Great Dunmow Parish Council Minutes

Great Dunmow Wednesday 17th April 1918

At a meeting of inhabitants of the Parish of Great Dunmow called by the Rev W J House and W H Pace for the purpose of discussing the desirability of erecting a suitable memorial to Dunmow men who had fallen during the present war and held in the Church Schoolroom this evening there present:-

The Rev W J House, The Rev W H Pace Mr Wm Hasler (Chairmen of the Parish Council) and a large number of ladies and gentlemen, inhabitants of the Parish

On the proposition of J W King it was unanimously carried that Mr William Hasler take the Chair.

Mr Hasler suitably addressed the meeting and asked those present to put forward their views.

The Rev W H Pace spoke at length and moved that a war memorial of some sort be erected by the inhabitants.

The Rev W J House addressed the meeting and supported the Rev W H Pace, and moved that a Committee be formed with a view to providing a temporary institute at once and to take such steps as may be necessary to provide a permanent institute. J W King and many others also spoke and expressed their views, when, after considerable discussion, the proposals of the Rev W H Pace and the Rev W J House were, by consent of the Chairmen withdrawn.

The Rev W J House then moved that a committee be formed to consider what form the proposed shall take. This was seconded by J W King. Before putting this to the meeting J Gibbons and J V Mackenzie spoke on the resolution and L C Mackenzie moved an amendment that the whole question be adjoined until peace was declared.

The Chairman put the amendment to the meeting, which was defeated. The resolution was put to the meeting and was carried by a large majority. Resolved unanimously that a Committee of 25 ladies & gentlemen be appointed, with power to add to their number, the following persons were unanimously appointed:-

Mrs Armstrong
Rumsey
Tench
Serfe
Gibbons

Messers Rev W J House
J V Mackenzie
G Lowe
W H Mills
H W King
F W Baldey
Dr J H Gardiner
J Newman
Major Hasler
R R Smith
F J Nicholls
H Rumsey
L G Saville
A J Mills
J W Beard
P Tyler
H J Sewell
Dr Tench
A R Spurgeon

The Rev W H Pace kindly consented to act as Hon Secretary to this committee and to convene its first meeting.

A note of thanks to the chairmen for presiding xxxx the meeting

Thursday 3rd October 1918

Proposed War Memorial

The Chairman stated that the Committee appointed by a meeting of inhabitants to consider the question of a war memorial for the Parish had requested him to call another meeting of inhabitants and asked those present to fix a date for this purpose. After consideration it was resolved that the meeting be called on Friday 18th October 1918 at 7 o clock pm at the Church Schools, provided this date and time is suitable to the Rev W J House and W H Pace

Dunmow 18th October 1918

Proposed War Memorial

At a meeting of the inhabitants of the Parish of Great Dunmow held in the Church Schoolroom on Friday the 18th Day of October 1918, to receive the report of the Committee appointed to deal with the question of War Memorial, there were present

Mr W Hasler J P

In the Chair

The Rev W J House, M.A. & W H Pace B.D. and many ladies and gentlemen inhabitants of the parish.

The Notice calling the meeting was read

The minutes of the last meeting of inhabitants were read, confirmed & signed

The Report of the Committee was presented by the Rev W H Pace as under:-

"The Committee elected, met on May 10th and asked the following to serve as co-opted members of the Committee:- Capt. Bacon, Lieut Col J Gibbons, Messrs E J Bond, A Bovill, A E Floyd, J Gibbons L C Mackenzie, F Robus, W O Sharp, J Smith, R Stacey, C L Suthery, W de Vins Wade & C Welch all of whom consented.

Messers J Bacon J L Livermore, J H Trembath declined.

Miss Lyle & Mr E J Foakes did not reply.

The following offices were chosen:-

Chairman Mr J Hasler JP
Vice-Chairmen Dr J W Gardiner
Treasurer Mrs C S Suthery
Secretary Rev W H Pace

The committee met again on May 24th and listened to the Rev R L Gwynne who pleaded for a cottage hospital as a worthy memorial.

Dr Gardiner proposed the following resolution:-

"That this committee sets before itself the task not only of raising a memorial to the Fallen, but also of commemorating and as far as possible perpetuating the spirit of self-sacrifice and co-operation in the cause of humanity, in which our country undertook, and is carrying on the war, in the hope of making the world a better place for men to live in. This was carried, as was the further resolution, moved by the Rev W H Pace. That an Executive Committee of six, in addition to the officers already elected be appointed to take steps for the building of a Social Club and the erection of a Memorial to the Fallen as the Dunmow War Memorial. The following were elected:- Mrs Armstong (who asked to be excused from serving) The Rev W J House, Messers J W Beard, E J Bond, H Rurnelly & W de Vins Wade.

