The Armstrong Cottage tragedy

The war memorial behind the altar in the church of the Holy Spirit, Harlescott, Shrewsbury is one of only a few in the county which includes the names of civilians. The names are those of Jessie Broxton, Margaret Meredith and John Meredith.

Many years ago, my father pointed out a field to me at the side of the Ellesmere Road on the northern outskirts of Shrewsbury. He described how a family who lived in a cottage in the middle of the field had been killed when it suffered a direct hit from a German bomb in the Second World War. It is only recently however that I have been able to uncover the full story of Armstrong Cottage. Firstly, I was able to confirm the accuracy of my father’s memory of the location by virtue of a discussion on the Shropshire Family History Society message board (thanks are due here to ‘William‘, Martyn Freeth, Ann Lonsdale and Michael Hulme - some of whom actually remembered the incident).

The bombing took place in September 1940 when German attacks on civilian British targets were at their height. The following week’s Shrewsbury Chronicle carried a full report but, respecting wartime security requirements, referred to it only as having taken place on “the outskirts of a large market town in the Midlands”. The details given however must have made its location plain, to local residents at least. The report describes how “…two high explosive bombs were dropped one of which struck the cottage and destroyed it, while another buried itself in the road-way nearby. The woman, who had retired to bed with her two small grand-children was Mrs Jessie Mary Broxton, and the children were Margaret Eileen Meredith, aged six, and John Terence Meredith, aged four, whose mother lives at Llangollen. The husband, William Broxton, was down-stairs when the bomb struck the house, enjoying a final smoke before retiring. Five minutes after Mrs Broxton had gone to bed he heard her call “Oh, Bill” and the next minute the bomb exploded and he was buried. When the rescue party arrived they found him buried under five or six feet of debris, but on extricating found him suffering only from slight shock and some cuts on the arm. In a different part of the debris a dog was found also very slightly injured, and when a large piece of debris had been pushed aside he emerged from his ‘nest’ wagging his tail”. The report goes on to describe how two neighbours, a Mr Carter and a Mr Bebb, were on the scene within minutes, closely followed by the local police. There was nothing they could do however to save Mrs Broxton and her two small grandchildren.

It is a sad story but fortunately such tragedies were rare in Shropshire. The only other civilian casualties of enemy bombing in the county I have been able to uncover are a Miss Josephine Maynard and a Mrs Hand, killed on the 29th August 1940 in Bridgnorth. Their names do not appear on the Bridgnorth memorials as far as I an aware, unless of course someone can tell me otherwise!

Since posting this blog, I have been contacted by Neil Evans who tells me that there are also civilian casualties listed on the Loppington, St Martins & Knowbury memorials. Many thanks to Neil for this.

Also thanks to Tim Wilcock who has told me more recently that Mrs Broxton and her grandchildren are buried in the graveyard at Christ Church in Welshpool.

Shot at Dawn

After a long and determined campaign, soldiers who were executed during the First World War for various offences such as desertion and cowardice, were recently given a posthumous pardon. One of these men is recorded on the war memorial in St George's church in Frankwell, Shrewsbury. Records show that Denis Jetson Blakemore was a Private in the North Staffs Regiment. He was shot at 4.30 am on the 9th July 1917 for desertion and is buried at Locre Hospice cemetery in Belgium.

Blakemore was the son of the headmaster of Bicton school near Shrewsbury. He initially served in Ireland and then travelled with his battalion to France in 1916. At least two of his brothers also served in the First World War. At 5.40 am on 7th June 1917 he was reported missing as his unit formed up to attack. He was discovered hiding in a shell hole in the rear of the assembly trenches and then formed up, but later was found again to be missing. At his trial he pleaded not guilty and simply said he was too upset to go on with his section. Having previously been found guilty of being absent without leave, and been given a suspended sentence of 15 years penal servitude, a death sentence was almost inevitable. A guilty verdict was recorded and in the early hours of 9th July Denis Blakemore's life came to a sad end.

