Kemerton

Worcestershire | Kemerton | War Memorials

Kemerton War Memorial Ordnance Survey reference: SO 957374 Contents

NOTE: Several names (Edward Holland-Martin, Hubert W Festing, O.W.
Devereux and Maurice C. Festing, possibly others) appear on the memorials
and/or rolls of honour for both this parish and
Overbury, so it may be worth checking both parishes.

Note that Maurice Festing‘s widow is buried at Great Comberton

This is a cross set on an octagonal base. A circular rim at the top of the base reads:


1914 + 1919 Greater love hath no man than this


However, a dedication inscription, runs at the top of three faces:


In Proud and Grateful memory of those who gave their lives in the War of 1939-45


From the names of regiments (ie. Parachute corps), and the evidence of a L.C. Archer’s grave in the Kemerton churchyard, these three faces list World War II casualties:


Commander T.C.M. Bellairs

Royal Navy

Petty Officer C. Carter

Royal Navy

Captain J.S. Atkinson

Indian Armoured Corps

Lt. R.N. Atkinson

7 Btn Parachute Regt.

Lt L. Atkinson M.C.

South Wales Borderers

Private L. Archer

Worcs. Home Guard

Sergt, A.J.B. Gerard-Smith

12 Btn. Parachute Regt.

The remaining names on the other 5 faces are listed in a slightly different style, and the inscriptions also look somewhat more weather eroded. With the backup evidence from the Roll of honour listing, it is evident that these are World War I casualties.
These are the names on the remaining five faces:


Lt. E.T. Stringer R.N.

HMS Redpole

Stoker I.O. Spiers

HMS Hampshire

Lt. G.R. Holland-Martin

16th Lancers

Spr. C.R. Smith

R.E.

Sergt. W Russell

G. Gds.

Lt. J.A. Pinney

R. Fus. Attd. 38th C.I.H.

Pte. O.W. Devereux

L. Cpl. W.P. Mansell

Pte. T.J. Smith

Glouc. Regt.

Pte R.F. Peach

Pte C.A. Pugh

Pte T. Spiers

Pte J. Wiggins

Worc. R.

Sergt. E.N. Hindmarsh

Oxf. & Bucks L.I.

Pte F. Cook

Manch. R.

Lt. Col. H. W. Festing DSO

Durh. L.I.

Corp. A.C. Brush

Lt. H.C. Hopton

E Afr T.C.

Sergt C. Farrer

A.M.R. (N.Z.)

Spr. T.C. Farrer

N.Z.E.

Since this transcription was made in the summer of 1998, the memorial has
been renovated. The text is now much clearer and more readable, the
letters having been picked out with paint. This was probably done, like many
other memorials, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great War.


St Nicholas, Kemerton

Ordnance Survey reference: SO 946367

There are two framed Rolls of Honour in the church. The names of those who died are underlined in red, and a small cross placed next to the name. I have marked such names with a ‘+‘. The first:

ROLL OF HONOUR 
KEMERTON PARISH 1914-1916 

Patrick Moore        Staffordshire Yeomanry
Thomas Payne         Royal Field Artillery
Ernest Hillman       Royal Garrison Artillery
William Wood         Royal Field Artillery
Frederick Randall    20th Hussars
Henry Morris         Gloucestershire Regiment
Albert Figgett       Military Foot Police
Ernest Figgett       Gloucestershire Regiment
Frank Cross          Queen Victoria Rifles
+ William Mansell    Gloucestershire regiment
Isaac Spiers         HMS Leviathan
+ Oliver Spiers      HMS Southampton & Hampshire
Norman Devereux      Royal Army Medical Corps
Maud Hopton          Nursing Staff Expeditionary Force
Martin Devereux      Gloucestershire Regiment
Steadman Devereux    Gloucestershire Regiment
William Devereux     Gloucestershire Regiment
Francis L Festing    5th Fusiliers
Harold E Festing     Border Regiment
Vincent Smith        Royal Naval Reserve
Albert Morris        Worcestershire Regiment
Jesse Morris         Gloucestershire Regiment
Alfred Morris        Worcestershire Regiment
Kenneth P Smith      Berkshire Regiment
Frank Bown           Gloucestershire Regiment
George Bartlett      Gloucestershire Regiment
Clifford Cotton      Gloucestershire Regiment
Henry Jones          Gloucestershire Regiment
William Jones        Gloucestershire Regiment
Frank Smith          Gloucestershire Regiment
Thomas William Smith  Gloucestershire Regiment
Henry Cooke          Gloucestershire Regiment
Joseph Marsh         Gloucestershire Regiment
Jim Colley           Cheshire Regiment
Arthur Colley        Cheshire Regiment
Fred Dudfield        West Somerset Light Infantry
Oliver Dudfield      Worcestershire Yeomanry
William Parker       Worcestershire Yeomanry
Albert Turner        Worcestershire Yeomanry
William Cranton      Worcestershire Yeomanry
Maurice C Festing    Royal Marine Light Infantry
Albert Taylor        Worcestershire Yeomanry
+ Thomas Farrer      New Zealand Engineers
Clifford Stanley     Worcestershire Regiment
+ Charles Pugh       Worcestershire Regiment
George Mansell       Gloucestershire Yeomanry
Roland Farrer        Auckland Mounted Rifles
Reginald Tombs       Worcestershire Yeomanry
+ Ralph Peach        Worcestershire Yeomanry
+ Albert Clarke      Worcestershire Yeomanry
Albert Haines        Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
Albert Randall       Worcestershire Regiment
Herbert Taylor       Gloucestershire Regiment
+ Edric Hindmarsh    Oxfordshire Light Infantry
Arthur James Smith   Army Service Corps
Thomas Wilfrid Smith Gloucestershire K.F.A.
Carmi Walker         Royal Horse Artillery
Charlie Morris       Worcestershire Yeomanry
Charles Clarke       Army Service Corps
Harold Clarke        Army Service Corps
Herbert Hipkins      Australian Contingent
+ William Russell    Grenadier Guards
Robert Smith         11th Hussars
+ Hubert W Festing   Durham Light Infantry
Harry Taylor         1st Royal Dragoons
Joseph Gannaway      Worcestershire Regiment
Cecil Cross          Army Service Corps
Thomas Cranton       Royal Garrison Artillery


