Blackmore Area Local History

Blackmore Remembers The Great War

In memory of those who gave
their lives for their Country
in the Great War 1914-1918
Sec Lieu ^t. G.W.Pigott R.F.A.
″ I. A. Miller M.M. R.I.R.
Stoker W Brazier R.N.
A/B E. Alexander ″
″ W. Wash ″
A/mech W Scudder R.N.A.S.
P^te. G. White R.M.L.I.
Bom^d. A Godding R.F.A.
G^r. E. Sutton R.G.A.
D^r. C. Wash R.E.
″ A.J. Wheal ″
P^te. D. Sutton R.Fus.
″ H. Riglin Suffolk
″ W. Rudling ″
″ H. Game E. Surrey
″ H. Miller ″
L/cor^p. E Maynard Essex
P^te. A. Barker ″
″ E. Martin ″
″ A. Nash ″
″ J. Roast ″

The window depicts St Michael and St George and bears the inscription:

“To the Greater Glory of God and in memory of those connected with this parish who fell in the great war 1914 – 19. 2^nd Lt. Gerald W Pigott, 2^nd Lt. Ian Miller, Alfred Ellis, Herbert C Game, William E Rudling, Ernest C Martin, Arthur J Nash, Edwin Alexander, Harry Riglin, James Roast, Alfred Godding, Alfred Wheal, Ernest A Maynard, George W White, Herbert Miller, Edward Barker, Walter Herbert Wash RN, W H Scudder, Walter Brazier”.

The Armistice on 11^th November 1918 marked the end of hostilities with Germany , and plans to erect a war memorial began only 3 months later. A public subscription raised £106:15s:1d, against a final cost of £274. To help bridge the gap, it was decided to hold a hold a draw to raise funds.  Mr Jasper promised a pig, Mr Hull promised a pig and a pair of fowls and Mr Marriage a pair of ducks and seven pounds of roasting beef.  

The War Memorial was dedicated on 7^th November 1920 , four days before the second Anniversary of the Armistice when people would have gathered and paused for two minutes to remember.  The Essex County Chronicle reported: “The unveiling of the war memorial took place on Sunday afternoon, a very large number of people being present. The ceremony began with the singing of “O God Our Help In Ages Past” followed by the lesson read by the Vicar (the Revd. W L Petrie) and prayers by Pastor Francis. At the request of Mr Edmund Marriage, Lieut. Col. Gibbons D.S.O. then unveiled the memorial congratulating Blackmore for having sent 103 men out of a population of 600. He mentioned that one in every five had paid the supreme sacrifice – Mr J H Hull then asked Mr E Marriage as Chairman of the Parish Council, to accept custody of the memorial. The names of the fallen are inscribed on the front face, and on the other faces the names of the men from the village who served are inscribed”.

Even the bare statistics of the names on the memorial make sobering reading.  The deaths in WW1 of 21 people who lived or worked in Blackmore are recorded from a population of around 600. Very unusually, the memorial also lists the names of 81 of those who served, but survived.  So we can confidently say that, of the men of Blackmore who could serve in the forces, more than one in five died.