Memorial Details

Cross 1914-18 1939-45 Roadside

B157.01

BYERS GREEN

NZ 225337

Roadside

a. 1914-18
b. 1939-45

a. Unveiled 12th April 1925 by Dr. T.A. Beresford Kane, J.P. of Bishop Auckland; dedicated by Rev. F.E. Loxley, Rector of Byers Green.
b. Memorial panel unveiled and wall dedicated 6th June 1948 by Rev. Richard Cartwright, Rector of St.Peter’s

Maltese Cross of St.Cuthbert, 17 feet (5.18m) tall, weighing 2½ tons, on tapering square shaft with chamfered corners. It stands on a pedestal on two steps. The bottom step is protected by a low rail. The whole stands within a small concreted area with three-course stone wall surround, with flower tubs.
The dedication is on the front face of the pedestal, and names for 1914-18 are carried in a single column on the sides of the pedestal, those for 1939-45 on the back. The lettering is in sans serif plain capitals, with the quotations in italic capitals.

Granite

a. To the / Glory of God / and in honoured memory / of the men of / Byers Green / who laid down their lives / for their country / during the Great War / 1914 -
“Their bodies are buried in peace, / but their name liveth for evermore.”
b. 1939-45
“Their seed shall remain for ever and / their glory shall not be blotted out"

War Memorial Committee

a. £330
b. £175.00

a. Public subscription.
b. Monthly house to house collections; donations; sale of photographs; jumble sale; programme sales.

Listed 1433893.

a. Messrs. Lowes of Durham. b. William Allison & Sons tender of £175 was accepted.

Handed over to the Parish Council at the unveiling ceremony.

1. The addition of the names from 1939-45 included improvement of the site. These included the removal of the railings and the provision of a low stone wall set at an angle of 35 degrees. A hedge would also be removed and replaced by the old railings. These plans had been intended for the original memorial site but there were insufficient funds to do this.

2. The list of 1939-45 names submitted for addition to the memorial were printed in the parish magazine and included 'John Thomas Scanlon', which was adjusted to 'Laurence Scanlon' now on the memorial.

3. In the April 1948 parish magazine, “It will be noticed that the contractors have now started to carry out the work . . .we would like to appeal to the public-spiritedness of adults to teach the children not to interfere with the work and particularly to respect the sacredness of the Memorial itself. Children are just children after all but a kindly word will do much to show them that the opening out of the memorial is not a new playground”.

4. “The unveiling of the 1939-45 memorial panel and the dedication of the new stone walling tool place on Sunday June 5th (1948). It was most unfortunate that the weather was so bad but in spite of the rain there was a very large attendance of villagers.” (Parish Magazine May June 1948).

5. The costs had still not been met but house-to-house and other collections carried on afterwards. By the time the Committee was wound up in October 1948 the total raised covered the costs.

6. J.E. Cartwright, who submitted information on the 1939-45 addition to the memorial, is the son of Rev. Cartwright who was Chair of the 1939-45 War Memorial Committee.

7. Dr Kane, who unveiled the memorial in 1925, formerly had a practice in the village, and knew many of the men named on the memorial.

Photos: Simon Raine; photos and photo of 1948 dedication: J.E. Cartwright

Auckland and County Chronicle 16/04/1925 reports unveiling.

Durham County Advertiser 30/05/1924 reports proposed design.

Durham County Record Office
Ceremony for unveiling of 1914-18 memorial D/X 779/5/16;
Photo of memorial and Order of Service D/X 779/16/40-45;
Names on cenotaph 1914-18 1939-45 D/X 779/69

The St.Peter’s Byers Green Parish Magazine Dec. 1947-Nov.1948 contain progress reports os the addition of the names from 1939-45 and the improvements to the site.

Darlington & Stockton Times 12/06/1948 reports unveiling.

Northern Despatch 07/06/1948 reports unveiling.

Spennymoor in Old Picture Postcards (A.J. Coia) carries a photograph of the memorial.

Sources of quotations:
“Their bodies are buried in peace . . .” Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus 44
“Their seed shall remain . . .” Apocrypha Ecclesiasticus 44 13

Darlington and Stockton Times 1948 06 12 Sat

Northern Dispatch 1948 06 07 Mon

Fitzhugh Collection, Middleton in Teesdale; John and Mavis Dixon; Dorothy Hall; J.E. Cartwright; Yorkshire Regiment Remembrance

Jim and John Grainger are creating an archive of information about each person named on the local War Memorials and would like to hear from anyone with stories, photographs or memorabilia. Contact:- monreith@aol.com

 

BYERS GREEN      Roadside

   To the 

   Glory of God 

   and in honoured memory 

   of the men of 

   Byers Green 

   who laid down their lives 

   for their country

   during the Great War.

   ------- 

   1914 - 

   “Their bodies are buried in peace,

    but their name liveth for evermore.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Left panel                      Right panel

   John Burdess                    Walter Kirkby

   Joseph Clark                    George Lascelles

   John Cornforth                  William Mason

   Alexander Davison               Jacob Pyle

   George Davison                  Matthew Raine

   William Davison                 William Raine

   Robert  Dinsley                 Joseph Robinson

   Fred Dobson                     John Robson

   Thomas Easton                   James Selby

   Martin Gibbon                   James Henry Sheldon

   Thomas Glendenning              Richard Small

   James Haddon                    Matthew Southeron

   William Harrison                John Tulip

   Wilfred Harrison                Joseph Turton

   Arthur Hetherington             George Warner

   Henry Lightfoot Hetherington    Brian Wetherell

   Charles Hodgson                 Samuel Wherry

   Solomon Jolly                   George Wilson

                                   William Marley

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Rear panel

   1939 – 1945

   John Briggs

   William Moores

   Joseph Michael O’Connell

   Arthur Eric Poynter

   Albert Raw

   John George Richardson

   Laurence Scanlon

   Sydney Smith

   Frederick Ward  

   “Their seed shall remain for ever and 

   their glory shall not be blotted out”

NamesB157.01      

Notes for this Parish

Individual stories for this Parish