Memorial Details

NEWMP Memorial Image
Photo: Dorothy Hall

Memorial

Cenotaph 1914-18 1939-45 Village

Reference

M47.01

Place

MURTON

Map ref

NZ 388470

Original Location

In the centre of the village on a small island park

Which war

a. 1914-18
b. 1939-45

Dedication, Creation or Publication date

a. Unveiled in appalling weather on 21st January 1922 by County Councillor William Rees. Dedicated by Canon C.W. Anson-Firth, Vicar of Murton. b. Unveiled 6/7/1947 by Rt.Hon. Emmanuel Shinwell, M.P., Minister of Fuel and Power; dedicated by Rev. Geoff

Memorial Description

Cenotaph, total height 3.65m (12 feet), on two steps, bronze sword in front, and swags near the top. Above the swags are shields bearing the St. George’s cross raised in half relief. The lettering is raised proud using leaded sans serif capitals throughout.
The whole stands in a patio area surrounded by dwarf pillars and chains.

Materials used

Aberdeen granite

Inscription

a. To the memory of / the men of / Murton / who fell in the Great War / whilst serving their country / 1914-1919.
"Their name liveth for evermore"
Erected by the Workmen and Officials / of Murton Colliery./
b. Also / to the glory of God and / in memory of those of / Murton and District who / gave their lives in / World War 1939-1945

Names

Cost

£1,000

Present condition

Refurbished early 2005

Notes

1. At the unveiling, the flag was unfurled by Wm. McNally, V.C.

2. Nearby is a wooden I-shaped shelter with asbestos tiled pitched roof and seats on two sides, painted green. The tablet inside reads “This retreat was opened by J.N. Weatherall, Esq., on Armistice Day 1923”.

3. This is a replica of the Cenotaph in Whitehall on a smaller scale. It is thought to be the only replica in the country, although the one at Warkworth was designed along the same lines.

4. The memorial restoration was helped with £6,500 grant aid by War Memorials Trust among others.

5. This cenotaph featured on the Durham Miners’ Association Murton Lodge banner.

6. This area was upgraded in 2007. The low wall to the front of the two memorials was removed to allow a clear view from the road and thereby reduce misuse of the area. Functional paving was replaced with high quality materials more sympathetic to the memorials.

7. The Durham Chronicle reports that this was placed in the “newly made park”. Newcastle Weekly Chronicle states that the memorial stands “On a striking position on what used to be the village green of East Murton, but which now has been closed in and laid out as a park”.

Newspaper cuttings, photos or archival material

Photos: C. Sanders; Simon Raine; Lesley Armstrong, clerk to Murton Parish Council; Dorothy Hall

Newcastle Weekly Chronicle28/01/1922 page 10.

Auckland and County Chronicle 26/01/1922 reports unveiling.

Illustrated Chronicle 23/01/1922 reports unveiling with photos.

Northern Echo 23/01/1922 reports unveiling.

Durham Chronicle 27/01/1922 reports unveiling.

Seaham Weekly News 27/01/1922 reports unveiling.

Newcastle Daily Chronicle 23/01/1922 reports unveiling.

Sunderland Echo 23/01/1922 reports unveiling. (Available on The British Newspaper Archive)

Beamish Museum -Durham Advertiser Series Photo of Unveiling in 1947.

Banner Parade W.A. Moyes 1973 (Frank Graham, Newcastle) ISBN 902833 18 9 carries a picture from the John Gorman Collection. This shows the memorial on the Murton Lodge the banner of the Durham Miners’ Association

War Memorials Trust Bulletin No.26 Summer 2005 records refurbishment.

Murton Parish Council Newsletter Issue 10 Winter 2007/8 reports the refurbishment of the memorial.

Pit Boy: Memories of a life in Murton during the 1930s and 1940s; P.J. McPartland; The People’s History; 2005; ISBN 1 902537 90 9

Source of quotation
“Their name liveth for evermore” Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus 44.

External web link

Links to Source Material :

Research acknowledgements

Fitzhugh Collection, Middleton in Teesdale; C. Sanders; the late Dr. R.A. Gould; Murton Parish Council; Gordon Gray; John S. Perry; Dorothy Hall; Yorkshire Regiment Remembrance; Beamish Museum

Research In Progress

If you are researching this memorial please contact 2014@newmp.org.uk

Cenotaph 1914-18 1939-45 Village (M47.01)

 
MURTON  Village.
  
