Worcester Cathedral Stained Glass Memorial Windows

[Kitchener's Bugle]

[Kitchener's Bugle]

[Kitchener's Bugle]

[MBrockway]

On 22/10/2014 at 13:59, MBrockway said:

The last five windows above form the Memorial to the Fallen of King's School, Worcester (Regia Schola Vigoniensis). Here's the entry from CF Kernot's British Public School War Memorials (1927) - these windows are #2 in the Objects ...

Of Object #4, the Cricket Pavilion still stands, despite the efforts of the River Severn to drown it!, but the Memorial Fives Courts, of which I have many happy memories, were demolished a few years ago to expand what is now parking space. In my time that space was the playground - scene of some great games of British Bulldog where the viewing steps of the fives courts formed one of the safe 'end zones', the old gym (later the Wolfson Building) formed the other.

As well as playing fives, the courts also doubled up as handy, dry covered space for all sorts of uses and it was where I learnt how to strip a Bren Gun - LOL! Just after I left, they were turned into temporary classroom space by having the open back wall filled in and not surprisingly interest in fives at the school died off with nowhere to actually play :-( After that, their eventual demise was inevitable. A great shame as Winchester Fives courts are a precious resource nowadays.

If I remember correctly, the dedication tablet for the Fives Court is still visible somewhere on the ancient wall running behind Choir House and The Hostel.



Mark

 

Was back in Worcester in the Spring and got these shots relating to the now removed Memorial Fives Courts, which formed part of Object #4 ....

 

Original dedication tablet ....

 

Tablet adjacent to above explaining the disappearance of the courts.  The claim of improved recreation and enjoyment is a little disingenuous as the space is now primarily used for car parking but at least the spirit of the memorial continues ...

Edited 30 August , 2018 by MBrockway

[MBrockway]

Here's an aerial of the cathedral and King's School precincts from 1930.  I have marked the Memorial Fives Courts in the lower centre right.  By my day they had been roofed.

  © Historic England 2018: Britain from Above website [EPW034600]  - Worcester Cathedral, Worcester, 1930

 

Here's a close up and it looks like some of the school OTC is drilling on the playground just in front of the courts - serendipitous

  © Historic England 2018: Britain from Above website [EPW034600]  - Worcester Cathedral, Worcester, 1930

 

Mark

 

[MBrockway]

Some more detail on the Bell Ringers' Memorial Window, which takes up a five light bay in the north range of the cloisters (which is the range alongside the Nave aisle seen in full sunlight in the photo above)  ....

 

The dedication stretched across the bottom edges of all five lights in the bay

 

 

 

 

 

The names of the Fallen Bell Ringers in the third (central) light of the bay

[I've re-posted Pal Kitchener's Bugle's version as his was taken on a much sunnier day & does proper justice to the colours ]

 

 

See further down for links to information on these men.

 

 

On the sills of the second, third and fourth lights are three bronze panels giving a Roll of Service.  I half wonder if they are cast from bell bronze.

 

BELLRINGERS WHO SERVED AND RETURNED

 

It is sorted by surname bar the first six.  The first five have taken Holy Orders, so I assume get precedence, and the sixth is Bolton Meredith Eyres-Monsell, of Dumbleton Hall and MP for Evesham.  He was Commander, RN, during the Great War, and eventually became First Lord of the Admiralty (1931) and a Viscount (1935).  I'm not sure of the exact reason why he seems to have been given precedence on those listed on the panel.

 

 

 

Some further information on the Fallen, with links and a Supplement courtesy of the excellent website of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers where Pals can find a very useful searchable Roll of Honour

 

THE FALLEN

 

ASTON, R.G.
ATKINS, W.
CARTWRIGHT, V.
COOK, H.W.
COOK, R.
FRAZZLE, G. [As FRIZZLE, E.G.]
GREEN, A.F.
HALL, H.
HAYNES, E.
HURREN, A.G.
IRELAND, W.
IRISH, F.
JONES, W.
KEYS, W.
NASH, H.C.
NEED, J.
POPE, W.
SMITH, W.
SPALDING, W.
SPARROW, L.H.
WARREN, R.
WILLIAMS, J.
WITHERS, F. [listed as ST MARTIN'S GUILD, and Tower - Northfield]

 

SUPPLEMENT

Missing from the Window, but listed as belonging to the Worcestershire Association Bellringers in the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers Great War Memorial Book:

BALLARD, J.
WEBSTER, A.H.B.

