TOPIC:

MEMORIAL PLAQUE,
ST. PETER'S CHURCH,
GLOUCESTER STREET,
WINCHCOMBE,
TEWKESBURY,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE,
GL54 5LU.

ORDNANCE SURVEY GRID REFERENCE: SP02298 28218.





St. Peter's Church, Winchcombe.


The memorial plaque is of bronze and measures 675 millimetres wide and 600 millimetres in height. This is mounted on a wooden backboard.
The memorial currently enjoys the protection of a Grade 1 Listing.
As you will see from the images, the plaque has developed a very dark patina over the years.


The inscription as follows:

"THIS MEMORIAL IS ERECTED IN HONOUR
OF THE WINCHCOMBE MEN WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY
IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR."
"PRIVATE CHARLES GORE, 2ND GLOS REG AT
LADYSMITH DEC 23 1899
PRIVATE CHARLES HASLAM, 2ND GLIS REG AT
NICHOLSON'S NEK OCT 27 1900
TROOPER WILLIAM HUMPHRIES, 1ST LIFE GUARDS AT
KIMBERLEY APRIL 11 1900
PRIVATE CHARLES KNIGHT, 2ND RIFLE BRIGADE AT
LADYSMITH APRIL 6 1900
PRIVATE ARTHUR PIGEON, 1ST GLOS REG AT
CAPE TOWN MARCH 26 1900
PRIVATE ALBERT SHARP, IMPERIAL YEOMANRY AT
UMTALE JUNE 7 1900
CORPORAL ALBERT NOICE JAMES, IMPERIAL YEOMANRY AT
HARRISMITH MAY 18 1901."

Note 1: ample parking is to be found along the main road.
Note 2: the Winchcombe Museum is around 300 metres further along the road.
Note 3: the church volunteers were most welcoming and also very interested that someone had come to take a look at this memorial.

More biographical information to follow......

ROLL OF HONOUR BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

5142 PRIVATE CHARLES GORE of the 2nd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment was killed in action at Ladysmith on 22nd December 1899. Palmer (1999) reports this date as opposed to 23/12/1899 as shown on the plaque at St. Peter's. Palmer also gives his initial as 'H'.
Medal Roll WO100/183 confirms his entitlement to the Queen's South Africa medal with the single clasp 'DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH ".

The Census of 1891 confirms his full name as Herbert Charles Gore, aged 13 and that he was born at Newbury in Berkshire.
His address in this census event was Farmhouse, Stanley, Stanley Pontlarge, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire.
His father John was a 47 year old farmer and mother Emily was aged 44.
Other children of the family were:
Annie Maria Joachim (21)
Arthur John (19)
Henry George (16)
Ernest Jacob (9)
Alfred Frank (4)

Other visitors on census day:
John Currell (39) brother in law
Elizabeth Goddard (17) niece.

Private Gore is also commemorated on the memorial panels in Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral.

3895 PRIVATE CHARLES HASLAM of the 2nd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment was killed in action at Farquhar's Farm on 30th October 1900. Watt(2000) and Palmer (1999) both agree on this date rather than 27/10/1900.

He is interred at Ladysmith Town cemetery. Monument 1
Also commemorated at Chapter House Gloucester Cathedral.

1886 TROOPER WILLIAM HUMPHRIES of the 1st Battalion of the Life Guards died of enteric fever at Kimberley on 11th April 1900. His remains were interred at Kimberley West End cemetery. Monument 2.
William's attestation document still survived and gives us the following details:
DOB: 1877 at Winchcombe.
ATTESTED: 26/09/1895 at Bristol aged 28 years 6 months
OCCUPATION: Labourer
HEIGHT: 6'
WEIGHT: 149lbs.
CHEST RANGE: 36 1/2" to 38 1/2"
COMPLEXION: fresh
EYES: grey
HAIR: brown
DENOMINATION: Church of England
MARKS: scar back of head
SERVICE: Home 26/09/1895 to 28/11/1899
South Africa 29/11/1899 to 12/04/1900
Total 4 years 135 days
NOK: father John HUMPHRIES, Hails Street, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire.
QSA: Paardeberg and Relief of Kimberley.

Also commemorated on panels at Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral and Holy Trinity Cavalry and Guards, Windsor, Buckinghamshire.

