Memorial Details
Memorial
Cross 1914-18 1939-45 Village green
Reference
W4.01
Place
WALL
Map ref
NY 917691
Original Location
On green in centre of village
Which war
a. 1914-1918
b. 1939-1945
b. 1939-1945
Dedication, Creation or Publication date
a. Unveiled 18th October 1919 by Lt. Col. Riddell, D.S.O.; Dedicated Rev. W.W. London, Vicar of Wall, assisted by Mr. Hodgson (Wesleyan Superintendent Minister).
Memorial Description
Cross of Celtic type, 17 feet 9 inches high, smoothly carved, on a rough pedestal 6 feet 6 inches x 5 feet at base. At the foot of the shaft, a crown and other insignia are carved in half relief. Granite plaques bearing the dedication and the names of those who died in 1914-18 are on the four faces of the pedestal. The names are of lead in sans serif capitals, apart from the quotation, which is in italic capitals. The dates and names of those who died in 1939-45 are incised directly into the stone below the plaque on the front face, using sans serif capitals. The names of those who served are listed in single columns on two sides and back. The monument is inside a cast iron fence.
Materials used
Robin Hood stone with grey granite panels. The railings rest on stone brought locally from Black Pasture Quarry.
Inscription
a. Erected / by public subscription in / honour of the men of Wall / and District who served in / the Great War 1914-1919 / of whom the following nine / gave their lives.
"They jeoparded their lives / unto the death"
b. 1939-1945
"They jeoparded their lives / unto the death"
b. 1939-1945
Names
Who commissioned
War Memorial Committee, formed at a Public Meeting in January 1919, in conjunction with the Parish Council.
Cost
a. Monument £237; iron railings £60; lead letters 10/- per dozen, total cost £322.
How money was raised
Public subscription
Sculptor, Artist or Designer
Mr. R.B. Aves of Hexham
Ownership and maintenance
Parish Council accepted responsibility at the unveiling ceremony in 1919
Notes
1. Originally the inscription was to read "Greater love hath no man than this" but this was amended to the one used.
2. There was one proposal for a hall and another for a monument. The monument won by 24 votes against 13 in favour of the hall.
3. From the Parish, 51 men joined, and 9 died.
4. Men who received honours were
Pte. R. Robson, M.M. with bar;
Pte. Wm. Smith, M.M.;
Corpl. E. Smith, gold medal for services in Salonika. given by Serbian Government.
5. The project was deferred for a while because of an outbreak of influenza. Was this the flu epidemic which killed more people in 1919 than were killed in the whole of the Great War?
2. There was one proposal for a hall and another for a monument. The monument won by 24 votes against 13 in favour of the hall.
3. From the Parish, 51 men joined, and 9 died.
4. Men who received honours were
Pte. R. Robson, M.M. with bar;
Pte. Wm. Smith, M.M.;
Corpl. E. Smith, gold medal for services in Salonika. given by Serbian Government.
5. The project was deferred for a while because of an outbreak of influenza. Was this the flu epidemic which killed more people in 1919 than were killed in the whole of the Great War?
Newspaper cuttings, photos or archival material
Photos: R. Craig; P. Thirkell; T. Harding; old postcard: Tony Harding
Northumberland Record Office Parish Council Minutes Ref PC14/2, 6
Morpeth County Library Frith collection of photographs.
Hexham Courant 26/10/1919 reports unveiling.
Illustrated Chronicle 21/10/1910 has photo with brief report.
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle 25/10/1919 reports unveiling.
Hexham Weekly News 24/10/1919 reports unveiling.
In Silent Fortitude: In Memory of the Men of the North Tyne Valley who Fell in the Great War; Alan Isaac Grint; 2011; Ergo Press; ISBN 9780955751097
Source of quotation
“They jeoparded their lives unto death” Judges 5 v 18
Northumberland Record Office Parish Council Minutes Ref PC14/2, 6
Morpeth County Library Frith collection of photographs.
Hexham Courant 26/10/1919 reports unveiling.
Illustrated Chronicle 21/10/1910 has photo with brief report.
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle 25/10/1919 reports unveiling.
Hexham Weekly News 24/10/1919 reports unveiling.
In Silent Fortitude: In Memory of the Men of the North Tyne Valley who Fell in the Great War; Alan Isaac Grint; 2011; Ergo Press; ISBN 9780955751097
Source of quotation
“They jeoparded their lives unto death” Judges 5 v 18
External web link
Links to Source Material :
Research acknowledgements
R. Craig, Wall Local History Society; Janet Brown; P. Thirkell; Tony Harding; Dorothy Hall
Research In Progress
Alan Grint has researched the names on this memorial in his book In Silent Fortitude, 2011 Ergo Press ISBN 9780955751098 :-Cogito books 01434 602555
Cross 1914-18 1939-45 Village green (W4.01)
WALL, Village Green.
Front: Side 1:
Erected
by public subscription in Pte. J.C.A. Colebank, O. & B.
honour of the men of Wall Col. N.S. Telford,L.N.L.
and District who served in Pte. J. Hetherington, Y.L.I.
the Great War 1914-1919 R. Gray, K.O.Y.L.I.
of whom the following nine J. Maddison, Middx.R.
gave their lives. R. Scott, K.R.R.
W. Mason, D.L.I.
Lieut. W. Lee, R.A.F T. Ripley, "
Pte. G. Gray, R.F.A. S. Ridley, "
W.C. Robson, G.G. T. Mitchell, M.G.C.
L/Cpl. J.T. Bell, N.F. Cpl. E.J. Smith, A.S.C.
Pte. R. Maddison. Pte. W. Bell, "
W.S. Hepburn, Y.L.I. W. Graham, "
R. Curry, D.L.I. J. Heppell, A.O.C.
A. Walton.
W. Baird, G.H.
"They jeoparded their lives
unto the death"
--------------------------------------------------------
On lower front:
1939-1945
Sub. Lieut. C.E. Watson, R.N.
Captain W.A. Wood, M.C., R.A.
--------------------------------------------------------
Side 2: Back:
Sgt. M.D. Robson, N.F. E.R.A. M. Purvis, R.N.
J.W. Walton, " P.O. J.F. Rowell, R.N.V.R.
Cpl. G. Graham, " Cpl. W. Proudlock, R.A.F.
T. Heppell, " I.A.C. E.N. Laing, "
T.J. Scott " Pte. J. Herdman, "
W. Smith, M.M. " J.W. Foster, N.H.I.Y.
Pte. M. Bestford, " J.J. Davidson, R.G.A.
G. Robson, " R. Walton, H.A.C.
W. Ripley, " A.T. Dodd, R.E.
J.R. Wardle, " J. Littlefair "
R. Robson M.M. with bar. E. Robson "
A. Smith, W.Y. J. Wray, "
H. Smith, D. of W. Sgt. R. Bestford, N.F.
J. Little, S.S. J. Henderson, "
--------------------------------------------------------
The Hexham Weekly News has a variation on one name:
Pte. A. Maddison, F.F.
NamesW4.01
You are looking at all the information and the best images we have so far on this memorial. If you can supply more information or better images please get in touch by sending an email to enquiries@newmp.org.uk.
Parish Notes
Every Name A Story
The British Library is preserving this site for the future in the UK Web Archive at www.webarchive.org.uk
Copyright 2013, North East War Memorials Project. Registered Charity No. 1113088
Another Effective Group Website