 ... and in the Third Addendum to the Memorial Book:

ROBERTS, M.W.
SHERIFF, J.
TAYLOR, A.W.

 

 

Will will remember them

 

 

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 September , 2018 by MBrockway

[sassenach]

Thanks for that, Mark, particularly the Roll of Honour, which I hadn't seen before. I was able to find two men from my neck of the woods. 

[David_Underdown]

Those listed first were probably officers of the association - ringing clergy tended to be elected to such rolls, and given his role in civil life Eyres-Monsell probably was as well. There may well be reports relating to the memorial in The Ringing World, issue sof which from 1911 - 1970 can be found in digitised form (free) at https://cccbr.org.uk/services/library/online-publications/#rw.  These may also shed light on the positions held by those named first on the list of served and returned.

 

St Martin's Guild is the Birmingham area association, so Withers probably held dual affiliation.

 

(I learned to ring at Dudley, within the Diocese of Worcester)

[MBrockway]

Thanks David - yet another very useful research resource highlighted on the excellent CCCBR website.

 

However I have drawn a blank on all of the five Revs and on Monsell in searching the The Ringing World Index and the Obituaries index.

 

George Hinton, of the Worcester Cathedral Band, from the Roll of Service, has an obituary in 1946 (p.193), which also mentions 'T.W. Lewis', Deputy Master of the Cathedral Guild - possibly a typo for F.W. Lewis on the Roll of Service, though if wrong, it's wrong twice as he is also mentioned as one of the four who rang a course of Grandsire Triples at the graveside.

 

Rev. T.C. De La Hey was a minor canon and Succentor at the cathedral and also, from 1921, vicar of Bromsgrove.

 

Rev. John MacRae was vicar of All Saints, Worcester.

 

Rev Penson Thomas was vicar at St Leonard's, Clent

 

No luck yet tracing the livings of Revs Soden nor Warner.

 

These appear in the Army Lists as full time C of E Army Chaplains with these dates ...

de la Hey, Rev. T.C. - 12 Mar 1917
MacRae, Rev. J.E. - 16 Oct 1915

Soden, Rev. G.C.F. - 07 Oct 1915
Warner, Rev. W.A. - 06 Aug 1915

 

Rev. P.C. Thomas, (Chaplain, 2nd Class (TF) 14 Feb 1900) is listed as Chaplain, attached to 7/Worcestershire Regt, effective 14 Feb 1915.  This was one of Worcesters' TF battalions and based at Kidderminster.  Clent is about 7 miles from Kiddy.

 

David - I was not directly involved in ringing at Worcester, but the school's efforts were lead by Paul Cattermole with the boys ringing at St Swithun's in Worcester.  Cattermole went on to Norwich School and continued to be an active bell ringer and a leading authority on the subject.  Like many of the teachers at King's in my day, he was an inspiration!

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

[David_Underdown]

There's some early discussion of the memorial here https://cccbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/rw1919.pdf#page=159 at the Association's 1919 AGM.  None of the names are mentioned, but it does say that a roll of honour was to be published in the annual report which might shed more light.  I'm not aware that these have been digitised, but contacting the association might lead to more info

[MBrockway]

On 22/10/2014 at 21:59, MBrockway said:

Typical Spring Term playing conditions at the King's School, Worcester, Great War Memorial pavilion ...

I should clarify that the pavilion is built on piers with a large stepped area in front for seating. All this is under at least six foot of River Severn floodwater!

 

Very slightly deeper for this year's flood - very nearly over the window sills!

 

Photo from Jonathan Barry, Worcester News, taken on 17 Feb 2020.  ©Copyright 2001-2020 Newsquest Media Group Ltd.

[Source URL: Worcester News floods gallery]

 

 

[MBrockway]

On the plus side, King's, Worcester, now has probably the largest rowing lake in the UK! 

 

The Great War memorial pavilion is in the right middle ground behind the three large trees.  The Worcestershire County Cricket Club ground and buildings are further away in line with the rugger posts and the tower of All Saints' Church is in the distance beyond.

 

The actual River Severn is behind the county ground about 500yds from the photographer!

 

The view is facing NE.

Mark

 

Edited 29 February , 2020 by MBrockway