ROLL OF HONOUR
KEMERTON PARISH 1916 -

William J Morris     Army Service Corps
Thomas Spiers        Worcestershire Regiment
Harry W Colley       Royal West Surrey regiment
Frederick Dudfield   West Somerset Light Infantry
Reginald Dudfield    Worcestershire Regiment
Vincent Smith        Royal Naval Division
Alec Hipkins         Royal Flying Corps
Leonard Holyoak      Royal Army Medical Corps
Thomas Daffurn       Canadian Exped. Force
Walter Daffurn       Gloucestershire regiment
Victor Daffurn       Rifle Brigade
G Herbert Mumford    Suffolk & Essex R.G.A.
Charles Brush        Dorsetshire Regiment
Ernest Cross         London Regiment
Arthur Walker        Army Service Corps
Norbert Smith        Gloucestershire Regiment
William Gisborne     Warwickshire Regiment
Charles Holyoak      Royal Field Artillery
Alfred Holyoak       Royal Field Artillery
Arthur Stanley       Royal Engineers
Richard Portman      Gloucestershire Regiment
William Edwards      Worcestershire Regiment
Thomas Harris        Worcestershire Regiment
+ Arthur Brush       Royal Fusiliers
Charles E Attwood    Gloucestershire regiment
Grove Smith          Royal Flying Corps
Raymond Smith        Royal Engineers
Alfred Wood          Gloucestershire Yeomanry
+ Geoffrey Holland-Martin   16th Lancers
James Burke          Hampshire Regiment
Cecil Spiers         Berkshire Yeomanry
Ernest Brush         Royal Air Force
Jack Daffurn         Gloucestershire Regiment
Alfred Wallace       Royal Marine Light Infantry
Frederick P Attwood  Gloucestershire regiment
Henry Knight         Royal Garrison Artillery
Austin Hall          Army Veterinary Corps
Walter A Smith       Devonshire regiment
Charles H Bridges    Gloucestershire Regiment
Frederick C Smith    Royal Engineers
Arthur Clarke        Army Service Corps
Thomas Clarke        Warwickshire Regiment
George Pugh          Gloucestershire Yeomanry
Philip Long          Army Service Corps & RFC
Albert Brush         Devonshire Regiment
Arthur Bown          Army Service Corps
Leonard Green        Royal Engineers
Denis Barnes         Warwickshire Regiment
John Parker          Gloucestershire Regiment
Edward Holland-Martin   O.T.C.


A plaque in the church:


To the Glory of God

and in ever loving memory of

John Charles William Adderley Pinney

Lieut. 38th K.G.O. Central India Horse,

late 1st Bn Royal Fusiliers,

Born 31st March 1896 – who fell 1st December 1917

in the Battle of Cambrai while leading his

Squadron in a dismounted attack on the

Kildare trench, south east of Villers Guislain

An observer with the Royal Flying Corps in France

from 12th November 1914 to June 1915

“and they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts

in that day when I make up my jewels”

Mal. III 17

In the churchyard:

IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
MARY JANE HOPTON,
WIDOW OF
CHARLES EDWARD HOPTON,
CAPT. 23RD. ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS,
DIED JANUARY 25TH 1914
ALSO OF
GWENDOLINE MARGARET,
THEIR DAUGHTER
DIED JULY 14TH 1913
R. I. P.
“THINE FOR EVER GOD OF LOVE”
IN EVER LOVING MEMORY OF
MY DARLING HUSBAND
FREDERICK THURSTON STRINGER, ROYAL NAVY
BORN AUGUST 2ND 1890
DIED AT PLYMOUTH MARCH 26TH 1919.
“UNTIL THE DAY BREAK AND THE SHADOWS FLEE AWAY”


The next grave is a small, simple wooden cross: this looks like a battlefield cross,
with four grey metal strips nailed to the horizontal member: lettering
in black, apparently engraved by hand then filled with paint. (I.W.G.C. =
International War Graves Commission?)
:

6. 10. 18
54044 PTE. A.C. SMITH
2/SOUTH STAFFS. REGT
I. W. G. C.


A CWGC grave:

PRIVATE
L.C. ARCHER
4TH WORCESTERSHIRE BN.
HOME GUARD
24TH JANUARY 1943 AGE 42
I AM THE RESURRECTION
AND THE LIFE
ST JOHN XI 25
GENUKI’s Kemerton Page

Last modified 17 July 2002