling
   Ernest Hardie Joy
   Stanley Hornsby Kent
   Edwin Victor Laidlow
   James Wilfred Lattimer
   Charles Henry Lawson
   Robert M’Laren
   Edward Milton
   Edward (William) Mitchelhill 
NamesW84.02

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Parish Notes

Every Name A Story