West Berkshire War Memorials

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ID:	WB418
UKNIWM:	0
Location:	St John's Church
OS Map Ref:	SU470664
Description:	Window & Roll of Honour board

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Inscription:
[The War Memorial at St John's Church in St John's Road/Newtown Road, Newbury, took the form of a stained glass in the east window. The church was destroyed by an enemy bomb in 1943 and the memorial was lost. See designers notes below for description. The window did not commemorate the fallen by name, a Roll of Honour board in the baptistry served that purpose. It too was lost in the bombing, the names commemorated are listed below (from Appendix D of History of St John's Church and Parish Newbury by Robert L Gibbs). The picture is of the baptistry, the Roll of Honour is in the niche on the far wall.]

Austin, George Frederick (Dick). 2nd Lieut 6th Royal Berks Killed at Poel Cappelle Oct 12th 1917
Baldwin, Horace Benjamin. Sapper R Eng Killed in France Aug 21 1917
Black-Hawkins, Claude Cranston Ridout Capt 2nd Hampshires Regt Killed at Suvla Gallipoli, Aug 10 1915
Church, Frank. Private. 8th Royal Berks. Killed at Loos. Oct 14 1915
Crocker, William Edward, Private. Duke of Cornwall's Lt. Inf. Killed in France, Oct. 14 1918
Dixon, Stanley George, Pte. Royal Fusiliers. Killed Mar. 22 1916
Edwards, Ellis Russell, Pte., 1/7th London Regt. Killed in France, December 2, 1917
Edwards, George. Pte. 1/17th London Regt. Killed in France, July 4, 1917
Falconer, John Keith 2nd Lieut, Hants Yeomanry. Killed in France July 31 1917
Free, Martin. Essex Yeomanry. Died of wounds at Ypres, May 14, 1915
French, John, Pte., 2nd Royal Berks. Killed at Loos
George, Reginald Wm L. Cpl. Royal Berks. Killed in France Aug. 14, 1916
Giffard, Colin Hay. Capt., 1st. Gurkha Rifles. Killed in Mesopotamia. Mch. 8th, 1916
Gore, Alfred L/Cpl., Labour Coy. Killed at Poperinghe, Nov. 8th, 1917
Gubbins, Richard Rolls Lt. Col. 85th King's Shropshire Lt. I., Drowned at sea. Jan. 24, 1918
Hemmings, Frederick 1/18th Hants Regt. Killed in Egypt Apl. 19th, 1918
Hester, Percy Richard Pte. Royal Berks. Killed at Givenchy Feb. 8 1915.
Hobbs, Eric. 2nd Lieut. The Queen's Killed at Mametz July 1, 1916. Aged 21
Hobbs, Thomas Godwin. D.F.C., 2nd Lieut. R.A.F. Died of wounds at Doullens, Aug 28, 1918. Aged 29
Hodges, Sidney George. Pte. Died in France Feb. 20, 1917
Hopkins, William Frederick, Pte. Ox. and Bucks. L.I. Killed in France, Oct. 23, 1918
Howard, Bernard Henry. Major, 47th Sikhs. Killed in Mesopotamia. March 8, 1916
Howard, Henry Charles Mowbray. Lieut. York and Lancaster Rgt. Killed at Loos, Sept. 29 1915
Hunter, Archibald John. 4th Rifle Brigade. Killed at Armentiers. Aug 27, 1915
Hunter, William. Sgt. 2nd Wilts. Killed at La Bassee, July 24, 1915
Lait, Fred. Pte., 5th Batt. Royal Berks. Killed in France Oct. 13, 1915
Lovell, Francis William (Frank). Pte. 2nd Royal Berks. Killed on the Somme, Oct. 24 1916
Luke, William Shadwell. Pte. 1/4th Royal Berks. Died of woundes at Camiers. May 2, 1916
Meadows, Martin, Pte., S. Staffords. Killed in France. Apl. 2, 1917
Miles, Frederick Henry. Pte., 1st. Royal Berks. Killed at Vimy Ridge, May 23, 1916
Morrice, John Walter. Midshipman, H.M.S. Formidable. Drowned at sea. Jan 1, 1915
Newport, Charles Alexander. Royal Berks. Killed in France Apl. 28, 1917
Partridge, Frank. 8th Royal Berks. Killed in France Apl. 29, 1918
Partridge, Joseph. Royal Berks. Killed in France, Apl. 1918
Peachey, Edward. Gunner, B/165 R.F.A. Killed in France, Oct. 28, 1918
Peachey, Wilfred John L/Cpl. 8th Royal Berks. Killed Sept. 25, 1915
Plenty, Edward Pellew. Major, R.A.F. Died Nov. 21, 1918
Prior, Albert., 2nd Royal Berks. Killed on the Somme July 1, 1916
Quarterman, Percy Harold Lieut. 28th London Regt. Killed in France, Oct. 9, 1917
Ralph, Arthur. Welsh Regt. Died at Rouen, Jan 28, 1919
Rivers, Ernest Francis. Signaller, Royal Berks. Killed in France, Mar. 31, 1918
Rogers, Sidney Sapper, R.E., Killed in France, Apl. 11,1918
Rumble, Joseph William. Cpl. 2nd Royal Berks. Killed in France, Dec. 3rd, 1917
Sawyer, Henry. Pte., 4th King's Liverpools. Killed near Cassell, France. May 7, 1918
Shefford, George. 5th Royal Berks. Died in France (Loos) Oct. 19,1915
Skeats, Albert Henry. Pte. R. Berks. Died in France, Sept 10th, 1917
Skurray, Thomas Clement, Sgt., 6th Royal Berks. Killed in France, Aug. 27, 1915
Smith, Charles Edward. Cpl 8th Royal Berks. Killed at Loos, Oct 13 1915
Smith, Francis William. Pte. Royal Berks. Killed in France Mch. 10, 1915
Stamford, Gerald Norton. 2nd Lieut. 2nd Wiltshires. Killed at Givenchy. June 15, 1915
Swain, Albert George, Pte. 2nd Royal Berks. Killed in France Sept 25, 1915
Taylor, Cecil Thomas Lake. Cpl. A.S.C., Died at Basra, Persian Gulf, July 19, 1916
Thorn, Ernest Ralph. 1/4th Royal Berks. Killed in France Sept. 17, 1916
Tufnell, Edward Carleton. Capt., 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards Killed in France, Sept. 17, 1916
Vickers, Walter Edwin. Sgt. 7th Royal Berks. Died at Salonika, May 9, 1916
Wheeler, John, R.M.L.I., Killed Apl. 28, 1917
Wickens, Bertram Edgar. Pte. 1/4 Royal Berks. Died of wounds at Peronne. Apl. 7, 1917
Withers, Ernest. Signaller, Royal Berks. Killed in France, Mch. 1918
Withers, Neil Albert, Pte. 175 Canadian Batt. Died of wounds in France, May 5, 1915
Wooldridge, Alfred John Thomas. Pte., 2nd 1/4 Royal Berks. Killed in France, Apl. 24, 1917
Wickens, Gerald Lionel. Pte., 8th Royal Berks. Killed on the Somme, Aug. 27, 1916
Wickens, William Oscar. Pte. 8th Royal Berks. Killed near Loos. Oct. 13 1915
Wigmore, Jesse, R.N. Killed at sea, (H.M.S. Partridge) Dec. 12, 1917
Willis, Edward Joseph, 1st Royal Berks. Killed in France. March 10, 1915