389 PRIVATE CHARLES KNIGHT of the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade was another fatal victim of enteric fever, dying at Ladysmith on 6th April 1900. Watt (2000) also notes the location as Surprise Hill, Ladysmith.
Private Knight's remains were interred at Ladysmith Town cemetery. Monument 19a.
The 1871 Census finds a Charles Knight at 2 years of age who was born in Worcestershire sometime in 1869 living at Beckford, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire. His parents were William (39), Jane (38) and siblings Mary Ann (8), George (7) and Fanny (4).
Charles Knight is remembered on the panels in Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral and the Rifle Brigade plaques in Winchester, Hampshire.

4288 PRIVATE ARTHUR PIGEON who served with the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment died of unspecified disease at Woodstock, Cape Town on 26th March 1900, his remains now at rest in the Cape Town, Maitland cemetery. Monument 1WD.
The medal rolls confirm that he was entitled to the Queen's South Africa medal with the single clasp DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH.
In 1881, Arthur Joseph Pigeon, age 4, was residing at Gloucester Street, Winchcombe with father Edwin (46) who worked as a Labourer in a paper mill, mother Jane (43), Edwin (12) a General Labourer, Elizabeth (9) and Emma Louise (7).
1891 has the family still living in Gloucester Street, Winchcombe. Arthur was now in employment as a Labourer, and now had another brother Alfred Decimus(11). Julia Ellen Poole helped the family to make ends meet by boarding with the Pigeon clan
Arthur is further commemorated on the panels at Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral and the Promenade statue in Cheltenham.

PRIVATE ALBERT SHARP of the Imperial Yeomanry has proven difficult to trace within the military records, his attestation as we would expect no longer exist.
Unfortunately, the casualty lists are not a great deal of help either, with no man of the name matching with date, location or unit as shown on the memorial plaque.
The nearest I could get from Findmypast was a man who died on 18th May 1901. I remain unconvinced!

Back in Winchcombe in 1891 there was one Albert Edward Sharp (a 28 year old farmer born in Worcestershire in 1863) visiting at Far Stanley Farmhouse, Stanley, Stanley Pontlarge . Here lived William Walker (46) a farmer and wife Sarah (44). Also visiting with Albert was a 28 year old Helen Hone. No children recorded at this point in time.
The gentleman mentioned above would certainly fit the requirements for the Imperial Yeomanry at the time, so all that remains would be to find the link between Winchcombe and South Africa! Any leads from the forum would be most useful, and gratefully received to tie loose ends up.
A Private Albert Sharp is listed at the bottom of the second panel at Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral. So maybe his story will come to light in the near future, or will it be another lost in the sands of time?

5576 CORPORAL ALBERT NOICE JAMES served with the 3rd Company 1st Battalion Imperial Yeomanry and died of an unspecified disease at HARRISMITH on 18th May 1901.
He is interred at HARRISMITH. Monument 2.
He was entitled to the Queen's South Africa medal with clasps CAPE COLONY, ORANGE FREE STATE & SOUTH AFRICA 1901.
He is further commemorated on the panels at Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral.

5576 Corporal Albert Noice James died of enteric fever.



His attestation papers and service record can be found on Ancestry. When he attested he was living at Sudeley Lodge Farm which was part of the Sudeley Castle Estate and is now a listed building. He can be found on several Public Family Trees on Ancestry and at the time of the 1891 Census the family were living at Ditchford Friary, Shipston-on-Stour. However, Albert was born and baptised in Sudeley in 1877 and in 1881 the family were living at Sudeley Lodge Farm. So, I suspect his father was a valued tenant farmer of the Sudeley Estate and perhaps in 1891 he had been sent to help sort out a detached part of the estate.

The unveiling of the memorial is reported in the Gloucestershire Echo of 6 April 1903 and again 5 days later. The second article is short and adds nothing to what you already know. The first is long and seems to report most of the address given by the Vicar.

Happy to download all relevant documents and email them to you.

Hi David,
Many thanks for this information, very useful indeed.
Could you please email it all over to me.
There was interest from staff at the church of the possibility of putting an article in the parish newsletter, so the info regarding the unveiling and any further personal history of the men really helps.
Cheers Steve

Harrismith Cemetery