Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 With so many problems currently arising regarding the theft and desecration of Great War memorials, there is still one form of Great War memorial which due to its form and location should be safe from such problems. These are the beautiful stained glass Great War memorial windows to the fallen located throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland in many Churches, both large and small. Hopefully, with the help of Forum members we can document as many as possible, giving the names of the fallen. These are wonderful works of art, and with many now 100 years old, it may be a good opportunity to start listing them. To start, I have a photograph of a beautiful stained glass window in the Church of St. Luke's, Hodnet, Staffordshire commemorating 2 brothers. The memorial dedication is as follows :- Left hand side - St. Michael - Lieut. Richard Houlbrook Whitfield RE who fell in France fighting for his country May 12th 1916 aged 29 years, and Right hand side - St. Gabriel - Lieut. John Burrows Whitfield RE who died of wounds January 20th, 1916 aged 26 years, sons of Thomas Nichols Whitfield of Stoke Manor. The memorial was erected by their widowed mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 The Wilson Window in St.Andrews Church, Chippenham. Photo and details are on Pal John Belcher's website here: http://www.pro-patria.co.uk/Text/First/evelyn_seppings_wilson.htm Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Dave, Thank you for the reply, and a wonderful example of a Great War memorial stained glass window. LF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 The East window of St John's, Ainsdale is a memorial to a KLR officer whose name escapes me just now. It was mentioned on the church's Facebook page around Rememberance Day. I think strictly speaking it's painted glass, rather than stained glass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scritch Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 This link will take you to our website where you can see the memorial window to Lieutenant Bernard Ridley Winthrop-Smith at St. Matthew's church in Pentrich, Derbyshire. If you would like a higher resolution image of it feel free to pm me with your e-mail address. http://derbyshirewarmemorials.wikispaces.com/Bernard+Ridley+Winthrop-Smith Kind regards Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Windows were included with all other types during the recording campaign implemented by the National Inventory of War Memorials You can search their database by type of memorial, including windows. Perhaps an update to the NIWM would be a useful centenary project, especially as digital photography was in its infancy during the NIWM's collecting years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 26 January , 2012 Admin Share Posted 26 January , 2012 St Marys Church in Calne has a window to Lord Charles Mercer-Nairne Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 One of my local churches - St Peter, Fairfield, Buxton - has a beautiful Memorial window. Images of soldiers, sailors and airmen are shown in the lowere panels, with the flags of al the participating nations (well on the allied side!). Perhaps, uniquely a tiny airplane is depicted alongside Christ's right knee in the middle panel. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen190782 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Sinclair Seamen's Presbyterian Church in Belfast: Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen190782 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 The dedication of the Sinclair Seamen's Memorial window was reported in the Belfast Telegraph in June 1919: Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen190782 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 World War 2 Memorial window in Ulsterville Presbyterian Church in Belfast: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulsterlad2 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Belfast City Hall has a nice window to The North Irish Horse in WW1. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithrouse Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 They are fine works of art, but a problem to me is that they all seem to be in honour of officers from a wealthy family. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulsterlad2 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 I know of two in Essex; Willingale and Halstead, Holy Trinity. I have been researching the Saulez Memorial window at Willingale for a little while off and on. The Halstead one I discovered a couple of weeks ago. In addition, there is a generic memorial stained glass at Chelmsford Cathedral. In Norfolk, North Walsham has a generic memorial window and there is the Beck family window at West Newton, near Sandringham. Best wishes, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 26 January , 2012 They are fine works of art, but a problem to me is that they all seem to be in honour of officers from a wealthy family. Keith. I am not sure that is true, and this is not about rank, this is about honouring brave men who fought and died under the most horrid conditions. Irrespetive, of rank, these were sons, brothers and husbands. In some cases, the windows honour whole regiments, officers and men. LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen190782 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Ulsterlad - Nice one but what about the Memorial window for the 36th (Ulster) Division in City Hall !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy mcclimonds Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Folks Here's one from my own pairsh church, Holy Trinity, Seapatrick Parish, Banbridge. A beautiful window indeed which commemorates "The Fallen" from the church and whose names are listed on the War Memorial close by. The detail is so good I notice something new everytime I look at it. The depiction of a wooden cross is the centre is a representation of an original grave marker and the small square window at the top carries the legend - "Gone West". Each window at the bottom carries the badges of the Royal Irish Rifles, Royal Irish Fusiliers, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and Royal Artillery respectively. Enjoy. Regards, Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen190782 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Tommy Nice one ... any idea why the designer(s) decided to include RA badge rather than one of the other Irish regiments? Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulsterlad2 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Very nice FitzroyPC Tommy. Beautifull window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter4447 Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 St Mary's Church, Brixham, Devon. 2/Lt Sydney Hannaford Hellyer. 4th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment. Died of Wounds Boulogne Military Hospital 8th May 1915, returned to England and buried in St Mary's Churchyard. The stained glass window was donated by his Mother and shows the 14/15 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal and the East Yorkshire Cap badge along the bottom. This is a very unusual stained glass window as it shows an identifiable image of 2/Lt Hellyer even though images of people that can be identified are not normally permitted. The family were very involved with the fishing industry and moved from Lamworth Hall, Hull to Brixham in 1911. Peter4447 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 26 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 26 January , 2012 With reference to my post of the stained glass memorial window in St.Luke's Church, Hodnet, Staffordshire, I attach the extract from the Parish Register dated 1918, showing the estimate for the stained glass window as being 80 Pounds 10 shillings, no doubt a lot of money back then. Also attached is the Artist's original 1918 rendering for the design of the stained glass windows. LF. 1918 Artist's rendering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 27 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 January , 2012 This link will take you to our website where you can see the memorial window to Lieutenant Bernard Ridley Winthrop-Smith at St. Matthew's church in Pentrich, Derbyshire. If you would like a higher resolution image of it feel free to pm me with your e-mail address. http://derbyshirewarmemorials.wikispaces.com/Bernard+Ridley+Winthrop-Smith Kind regards Richard Richard, Many thanks for the link to an excellent stained glass memorial window to Lieutenant B.R. Winthrop-Smith, along with his details. This is exactly the type of content I was hoping would be offered. Is there any way you can copy and scan the first page of the link showing the window, his photograph and his details directly onto this thread. LF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashire Fusilier Posted 27 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 January , 2012 Peter4447, A very interesting point regarding the identifiable image of 2/Lt Hellyer, I wonder if there are any other window memorials with an identifiable image of the person being commemorated. LF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 27 January , 2012 Share Posted 27 January , 2012 Oops, I got slightly confused, its the reredos that's dedicated to Capt Robett Shaw 7th KLR (killed at 3rd Ypres), not the East Window. There is a stained glass memorial there, but it's for WWII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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