The interesting thing about the memorial in St George's is that Blakemore's name shows all the signs of having been in the list from the outset. For obvious reasons the names of many such men were left off local memorials. Maybe the circumstances of his death were not revealed at the time or maybe the people of Frankwell were more compassionate than many others. Can anybody out there throw any further light on this or provide any more information? Leave me a message by clicking on 'comments' below.

For details of the 'Shot at Dawn' memorial in Alrewas arboretum click on:

http://www.clarkehome58.freeserve.co.uk/SADmem.htm

I've recently discovered that Blakemore's name is also listed on the memorial plaque in Bicton church. Similarly to the one in St George's church it looks very much as though the name has been there from the outset.

Many thanks to Mike Carty who is carrying out some research into the various men who were 'shot at dawn' and points out that in fact quite a number of the men were included on their local memorials at the request of family or friends.

Katherine Mary Harley

On a visit to the Parade shopping centre in Shrewsbury (formerly the Royal Salop Infirmary) some time ago I noticed a small plaque tucked away near the main entrance. Every curious, and wondering of course if it might be a war memorial, I looked more closely. Sure enough, it was a memorial to Katherine Mary Harley who rendered “gallant service for many years on behalf of women and children. Killed by a shell at Monastir on 7th March 1917 while tending the distressed Serbians during the Great War”. Intrigued, I determined to find out more. She is also remembered on the roll of honour in nearby St Mary’s church and also in Condover church, her home village. It appears that she went out to France early in the War to work at the Scottish Women’s Hospital but then moved on to Macedonia were she was attached to the Serbian army. There she became responsible for setting up an independent ambulance unit to serve the civilian population in the city of Monastir. On 7th March she had been distributing food to starving Serbians at her house. Whilst taking a break, she sat by a window. Sadly, when the usual bombardment began, shrapnel burst near the house and a fragment struck her in the head ending what had been a selfless and heroic life.

She was buried in Lambet Road military cemetery in Thessalonika. Katherine had interesting family connections. She was a sister to none other than Field Marshall French, Commander-in-chief of the British forces in France. Her sister, Mrs Charlotte Despard was also a “noted pacifist, emancipationist and socialist”. Following Katherine’s death, a memorial fund was raised in her honour. Part of the money was used to endow a cot in the RSI and the remainder invested and the income used to fund the Harley medals. These were then awarded annually to the two nurses who achieved the highest marks in their hospital exam finals. Apparently, the book ‘The Quality of Mercy’ by Monica Krippner contains more information about her. In it she is described as “wiry and energetic with a well chiselled nose, pale piercing eyes, slight and graceful and a love for everything militaire” She is said to have always been attired in full uniform so her relationship with her pacifist sister would have been an interesting one!

Silent homage

In silent homage stand, Salopians true;
A tear in silence shed - they died for you.
They left the gracious shades of Wrekin high,
Or some dear Clee Hill glade, to fight - to die
Perchance, a vale mid Stretton’s purple hills,
Or some dear mining spot; with joy the spirit thrills
That to our Border shire such sons were born
In silent homage stand, this wondrous morn.

So begins a poem by Sarah Barker entitled ‘To the Immortal Memory of the Warriors of the K.S.L.I.’. It comes from a book of her poems published some time in the 1930s and came to light after I saw another of her poems displayed in Coalbrookdale church near to their war memorial. It is crammed full of patriotic verse about the royal family, the empire, famous British victories etc, but the most interesting section to me was one dedicated to Shropshire soldiers who fell in the Great War and community war memorials in the east of the county (where she seems to have lived). There are individual poems about the memorial tablets in Dawley church and Ironbridge Wesleyan chapel, the memorial bells in Ironbridge church, the main memorials at Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge and Wellington memorial lych gate as well as others with titles such as ‘The Poppy’ and ‘The Great Silence Day’. It may not be the greatest poetry ever written and is very much of its time but has an undeniable poignancy which still shines through. These lines are from ‘Dawley Memorial to the Fallen’:

When the setting of sun the Wrekin emblazons -
We’ll think of the “Dauntless” who loved its fair height
Who left its sweet shadow, their homes and their kindred,
For Dawley, for empire, for world’s weal to fight.