What the papers said:

War Memorial window, (old) St John’s Church, Newbury

Unpublished description of the stained glass design for the East Window at St. John’s Church, Newbury, by the designer Mr J. C. Bewsey, written August 12, 1919.

“The window is the proposed parish war memorial & the general theme is the triumph of the Word of God – going forth conquering & to conquer – the victorious warriors of England & France offering their swords to Our Lord in Majesty.

The figures chosen are St. George, Patron of England, & the Blessed Joan of Arc, whose name lives in the Army of France as that of St. George does in our fighting forces...  The little picture of the crucifixion is a reminder of the sacrifice whereby all victories must be won & gives the necessary contrast to the triumphant figures above.  In the main piece of tracery is the figure of the ‘woman clothed with the sun & the moon as her footstool,’ the accepted representation of the Church Triumphant under the type of the Blessed Virgin; the words around are St. John’s description of the Vision from the Book of Revelations.

The figure of our Lord in Majesty is also based as literally as possible on the same scripture.  St. John beheld ‘one like unto the Son of Man’ ‘clothed with a garment down to the foot & girt about the paps with a golden girdle’ & ‘crowned with many crowns’ to whom was given all power in Heaven & earth – signified by the orb.

St. George... became Patron Saint of England during the Crusades, when Richard Coeur de Lion placed his army in Palestine under the protection of ‘the Great Martyr’ as the Greek Church calls him.  The institution of the Order of the Garter definitely established his position & he displaced St. Edward the Confessor, who had formerly been regarded as our patron. 

Many feel now that figures of the Blessed Joan of Arc are peculiarly suitable for use with St. George in war memorials, both for the sentiment she still inspires in our allies, & also because we as a nation owe her memory some reparation; the cruel judicial murder of this gallant & pious girl is one of the blackest stains on our annals. Both these figures wear the red robe of martyrdom.  St George has his proper banner & Joan of Arc the standard which rallied the armies of France.  It was of cloth of gold embroidered with a figure of the Majesty with two censing angels, the field semée of fleur de lys.  Her costume, apart from the martyrs robe is historically accurate as far as possible.

The shields in the tracery are those of the Province of Canterbury & the See of Oxford & in the wreaths on the bases of the side lights, England & ancient France.

The general treatment of the window is late decorated, with transitional features & perhaps the main thing to note is that some care has been taken to get fine proportion in the canopies by the use of double turreted shafting...”