Memorial
Triptych 1914-18 Reading Room
Neasham
Memorial Name: Triptych 1914-18 Reading Room (N56.02)
NEWMP Ref No.: N56.02
Parish: Neasham
Reading Room at Sockburn Lane, Sockburn Lane, Neasham, Co. Durham, DL2 1PJ NZ 32941 10379
Moved inside in the 1950s.
1914-18
Ship’s timbers.
See Notes below. Teak.
Hughes Bolckow & Co. Ltd. Bodley and Hare (Designer).
At top
For
God, King & Country.
On doors
Roll
of Honour
On small brass plaque beneath names:
Made
from
H.M.S. Britannia
cadet training ship at
Dartmouth/
1869 – 1905
On small white plaque at left side of memorial:
Made from timber removed
from
H.M.S. “Britannia”
Cadet Training Ship at
Dartmouth
1869 – 1905
On small white plaque at right side of memorial:
Manufactured by
Hughes Bolckow & Co. Ltd.,
Battleship Wharf
Blyth
10 Dover St.
London
Triptych 48 inches high x 20 inches wide (1.2m x 510mm) with gable top containing the words “For / God, King and Country” painted in gold and shadowed in black.
The doors are each 30 inches high x 10 inches wide (750mm x 250mm).
On opening the doors, there is a central panel with a cross painted in gold, and the names of those who joined the conflict in 1914 painted on either side of the cross
The names are in a single column on the inner doors and either side of the cross, in each case with the words !Roll of Honour” painted in red above.
The names of those who fought from 1915 and some of those who fought from 1916 are painted on the inside of the left hand door, with the remaining names from 1916, and those from 1917 and 1918 are painted inside the right hand door. Those who died are marked with a painted gold star.
Honours or medals achieved are painted in red.
All lettering is incised using sans serif capitals throughout.
There is a shelf below.
Two small plaques tell the story of the makers of the memorial.
The memorial is built out from the wall on a dark varnished backing panel with moulded edges, approx. 6 inches (15cms) deep, in shape echoing the shape of the triptych.
Overall height estimated at 8 feet 6 inches (2.59m).
58 names, ranks and regiments, of whom 9 were killed.
See transcript.
1. In a booklet presented by Hughes Bolckow to their staff when the firm was taken over in 1961, there is a long piece about the break-up of the “Britannia“.
The salvaged material went to making up all kinds of things including a font made a from binnacle at Blyth.
One sentence reads : “Folding chairs on offer were designed with wounded soldiers in mind (‘their high back is very restful, but does not interfere with the hat when seated’);
tea trolleys were advertised (‘in hospitals and nursing homes they ease the extra work brought by the war’);
and there were three patterns of memorial shrine with space for names of up to 150 dead; the names could be added ‘in black at a halfpenny a letter, or in gold at a penny a letter'”.
2. The memorial was once attached to the exterior of the building but was moved indoors due to weather damage and is constructed of timbers from the break-up of HMS Britannia early in the 20th century.
3. Neasham Village Hall,The Reading Room was built in 1902 by Sir Thomas Wrightson, owner of Neasham Hall on Sockburn Lane as a meeting room for his estate workers and newspapers were provided for reading. It replaced a chaotic site of old cottages and pigsties and was built with two front doors because if it was found that a Reading Room was not necessary, it could be converted to two estate houses. However, It has been used continually since by the villagers, except during the First World War when it was commandeered by the army. The County Branch Library was house here until 1952. The Wrightson family generously donated the Reading Rooms to the village in 1955 to be run by a committee, and it has been run as a village hall up to the present day.
Neasham Reading Room website.
Photos: C. Sanders; Howard and Christine Jemmeson; James Pasby
Durham Villages. published by W.I., 1993
Additional Research Documents
Fitzhugh Collection, Middleton in Teesdale;
C. Sanders;
Howard and Christine Jemmeson
If you are researching this memorial please contact 2014@newmp.org.uk
NEASHAM Reading Room
Centre panel
For
God, King and Country.
1914 1914
C.A. Wrightson C.B.E. R. Herring
Captain R.N. Cpl. L.G.
R.N. Thompson W. Kitchen +
Major R.G.A. Pte. N.F.
T.G. Wrightson J. Knight
Major D.L.I. Drv. A.S.C.M.T.
W.E. Rogerson + A. Lawson
Captain D.L.I. A.B. R.N.