  
Front
   To the memory of
   the men of
   Murton
   who fell in the Great War
   whilst serving their country
   1914-1919
   Their name liveth for evermore
   Erected by the Workmen and Officials
   of Murton Colliery
  
  
   also
   to the glory of God and
   in memory of those of
   Murton and District who
   gave their lives in
   World War 1939-1945.
----------------------------------------------------------  
First side                 
   Arkley      Edward              
   Arthur      Fred                
   Arthur      Joseph              
   Atkinson    George              
   Ayre        James               
   Baines      Peter               
   Barker      James               
   Barker      Joseph              
   Barnes      John                
   Berry       Matthew             
   Blakelock   Joseph              
   Blakey      William             
   Bland       Thomas              
   Bond        Robert              
   Bond        William James       
   Brewster    Albert              
   Brown       John                
   Brown       Robert              
   Broxson     Thomas              
   Bulmer      Ernest              
   Bulmer      Robert              
   Bunting     John                
   Burdess     Thomas              
   Burt        George              
   Cain        Thomas              
   Cairns      George              
   Cairns      John Henry          
   Calvert     George              
   Carmichael  Martin              
   Carr        William             
   Chaytor     Joseph              
   Chester     Arthur              
   Christopher Robert              
   Clark       James               
   Clark       John L.             
   Clementson  Thomas              
   Clewes      Christopher         
   Colledge    Robson              
   Conlon      William             
   Cook        Isaac               
   Cook        William             
   Cowell      Robert              
   Coxon       Richard             
   Cram        John              
   Cummings    Hunter            
   Cummings    James             
   Curtis      Jacob T.           
   Dickeson    Robert            
   Dixon       Edward          
   Dixon       John              
   Dodds       Matthew D.       
   Duffy       William          
   Early       John              
   Ellerington Henry H.   
---------------------------------------------------------- 
First side upper pedestal  
   1939-1945                                          
   Anderson    William        Balls      Edward          
   Anderson    Thomas         Collings   Ralph R.        
   Anderson    William C.     Clayton    Henry           
   Beer        Norman         Cummins    William E.      
   Barker      Robert         Cook       Richard         
   Blythe      Benjamin       Duggin     Douglas         
   Brogden     William        Davison    James H.       
   Bousefield  John           Davey      George R.  
   Bell        Edward         Dixon      Thomas     
   Binnie      James          Errington  Sidney     
   Brown       Leslie         Errington  George       
   Bowen       Thomas         Elliott    John 
---------------------------------------------------------- 
First side lower pedestal  
   
