The War Memorial
East Garston Remembrance and History
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David Knight
has published a book entitled "East Garston
: Riot and Requiem" in which he has researched the names
of the Military personel that appear on our War Memorial here in
East Gartson. By tracking down photographs and articles from a myriad
of sources, David has sensitively given us an insight into their
lives and families. He has kindly allowed me to reproduce the Requiem
part of the book on this website, for which I thank him most
sincerely. ~ Please click here.
or on the link at the foot of the page to read "Requiem" |
The
significance of poppies will be familiar to all, but the reason
for the appearance of the Yellow Chrysanthemums on the memorial
each year may not. They represent the colours of The Burma Star
Association, an organization set up to care for and help the veterans
and families of the war against Japan.. The Late Mrs Maynard introduced
this floral tribute on V.J Day, ( which marks the end of the
war in the far East ) in remembrance of the friends and colleagues
of her husband Joe. He himself was injured at 'Pinwe' in Burma.
Maureen Tarbox now continues the tribute each year. Her Late father
served with General Slim's 14th Army and was also an active
member of the Burma Star Association |
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Age
shall not weary them nor the years condemn At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them |
When
you go Home Tell them of us and say For your tomorrow we gave our today |
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Janet Pounds |
East
Garston's memorial to the First World War, a cross of Cornish granite,
was dedicated on 5th December 1920. In 1923 parish council minutes
record the erection of an iron boundary fence around the memorial
at a cost of just under £17.50. In August 1947 an advertisement
was placed in the Newbury Weekly News asking relatives of those
who were killed in the 1939-45 war to contact the parish council.
A War Memorial Fund raised £27 in the same year, with a Welcome
Home Fund of £15.17p A whist drive raised a further £24,
which sufficed for an addition to the monument, a block of Cornish
granite inscribed with the names of those who fell in the Second
World War. |
Village Commemorations
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War Memorials in General
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very little is known about many of the country's war memorials,
and East Garston is no exception. Although some of the principal
monuments are well documented, the ad hoc nature of building most
war memorials was such that few records were kept. Many were erected
by public subscription, whilst others were provided by a private
benefactor, Occasionally it was a combination of both. The sole
source of information is often the memory of those who can still
recall events just after the First World War, Such was the concern
for this situation that a national research project was initiated
in 1989 by the imperial War Museum and the Royal Commission on Historic
Monuments of England. This will eventually lead to the creation
of an information archive on the estimated 54,000 war memorials
throughout the British Isles.
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East
Garston's war memorial is now registered with the Imperial War Museum
under reference number 9066. |
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(Formerly
Friends Of War Memorials) are a registered charity |
Photos Ken Tarbox : Janet Pounds : Ruth Brock : James Pryer
main site menu : local history menu : requiem east garston at war
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