Memorial
Cenotaph 1914-18 1939-45 Village Green
Murton
Memorial Name: Cenotaph 1914-18 1939-45 Village Green (M47.01)
NEWMP Ref No.: M47.01
Parish: Murton
In the centre of the village on a small island park
a. 1914-18
b. 1939-45
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 06/07/1947 by Rt.Hon. Emmanuel Shinwell, M.P., Minister of Fuel and Power;
dedicated by Rev. Geoffrey Tomlinson.
Aberdeen granite
£1,000
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
Cenotaph.
Total height 12 feet (3.65m), 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.
a. 217 full names.
b. 75 full names.
See transcript
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 in 2005 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”.
Photos: C. Sanders; Simon Raine; Lesley Armstrong, clerk to Murton Parish Council; Dorothy Hall
Auckland and County Chronicle
26/01/1922 reports unveiling.
Durham Chronicle
27/01/1922 reports unveiling.
Illustrated Chronicle
23/01/1922 reports unveiling with photos.
Newcastle Daily Chronicle
23/01/1922 reports unveiling.
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle
28/01/1922 page 10.
Northern Echo
23/01/1922 reports unveiling.
Seaham Weekly News
27/01/1922 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.
Additional Research Documents
Fitzhugh Collection, Middleton in Teesdale;
C. Sanders;
Dr. Ralph A. Gould;
Murton Parish Council;
Gordon Gray;
John Swan Perry;
Dorothy Hall;
Yorkshire Regiment Remembrance;
Beamish Museum
If you are researching this memorial please contact 2014@newmp.org.uk
If you know more about this memorial, please send the details to NEWMP.
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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