War dead names left in the dark

A little known war memorial in Leamington’s parish church has now been recognised.
All Saint's Parish Church: the old Church of the Good Shepherd 1914-
1918, carved wooden Memorial  on the west wall of the  North Porch Lobby next
to the side door facing out towards the Post Office on Priory Terrace. Plus exterior pic of church.
mhlc-06-03-13 all saints mar 35All Saint's Parish Church: the old Church of the Good Shepherd 1914-
1918, carved wooden Memorial  on the west wall of the  North Porch Lobby next
to the side door facing out towards the Post Office on Priory Terrace. Plus exterior pic of church.
mhlc-06-03-13 all saints mar 35
All Saint's Parish Church: the old Church of the Good Shepherd 1914- 1918, carved wooden Memorial on the west wall of the North Porch Lobby next to the side door facing out towards the Post Office on Priory Terrace. Plus exterior pic of church. mhlc-06-03-13 all saints mar 35

Both the War Memorials Trust and the Imperial War Museum were unaware of the carved wooden war memorial from the old Church of the Good Shepherd 1914-18 now tucked away inside All Saints church.

Leamington historian David Eason tracked it down while he was surveying all the Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth war memorials and rolls of honour on behalf of the two organisations for the national database. David said: “It seems the memorial is hardly known of locally either.”

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It was fellow Leamington historian Alan Griffin who directed David to All Saints parish church where the old memorial is located. It is mounted on the west wall of the locked, dark, North Porch Lobby next to the side door facing out towards the Post Office on Priory Terrace.

The memorial was raised in 1919 and located at the Church of the Good Shepherd at the top of Satchwell Street until 1935 when the church closed. The memorial was re-located to All Saint’s church where it remains in the same position today.

It commemorates 43 names of people in the parish who fell, written in gold on two side panels, in between which is the carved figure of Christ on the cross. At the base are recorded dates of erection and movement and, at the bottom is written; “Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by?”

David added: “Considering its present sad and neglected condition and location this seems quite apt. This year being the run up to 2014 and the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, we would like to bring the attention of Leamington to the existence of this memorial and its sad condition.”

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He is currently writing the roll of honour of all those named and would like to hear from any descendants to contact him so those named can be commemorated. He said: “Should anyone wish to see this memorial, they should ask the staff of All Saints church to unlock the doors.”

A list of the names on the memorial can be found on the website: www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/community/nostalgia. Anyone who thinks they may have a relative on the memorial can contact David Eason on 07896 201176; email: [email protected]

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