The Chertsey Town War Memorial was unveiled 100 years ago on 30 October 1921. All are welcome to attend a short ceremony to mark this centenary at the memorial outside St Peter’s Church in Windsor Street on Saturday 30 October at 3pm. The event will include aspects of the original unveiling ceremony and the placing… Continue reading Ceremony on 30 October to mark the centenary of the Chertsey Town War Memorial
Author: Ian Lacey
The Chertsey Town War Memorial: More than two years of wrangling
Public memorials and statues invariably attract controversy. This can occur during the planning and fundraising stages, when they are unveiled, or, as witnessed recently, when attitudes change, and the commemoration of certain people or events are no longer deemed acceptable. Following more than two years of wrangling, the Chertsey Town War Memorial was unveiled on… Continue reading The Chertsey Town War Memorial: More than two years of wrangling
From Chertsey to Gallipoli
This year is the 40th anniversary of the release of Peter Weir’s poignant feature film ‘Gallipoli’ starring Mel Gibson and Mark Evans. The film tells the story of two fictional Australian soldiers who are sent with thousands of others from Australia and New Zealand to the Gallipoli peninsula, then part of the Ottoman Empire. In… Continue reading From Chertsey to Gallipoli
Edward Lees and Frank Parton: Men who chose different paths
This is a story of two Chertsey men born less than two years apart, with family homes in Bridge Road, and fathers who ran local foundries. The Great War would claim both of their lives, but they would be remembered in different ways. One was a soldier, the other a conscientious objector. Private Edward James… Continue reading Edward Lees and Frank Parton: Men who chose different paths
Four Chertsey soldiers laid to rest in Surrey
Over the past 100 years, a dominant narrative about the Great War has developed in Britain. For understandable reasons, this focuses on the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who, having clambered out of the trenches on the Western Front, lost their lives amid a hail of shelling and machine gun fire. These soldiers were then… Continue reading Four Chertsey soldiers laid to rest in Surrey
Ernest Joyner: The decorated soldier who took a stand against funkers
Lance Sergeant Ernest Joyner DCM almost survived the Great War. Having served in France for two years, he was killed in action less than a month before the Armistice. Yet, he left his mark both with his courage on the battlefield and back home in Surrey where he railed against men whom he thought were… Continue reading Ernest Joyner: The decorated soldier who took a stand against funkers
Video: Two Chertsey soldiers at Brookwood Military Cemetery
Private James Goulter and Private James Standing are both named on the Chertsey Town War Memorial. As part of the project to commemorate the memorial’s centenary, public historian Ian Lacey visited their graves at Brookwood Military Cemetery and shares their stories in this video. James Goulter and James Standing are two of the 1,601 service… Continue reading Video: Two Chertsey soldiers at Brookwood Military Cemetery
The Hunt family: Three women, three babies, and four soldiers
Most written histories of war have focused on the role of men. Yet, behind the familiar narratives of male courage, honour, and death on the battlefield are less well-known stories of female fortitude, anxiety, and loss on the home front. One such story is that of Chertsey mother Eleanor Hunt and her Irish daughters-in-law Jane… Continue reading The Hunt family: Three women, three babies, and four soldiers
Video: Roger Wells remembers his father Private Herbert Wells
Roger Wells recalls his father Private Herbert Wells, the boy soldier from Chertsey who was wounded, taken prisoner, and spent the latter part of the Great War interned in a Swiss alpine resort. In telling his father’s wartime story, Roger shares photographs and other items from the family archive. When Herbert Wells enlisted, he stated… Continue reading Video: Roger Wells remembers his father Private Herbert Wells
The Richardson sisters and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
After almost 100 years, the Chertsey Town War Memorial in Windsor Street is firmly embedded in its surroundings and easy to walk by without noticing the name panels. These display lists of surnames followed by initials but there are no further clues as to who these people were. Except for one, ‘Richardson, M. Maud.’. Maud… Continue reading The Richardson sisters and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
Commemorating the Chertsey Town War Memorial Centenary 