St. Andrew’s Church, Rushmere St. Andrew War Memorial

RUSHMERE WAR MEMORIAL UNVEILED Sunday, 11th April 1920

The war memorial to the thirty nine officers and men from the parish of Rushmere St. Andrew, Ipswich, who sacrificed their lives in the Great War was publicly unveiled and dedicated with an impressive ceremony on Sunday afternoon. The memorial, a handsome Cornish granite cross, 8ft. 6in. in height, raised on a stone plinth, bearing on the sides of the base the names of the fallen, is erected in a commanding position in the churchyard, and was unveiled by Lieut.-Colonel F.W. Turner, T.D. Prior to this ceremony a service was held in the church, in which there was a packed congregation. Quite a couple of hundred people were unable to obtain admission, but who remained in the churchyard in spite of the falling rain. The service, which was conducted by the Vicar (the Rev. J.H. Crickmer), opened with the hymn “How bright those glorious spirits shine.” The names of the 39 dead were then read out, as follows:-
Arthur H. Brown, James Clarke, Horace Cooper, Christopher J. Cooper, William Digby, Albert Eagle, Clifford Ellis, Albert A. Fisk, Frederick A. Fisk, William F. Francis, Leonard H.R. Gray, H. Douglas F. Haggar, James W. Howard, Bertie Kennell, John Lewis, Frank J. Mann, Alfred W. Mann, Arthur H. Minter, Albert E. Sawyer, Stanley R.J. Shipp, Bertie W. Spurgeon, Harry Taylor, Alfred N. Watson, Leonard W. Weaver, R. Bertie Webb, Frank Wilding, George F. Minter, Reginald V. Whent, Charles H. Worledge, Alfred E. Paternoster, Arthur F. Peck, Charles E. Peck, John Peck, Charles J. Pipe, Oliver Potter, Ernest W. Rush, Leslie A. Rush, R. James Salmon, Henry J. Sawyer.
Lieut.-Col Turner, in consequence of the unpropitious weather, gave an address which he had intended to deliver in the churchyard at the unveiling ceremony. In the course of his remarks Lieut.-Col. Turner said that they had erected that beautiful monument in honour and in memory of those brave men who went who out from that parish to take their place in that khaki line, which was drawn across France, and which formed an impassable barrier to that mighty army which was trying to conquer the world – a barrier against the tyranny of might over right. If they, and others like them, had not been ready when they were wanted, this country would soon have been at the mercy of our enemies, and our freedom would have gone for ever. Their mortal bodies were laid to rest in a foreign land, but might they not think that their souls were hovering about that monument even then, and they always would be when any of their loved ones were there thinking of them. They did honour to their memory, but the departed would not have them grieve for them. They died doing their duty, and no man could wish for a better fate. They should look upon that monument as a lasting record of the courage, devotion, and self sacrifice, not only of the dead, but of the living also. Might such monuments as that remind them continually of their duty to them, as well as of the debt they owed to our glorious dead. These were “faithful unto death,” and might the same be said of all when their time came.
The unveiling ceremony followed. The Rushmere troop of Girl Guides, under the command of Mrs. B.S. King, formed a guard round the monument. The Vicar having recited the opening sentences, ” I heard a Voice from Heaven saying,” etc., Lieut.-Col. Turner released the Union Jack covering exposing the cross to the public view, and at the same time declaring it to be “To the glory of God and in loving memory of those men from this parish who laid down their lives in the Great War.”
A large number of beautiful wreaths were then deposited by relatives of the fallen at the base of the monument.

WW1 Memorial

WW2 Memorial