               McNally        John      
               Smith          Ralph   
               Lumsdon        Robert   
               Harper         John 
---------------------------------------------
Second side
   Robson      John
   Robson      Steven
   Robson      Thomas
   Robson      Thomas  
   Robson      William
   Rowe        Robert
   Rowlands    Harry
   Rutherford  James
   Rutter      Lowes W.
   Salkeld     Richard
   Scott       George
   Scott       Thomas
   Seymour     Thomas
   Sharp       Alfred
   Sheraton    Robert A.
   Shield      Walton
   Simpson     William
   Skeen       James
   Skeen       John W.
   Smith       George H.
   Stewart     William
   Suggitt     William
   Surtees     John
   Taylor      James
   Thompson    John
   Thornton    John
   Tidyman     Fred
   Toy         Timothy
   Trotter     John
   Turner      Robert D.  
   Urwin       Christopher
   Vine        Robert
   Ward        Adam
   Waddell     George
   Wasling     Richard
   Watson      Alan W.
   Watson      Sidney  
   Welsh       Edward
   Webster     James  
   White       Charles S.  
   White       Joseph
   White       Joseph F.  
   White       Robert Oliver
   Whitmore    John  
   Williamson  Richard
   Wills       John
   Wilson      Edward
   Winlow      Adam
   Wood        William
   Wood        William
   Wright      Arthur
   Wynn        Thomas
   Young       Norman Lane  
----------------------------------------------------------
Second side upper pedestal
   1939-1945
   Short       Joseph         Watkin      Cuthbert
   Spry        James N.       White       Oswald
   Smith       Frederick      Winlow      David
   Southeran   Frederick C.   Wier        Robert                                               
   Shippen     Harry          Williams    Thomas N.
   Tunmore     Angus          Williamson  James A.
               Williams       Thomas H.
               Williams       Dorothy
               Williams       Olive
               Gray           Laura
               Johnson        George R.
               Robson         Albert                            
---------------------------------------------------------- 
Second side lower pedestal
               Gray           William
               Alstone        Eleanor
               Graham         Elizabeth
               Davison        Matthew
               Hughes         George R.A.
---------------------------------------------------------- 
Rear  (1914-18)
   Holland     Ernest H.      Hunter     Ernest
   Elliott     Elizabeth      Knox       Joseph
   Elliott     Joseph W.H.    Lamb       John
   Elliott     Nathaniel L.   Lashlie    William
   Elwick      Andrew         Lavis      Fred
   Emery       Michael R.     Laws       Francis
   Emery       William        Laws       Isaac 
   Errington   John           Laws       Nicholas 
   Etherington James H.       Laws       Thomas  
   Etherington William        Lawson     John 
   Fitzsimmons Thomas         Liddle     Edward 
   Fogherty    John           Ludlam     Joseph 
   Forrester   Albert         Luke       William 
   Forster     James C.       McCaffery  James
   Forster     Thomas         McCormack  Michael A. 
   Gallagher   Martin         McCinty    Patrick John 
   Ganning     James          Maddison   Stephen
   Geeham      William        Mallon     James D. 
   Gibson      Thomas         Malpass    James 
   Gilbraith   Robert         Mason      Thomas 
   Godfrey     John           Mather     George 
   Golightly   James          Mean       John Robert
   Gowland     Ralph          Metcalf    Robert H. 
   Graham      Joseph         Milburn    Fenwick 
   Graham      Thomas         Monarck    James 
   Gray        Thomas         Naylor     Samuel G.
   Grimes      Robert H.      Neasham    John 
   Gurkin      Thomas         Nevilles   John 
   Hall        James          Nevilles   Joseph 
   Hall        Matthew        Newton     Robert
   Hartley     Herbert W.     Nickels    Charles G. 
   Haswell     Robert         Noble      William 
   Heeler      Walter W.      Nord       William
   High        Thomas         Norman     Robert  
   Hill        Joseph         Ogden      James
   Holland     Edward         Oram       Richard  
   Holman      Robert         Oram       Roger 
   Holmes      Steve          Oram       Thomas 
   Hope        William        Parkin     Edward
   Hoult       Arthur         Pearson    Joseph L. 
   Hudson      Thomas S.      Peart      William 
   Hughes      Thomas         Pescod     Ralph 
   Hunt        John           Philips    John W. 
   Hunter      Thomas         Pickering  John 
   Ingram      Samuel         Pine       Thomas
   Jane        W.J.W.H.       Place      Thomas W.
   Jackson     Robert         Potts      George
   Jennings    Robert W.      Pow        Robert W. 
   Johnson     Robert         Purcell    Michael 
   Jones       George         Purvis     Richard 
   Jones       James E.       Quinn      David 
   Jones       John           Read       William 
   Kelly       Matthew        Richardson Thomas 
   Kettlewell  Henry          Robinson   Robert
   Knox        Anthony        Robson     Albert
  ----------------------------------------------------------
Rear upper pedestal   
   1939-1945
   Ellis       Morris         Mason      William H.
   Elliott     John           Meddes     George C.K.
   Ellery      Robert         Nevins     Robert
   Grieves     Norman         Norman     William C.
   Griffiths   John W.        Oliver     David
   Hansford    George         Pallas     Thomas
   Halliwell   Arthur         Penman     David
   Hill        Albert         Purvis     George
   Hogarth     Leslie         Staff      Arthur
   Holmes      Robert         Skeen      Basil
   Luke        Thomas         Scott      John
   Myer        Daniel         Slater     Joseph
Names M47.01  

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Parish Notes

Every Name A Story