The book is simply called ‘Poems’ and is available - for reference only - from Shrewsbury library’s Literature collection.

The China-British air squadron

A recent visit to High Ercall church provided an opportunity to see a memorial scroll to the men of the “China-British Fighter Squadron” which had always fascinated me. It was tucked away in a side chapel but nevertheless was a beautiful sight. It lists around 80 airmen who died in the 2WW with a wealth of detail such as the circumstances in which they died, memorials on which they are listed, where they came from, where buried and even their nicknames. Two (F/O Robertson & Sgt McCuaigh) died in a collision which killed them both. The Chinese connection is marked by the Sqn crest which includes a scroll with Chinese script on it, their motto ‘Rise from the East’ and a poem entitled ‘ The China Brits’ the last verse of which runs:

We who are left are no longer of their age, as once we were,
Yet we remember that once they flew beside us, wing to wing.
Now they keep formation in our hearts.

Some research on my return revealed that No. 247 (China-British) Sqn was so named “in recognition of donations made by the British colonies which, at the outbreak of the 2WW, were established on the Chinese coast”. It was first formed at the end of the 1WW when it used flying boats in its role of reconnaissance and anti-submarine work in the North Sea, but disbanded in 1919. At the outbreak of the 2WW, the sqn was re-formed to fly Gloster Gladiator bi-planes to defend the south west of England. A move to High Ercall airfield came in Sept 1942 and No 247 was heavily involved in attacks prior to and including D-Day. After the War, the Sqn became the first unit to operate the de Havilland Vampire jet fighter and formed part of the UK’s air defence in the early years of the Cold War, finally disbanding in 1963. Apparently the Chinese characters on its badge read ‘fierce wind’. For more information, try:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._247_Squadron_RAF

There’s a book out there called ‘Rise from the East: The Story of No. 247 (China-British) Sqn’ by David Marchant which I shall make every effort to locate. I don’t suppose anyone has a copy!?

John Brunt VC

There are at least nine VC winners commemorated on Shropshire war memorials (see my post below for details). All earned their reward for outstanding valour and courage but perhaps the best known of them is Cpt John Brunt. His reputation for inspired leadership, personal bravery, coolness under fire and lack of concern for his own safety earned him a place in history as a real 'Boys Own' hero.

He was born in the tiny south Shropshire hamlet of Priestweston on 6th Dec 1922 and educated at Ellesmere College. When the 2WW broke out he was commissioned into the Sherwood Forestors. Respected by his men for his determination and courage, he was awarded the MC and then a posthumous VC for gallantry shown in action near Faenza, Italy just days after his 22nd birthday. His citation records: "...the house near which Capt. Brunt's Platoon was dug in was destroyed by intense mortar fire. The Captain, rallying his remaining men ... continued to hold the enemy although heavily outnumbered. Personally firing a Bren gun, he killed about 14 and then, his ammunition exhausted, he fired a Piat and 2-inch mortar left by casualties. This aggressive defence allowed him to re-occupy his previous position and get his wounded away."

The Germans retreated but the next day Brunt was drinking a cup of tea when a mortar shell fell at his feet killing him outright. There are a number of memorials to him. In Paddock Wood, where his parents lived, the pub was re-named the 'John Brunt VC' and remained so until the 1990s and there is a beautiful rose-window to his memory in the church there. In Shropshire, the John Brunt Memorial Cricket Pavilion at Ellesmere College was opened in 1970 and, more recently, the Shropshire War Memorial Association arranged for a small plaque to his memory to be placed in a road-side wall at Priestweston. For more information you can follow this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brunt

