Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

New 1914 - 18 Memorial at Brookwood Military Cemetery


NigelS

Recommended Posts

Discovered from the local paper this morning that the CWGC has applied for planning permission for a new war memorial at Brookwood Military Cemetery. The application, which can be viewed on Woking Borough Council's Website (see below), gives: ...the Memorial will commemorate currently uncommemorated casualties of the First and Second World Wars (many of the documents are actually titled 'UKA 1914-18 Memorial')

It looks, if planning permission is granted, & the project goes ahead - hopefully it will - that there will be a worthy monument to commemorate the uncommemorated discovered through the endeavours of the 'In from the Cold' project and others.

To view the application & plans (sorry if this is a bit long winded but I don't believe the planning site will allow direct links)

Go to the Woking Borough website http://www.woking.go...ng/publicaccess and - assuming you agree - click on the 'I agree to the copyright notice'

Then enter PLAN/2012/0615 in the search box (click 'Search'), then select the 'View Plans and Documents' tab; click on 'View associated documents' , the various documents of the application can then be selected from the approriate folder and viewed ( tip: once a specific plan has been selected from the 'General Plans & Photos' folder, it's best viewed as a pdf file using 'View PDF' icon available at the top right hand side of the page)

Edit: Comment about selecting pdf option deleted (the site has been altered so that documents are automatically opened as pdfs)

The application was subsequently approved by Woking BC's Planning Committee on 8th November 2012.

NigelS

Edited by NigelS
Thread title revised, tag added
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nigel

This is the replacement structure for the Brookwood (United Kingdom 1914-1918) Memorial which is currently in the planning stage and should be built in the next couple of years.

The old memorial has run out of space and a large number of names actually inscribed on it have now been located buried in the UK and so have to be removed. The new memorial will be capable of expansion if required in the future. Also, any naval names on it are being reallocated to the UK naval memorials.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Terry, from the plans, the proposed location is much better than that of the current one which, to my mind, right on the edge of the site, wasn't well located. Do you know if anything is likely to be happening with the 'Russia' memorial' in the near future, which, if I remember correctly, was earmarked for removal now that the war graves in the former communist bloc are accessible?

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know the future of the defunct Brookwood (Russia) Memorial but I am sure the stonework will be recycled somehow.

There is one other memorial due to be erected at some point - the memorial commemorating those buried in the UK with unmarked graves where CWGC cannot get permission to erect a headstone. There are about sixty of these.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me the result here is not the names that will be going on the new memorial but rather those that will not. By that I mean those whose graves that I & the volunteers from IFCP have found over the last few years

Chris

I don't know the future of the defunct Brookwood (Russia) Memorial but I am sure the stonework will be recycled somehow.

There is one other memorial due to be erected at some point - the memorial commemorating those buried in the UK with unmarked graves where CWGC cannot get permission to erect a headstone. There are about sixty of these.

Terry

I take it that you mean relatives refused

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Work on the new memorial appears to be about to begin

post-5512-0-89549000-1424716330_thumb.jp

early days though, and - no criticism intended - also a little behind schedule according to the CWGC information page (Click)

For anyone interested, the instructions to allow access to the planning application documents (including the plans) are still valid.

Wonder if, once the new one is completed, the existing 1914-18 memorial might eventually get re-used for the UK un-marked grave commemorations mentioned by Terry Denham in post #4; the Russia Memorial (which is still there despite having been removed from the current CWGC site plan, and just visible at the right hand end of the temporary site fencing in the above image) would probably be unsuitable.

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Some more views of the new memorial taking shape:

Foundations in place (18th March)

post-5512-0-94296500-1429874390_thumb.jp

More recently (22nd April), now becoming recognisable as a war memorial

post-5512-0-93682400-1429874676_thumb.jp

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Some more recent views. With the memorial construction now finished, just the final touches to the landscaping remains to be completed. Would imagine that there'll be a formal dedication at some stage (?)

post-5512-0-72930700-1438785918_thumb.jp post-5512-0-72375700-1438787632_thumb.jp

Detail of one of the columns: seven of the twelve panels have commemorations on them with the remainder - as far as I could tell, viewing from a distance with the sun in the wrong place - blank for future additions.

post-5512-0-38354700-1438786018_thumb.jp

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Still closed off with tape, but the surrounding area has now been turfed & the central feature planted.

post-5512-0-29013800-1443209219_thumb.jp

Nearby the redundant 'Russian' memorial has now gone, but, like those it had commemorated, not forgotten

post-5512-0-00434800-1443209340_thumb.jp post-5512-0-40051500-1443209421_thumb.jp

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Thanks for sharing your photographs.

I was unable to attend, but would have liked to, I have a relative named on this memorial.

Derek.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for sharing your photographs.

I was unable to attend, but would have liked to, I have a relative named on this memorial.

Derek.

Derek, I took the opportunity of photographing the individual panels, so should be able to supply you with a copy of the relevant one. If this is of use PM me with his details and your email address so I can let you have a copy at a reasonable resolution.

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the fourth photo at post #11, you will see a red and white wreath.

That was placed by Chris Harley, on behalf of the In Fom the Cold Project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the fourth photo at post #11, you will see a red and white wreath.

That was placed by Chris Harley, on behalf of the In Fom the Cold Project.

post-5512-0-08337000-1446723411_thumb.jp

NigelS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As mentioned above there was a good number of us of IFCP in attendance at the ceremony. The day went very well & I was very proud to have been allowed to lay the wreath on behalf of IFCP.

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A wonderful, moving and long awaited day, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world - my Great Uncle - Pte Francis Brimacombe, Labour Corps, appears on panel seven

NigelS - I see you took at picture of the memorial cross (with the Labour Corps collar badge attached) I placed next to his name...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was lucky enough to meet a relative of the man I had found. It was quite emotional, despite ITV trying to prod me out of the way :D

29446 Private Thomas Ernest Neppiras RAMC, 28/2/1919 - never forgotten :poppy:

Mrs M also nearly ended up in the Tower after almost knocking Duke of Kent's cuppa out of his hand :whistle:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

An announcement from the CWGC today (12th October) about new names being added to the 1914-18 Memorial at Brookwood Military Cemetery: More than 70 new names of the fallen to be engraved on CWGC war memorial 

 

Late yesterday afternoon  when I walked through the cemetery I noticed that  new engraving had been carried out on panel 7 (apparently, then yet to be completed as there were only 14 new names and the engraver's guidelines - as can be seen below - were still evident) 

Brookwood 1914-18 - 3.JPG

 

Looking at the CWGC database the new names (those beneath Queeney in the photo) are already listed, as are the ones which will be  on panel 8 which - although still blank yesterday - are, according to the news item, being replaced with pre-engraved tablets from the CWGC's workshops in France.

 

Elsewhere, renovation work is in progress in the American War Graves Cemetery on the flagstaff (a Historic England listed structure) as part of on going work which saw replacement of all the headstones and some landscaping work at the end of last year/beginning of this.

 

Brookwood Flagstaff.jpg

 

NigelS

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The on-site engraving of panel 7 and installation of the new pre-engraved panels (all of 8 & over half of 9) has now been completed

 

Panel 7

Brookwood 1914-18 Panel 7.JPG

 

Detail of Panel 7 revisions

Brookwood 1914-18 Panel 7 partII.JPG

 

Nigel S

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...