National Inventory of War MemorialsOn the 3rd August 2005 I received this request via e-mail:- "I saw you website about Saltfleetby and was wondering if you could help us. We are surveying war memorials in East Lindsey, and would very much like to survey the war memorials in Saltfleetby as part of the National Inventory of War memorials carried out on behalf of the Imperial War Museum in London. All we would like to do is to photograph, measure and try to discover the history of the memorial. We would be available to come to Saltfleetby on Tuesday 9th August. Would you be able to arrange for us to meet someone who could show us the memorials please?................John Readman" I was only too happy to help and put John in touch with Norman Borrill, a meeting was arranged; I then asked Norman if he would write a small article about his meeting:- "I met the two gentlemen, who were extremely nice, and I showed them the war memorial in St. Peter’s churchyard showing the names of those from Saltfleetby who lost their lives in the 1939-1945 war. They took photographs and carefully measured the stone and filled in a questionnaire. We then went into the church where they took photos of the two lists, hung on the south wall, of those who served in the two great wars. They were interested to know that one of these lists, from the 1914-1918 war had hung in the Methodist Chapel which used to be near the old football field, and was put in St. Peter’s when it became the only church in the village used for regular worship. The second one, relating to the 1939-1945 war was made as near as possible as a copy and put in St. Peter’s Church. Lastly I showed the gentlemen the marble memorial which was erected after the 1914-1918 war in memory of Norman Jaques, incidentally my uncle, my mother’s eldest brother. They were interested to see that the memorial was paid for by subscription from friends of Norman, who was only in the army a few weeks before he was killed in one of the terrible battles of the war. I told them how the congregation of St. Peter’s insisted that the memorial should be moved from the old Saltfleetby East Chapel, now a private house, when it was closed, and how a faculty was obtained from the diocese so that it could be installed on the south wall at St. Peter’s. The two men were very pleased to find the memorials and hear the stories behind them..........Norman Borrill" Feeling this would be of interest to everyone I then contacted John again to ask if he would also be whiling to write an article for use, this he has done and I think it makes interesting reading:- "You asked for me to write something about the National Inventory of War Memorials, and how I came to be involved in it and what we do exactly. Well I could just direct your readers towards the Website: - (http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00g00c) However perhaps I could do better than to explain how I came to be involved and what I do, then you can edit what I have written for your website readers. I have been researching my family history since 1995, and in October 2003 was at a monthly meeting of the Grimsby Family History Society when I heard an appeal made by Fiona Poulton, the group's chairman for a volunteer to assist Charles Anderson, the society's War Graves secretary in the surveying of War memorials in Grimsby & Cleethorpes. All that was required was some spare time, an interest in history, minimum computer skills and access to a camera. I fulfilled all these conditions given that I had retired in December 2001, and was looking for an activity that involved some local research. A couple of weeks later, complete with my new Imperial War Museum ID Card, a notebook, pen, measuring tape and camera, I walked into Cleethorpes along St. Peter's Avenue, and started my first survey of the War memorial that is affixed to the outside wall of the Parish Church. It wasn't long before I met a local enthusiast, who told me of another war memorial in the local cemetery which he maintained, and he proved source of the history for both memorials. I photographed the black granite memorial stone, with the names inscribed in gold leaf, measured its dimensions, and recorded the names into my notebook. The inscription stated that a peal of bells had also been placed in the church at the same time of the memorial. My new local enthusiast and fund raiser had collected several thousand pounds which had a gone a long way to replace the old stones. He had photographs of the new stone being put in place, and information of its dedication as well. So here I was recording history in the making, and learning a little about the names of the people on the memorial. Gradually I built up a history of the memorial, going to the local library in Grimsby, and delving into the newspapers of 1920. All these memorials were local events, locally funded and locally maintained usually by Parish Councils and Parish Churches. The museum staff of two full time assistants had provided me with a four page form to be completed for each memorial. This form asks for information about the location of the memorial both within the UK, and its actual site i.e. in a churchyard, a private building, park or village green, Any actual inscription has to be recorded either by photograph, or on the form itself, and the individual war that is commemorated. The forms asks for details about ranks, decorations, regiment, places died, year or death etc, Sometimes all of this information is available sometimes none. They also want know about the type of memorial, what materials have been used, and its dimensions.I remember that I went to Leakes Masonry in Louth and asked for a catalogue of stone memorials so I could learn to recognise the different types of stone used in memorials. However I usually found that the newspaper reports in the Grimsby News of 1919 much more informatory on this aspect of the memorial. The form also asks for a history of the memorial, an aspect that I had asked to be able to carry out. Charles Anderson in Scunthorpe, the Lincolnshire War memorials co-ordinator, asked me if I wanted just to be able to survey the memorials or to survey and research them. I decided to do both, though my new colleague John Bailey just surveys them, the condition of any memorial and whether any recent repairs or planned work has to be recorded. Finally any photographs that are taken you can be asked to be acknowledged. I now record all this information on a digital form, a word document, and then send it together with any photographs by way of E-mail to the Imeprial war Museum, where it is edited and will eventually appear on the World Wide Web, or stored for research. I also prepare word documents for the Lincolnshire Family History Society, which I send to Charles Anderson. These are then stored on computer and sent to the Society for members use. Since starting this project in October 2003, I have recorded most of the memorials in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, including many in St. James Church, Grimsby Docks, Grimsby and Cleethorpes Town Halls, the Towns cemeteries, a couple of Rolls of Honour in Grimsby Archives and numerous other memorials in churches and local places. Some of these I have placed on Fiona Poulton's Website. In November, 2004, my wife and I moved to live near Leeds, and I planned to survey memorials in West Yorkshire, but decided to maintain my links with Lincolnshire, so continue to travel back frequently to record memorials in an area bounded by Grimsby, Louth and now to the east of the A16 towards Skegness. Together with John Bailey, who was to be my successor in Lincolnshire after I moved west, we survey war memorials in that large area. War memorials continue to be built in the area. Next weekend a new memorial is to be unveiled and dedicated in North Thoresby; there is to be a brand new memorial in Fulstow, a village without a memorial since WW 1. A new addition was recently made to World War 1 and 2 memorials at a school in Cleethorpes, when a young 20 year old flyer was killed in the Iraq war, and is remembered in a new plaque in the school hall. We recently came to Saltfleetby, and surveyed the memorials in the church of St. Peter, and met Norman Borrill who told us he knew many of the names of those who were on the Roll of Honour that is in the church. I enjoy surveying war memorials, meeting local people and researching in local libraries to learn about those who have often given their lives so that we may live in freedom. If there is anyone out there who wants to help then please e-mail me or the Imperial War Museum............John Readman" I would like to thank both John and Norman for all of this information and hope you have found it as informative as I have........(Webmaster)
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