Battlefield crosses

Quite a number of churches in Shropshire have old wooden crosses as memorials to the men whose names are on them. Some are more prominent than others. St Laurence's in Ludlow has three in the main porch, others are hidden away such as Lydham where they are in the vestry. They fascinate me. Clearly they have been brought back from the battlefield where they marked the grave of the dead soldier. When and how and by whom were they brought back though? The only internet reference I can find is on the Hellfire Corner site but it doesn't really answer the questions:

http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/crosses.htm

The churches in Shropshire where I have identified them are:

Billingsley; Bitterley; Claverley; Ford; Ludlow; Lydham; Norton in Hales; Ruyton XI Towns and Lydbury North.

Does anybody know any other examples?

PS I have recently come across some further information about these crosses which forms part of the WW1 memorial in Cruckmeole school. It states that they were often made by local French carpenters. Largely because of the quantity involved and the inevitably chaotic conditions which prevailed, the small metal tags giving name, rank etc were sometimes obtained from slot machines on railway stations and other places. When the wooden crosses were eventually replaced with stone markers, realising their historical significance, the IWGC sent them home to the families or gave them to organisations such as Toc H. The remainder were, appropriately, burnt and the ashes scattered over the cemetery.

Battlefield church

The battle of Shrewsbury, fought on 21st July 1403, is perhaps best known from Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1. In 1399 Henry had come to the throne with the aid of the powerful Percy family from Northumberland. The alliance was not to last however. Feeling that Henry had failed to reward them adequately, the Percy's with their allies marched south in rebellion. A hurriedly raised Royal army set off westwards from Nottingham and met them at Shrewsbury, where a bloody battle was fought just north of the town. Thousands lost their lives and although the King emerged victorious, his losses exceeded those of the rebels.

Soon after, a chantry chapel was established on the battle site as a memorial to those who had died. The chapel was endowed so that chaplains could offer prayers for the souls of those who had lost their lives in the battle and for the King. Today, Battlefield church still stands on the site as undoubtedly the oldest and most impressive war memorial in Shropshire. The building of such a chapel was a common medieval response to a local battle but few if any examples have remained as complete and well preserved as Battlefield's. Though it stands isolated in a field off the A49 road, regular services are still held there and, as if to bring it up to date in 'war memorial' terms, a marble plaque in the church remembers those parishioners who fell in the two world wars. Make a visit if you can. I understand the key is available from a nearby house.

Locomotive memorial

I suppose like most counties, Shropshire has its share of unusual and imaginative memorials. At Alberbury church an aeroplane propellor has been made into a cross, at Jackfield a footbridge across the Severn serves as a memorial to the dead of both world wars and at Monkhopton church a stone cider press forms part of the village memorial. My favourite however is a Stanier 8F locomotive which served during a long working life in places such as Persia, Iran and Egypt. In 1968 it was transferred to the Severn Valley Railway in its early days as a heritage steam railway attraction. In 1986 it was dedicated as a memorial to all the British railwaymen who gave their lives in World War Two (see plaque above). The locomotive is shortly to be displayed at the Education Centre at Highley station on the SVR along with a roll of honour of all railway 'sappers' who died in the same war. For more details try the Stanier 8F Locomotive Society's website:

http://www.8fsociety.co.uk/014.htm

Shropshire VC winners

I have a particular interest in local winners of the Victoria Cross who are commemorted on Shropshire war memorials. The ones I have identified so far are as follows:

Cpt John Brunt - Ellesmere College & Priestweston
Maj C Yate - Madeley
TOL Wilkinson - Quatt
A/S WC Williams - Stanton Lacy
Cpt H Ackroyd - Shrewsbury School
WN Stone - St Mary's, Shrewsbury
Maj W LaTouche Congreve - Haslehurst Memorial Hall, West Felton
TT Pryce - St Giles', Shrewsbury & Shrewsbury School

Is anyone out there aware of any others that I have missed or have any information about any of the gallant men in the list? If so, please let me know by posting here. Thanks.