A. Surtees J. Lawson
Captain N.F. Drv. R.F.A.
A. Surtees E. Manning
Captain N.F. Cpl. D.L.I.
F.M. Thompson E. Sanderson
Captain R.N.D. Cpl. A.S.C.
B. Surtees + J. Sanderson
Captain W.Yks. Pte. R.D.F.
J.W. Thompson W. Sanderson
Lieut. R.G.A. ? R.D.F.
B. Wilkinson + H. Slade
Lieut. E.Yks Pte. R.Wrk.
W.I. Wrightson G. Smith
Lieut. D.L.I. Pte. Yks.
J. Ainsley R. Smith
A.B. R.N. Pte K.O.Y.L.I.
A. Copsey D.C.M. A. Towers
Sgt. R.F.A. Sgt. D.L.I.
H. Cowell I. Towers
Pte. Husrs. Sap. R.E.
R. Harrison C. Wood
Pte. E.Yks Pte. D.L.I.
H. Henderson F. Wrightson
Pte. M.G.C. Sgt. M.G.C.
——————————————————————-
Left inner door
Roll
of Honour
1915
H. Jolliffe Lieut. Yorks
C. Rutledge Lieut. N.F.
B. Wilkinson + Lieut. W.Yks
G. Wilkinson Capt. C.N.D.A.
H. Wrightson ARRC Lond. VAD
N. Anderson M.M. + Sap. R.E.
H. Bailey Pte. D.L.I.
R. Bowlby C.deG. Drv. A.S.C.M.T.
C. Bywater Trp. I.C.
A. Curran Pte. A.S.C.
W. Dayer Sgt. R.F.A.
A. Ford Pte. A.S.C.
J. Forder + Pte. R.Wks.
T. Foster Drv. A.S.C.M.T.
I. Jolliffe Nurse V.A.D.
E. Lawson Sgt. D.L.I.
E. Sanderson Cpl. A.S.C.
H. Sanderson Gun. R.F.A.
J. Smith Pte. D.L.I.
J. Soakell Pte. A.S.C.
H White Sgt. D.L.I.
W. Wrightson Pte. Blk.W.
1916
M. Wilkinson ? Yks.
P. Allison Pte. N.F.
W. Anderson Pte. A.S.C.
J. Atkinson Gun R.G.A.
J. Bailey Gun R.F.A.
J. Bell Pte. A.O.C
J. Burgess Gun. R.F.A.
A. Burton Sgt. Yks
A. Bywater Pte. D.L.I.
T. Chapman Pte. Yks.
I. Forder Gun. R.G.A.
R. Forster Pte. N.F.
A. Garbutt Pte. A.S.C.
——————————————————————-
Right inner door
Roll
of Honour
1916
H. Goldsborough Cpl. D.L.I.
W. Haw Gun. R.G.A.
J. Henderson Pte. Yks.
S. Holland Drv. A.S.C.
A. Knight Pte. D.L.I.
A. Lawson A.B. R.N.
R. Lawson Sgt. E.Yks
H. Manning Pte. R.F.A.
E.R. Richardson + Cpl. Can.
E.H. Richardson Pte. D.L.I.
H. Roycroft Pte. Yks.
J. Ryan Pte. R.A.F.
R. Ryan Pte. D.L.I.
J.K. Sanderson Pte. D. of W.
F. Sanderson Pte. D.L.I.
T. Sharpe Pte. M.G.C.
E. Sidgwick Gun. R.F.A.
R. Towers + Sap. R.E.
R. Wilkinson Pte. Can.
A. Wood Drv. A.S.C.
T. Wood Gun. R.G.A.
G. Wood Sig. R.F.A.
J. Woollard Cpl. N.F.
1917
W. Dixon Drv. I.W.T.
A. Garbutt Drv. R.G.A.
E. Knight Pte. R.A.M.C.
W. Manning Pte. K.O.Y.L.I.
J. Sanderson Pte. K.O.Y.L.I.
F. Slade Pte. E.Yks.
W. Smith Gun. R.F.A.
B. Surtees Nurse V.A.D.
M. Wrightson Sgt. Q.M.A.A.C. wi
1918
P. Garbutt Sap. R.E.
J. Hughff Drv. A.S.C.
B. Jolliffe Drv. W.R.A.F.
NamesN56.02
War Memorial Indexes
County Durham Index
Newcastle Index
Northumberland Index
Over The Tees Index
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