The Executive Committee has met on four occasions. At the first meeting Mrs C S Suthery reported the receipt of the following generous offers to the fund for providing a Social Club, providing five others gave sums of £500. Messrs Hasler & Clapham £1,000, A Bovill £500, W Hasler £500. An offer for a house for sale in the town was made but not accepted.

Arising out of the question of framing an appeal for funds for the Social Club came a division of opinion as to what restrictions, if any were to be laid down for the running of the Club. The committee found itself unable to agree, and on Friday August 16th, the whole Executive resigned. The General Committee accepted the resignation and reformed the election of the new committee to this meeting.

The Chairmen addressed the meeting

The Rev W J House spoke and moved that the resignation of the Committee be accepted, this was seconded by the Rev W H Pace and carried mem con.

After further discussion it was proposed by the Rev W J House seconded by the Rev W H Pace, that new Committee be formed, with a mandate from this meeting to follow up the proposals of a Social Club, etc. Public Hall and memorial in Stone.

Mr J Trembath then addressed the meeting, and moved as an amendment that the whole question of a memorial be left over until the men now on Active Service return home. The Amendment failed to find a seconder.

The Chairmen put the Resolution to the meeting, which was carried with one dissenter.

After considerable discussion in which many took part, the Resolution appointing a new Committee was by general consent withdrawn, and it was proposed by F J Nicholls, seconded by A Dennis and carried mem con that the original Executive Committee be re-appointed with power to add to this number and that it be an instruction from this meeting that they are to confine their activities to raising the funds necessary for the proposed Social Club etc Public Hall and memorial in Stone and not to discuss questions of management and other details

It was further agreed that the Committee should report to another meeting of inhabitants before spending any money or making any commitments.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman for presiding terminated the proceedings

Thursday 14th November 1918

Proposed War Memorial

A letter dated the 1st November 1918 from the Rev W H Pace Hon Secretary of the Executive Committee appointed by the Inhabitants was read and after considerable discussion it was proposed by J Gibbons and seconded by A J Mills that a Committee be formed to issue an appeal for funds to provide a suitable memorial in Stone to be placed in the centre of the town on some other spot that may be agree upon. On being put to the meeting six voted for the Resolution and one (the Chairman) against. Resolved unanimously that the Committee consist of three members of the council. Messrs A Dennis, J Gibbons A J Mill, three inhabitants of the town, The Rev W J House & W H Pace mr E O Davey ex officio membus. C S Suthery as Treasurer and L G Machenziie as Hon Secretary

Thursday 27th March 1919

Proposed War Memorial Committee appointed

The Chairman then addressed the meeting on the question of the proposed War Memorial Hall & explained the position of affairs up to that date. After considerable discussion it was unanimously resolved that a Committee should now be appointed by this council to carry on.

Proposed by J W Beard seconded A J Mills unanimously carried that the following person constitute the committee and that power be granted them to co-opt

P Andrews
Gardiner J N
Tench A
Southery C as Hon Treasurers
Dennis A
Hasler Wm
Wade w de v
Boyce Serg Major & Perry A as ex-service men
Floyed A
Hasler
Major Welch
Col J M Gibbons
J Stacey
R Turner


Thursday 25th March 1920

Proposed War Memorial Committee

This committee reported as under:-

1. That the proposed scheme for a Town Hall and club be abandoned on the grounds that it appears to lack sufficient support both moral & financial having regard to the fact that only 120 houses out of 620 had responded to the appeal.

2. That public notice of this should be given by way of printed bills

3. That this Committee be retained to act & proceed to obtain a sum of at least £1000 for the purpose of erecting a stone memorial to be placed on the Downs near the Doctors Pond or some other suitable suite.

4. That the public also be asked to subscribe towards a fund for the Club.

Proposed by F J Baldry seconded by W G Sell that the report of the Committee be seconded & adopted. Carried.

Gt Dunmow 7th July 1921

Reports of Committees - War Memorial Committee

Col J Gibbons Chairman of this Committee gave a brief resume of the proceeding of same and a statement of the finances.

Draft Programme of the unveiling by Lord Byng on the 17th inst was submitted and also of the general poster inviting the inhabitants to attend.

Proposed by A Dennis seconded by L G Savill and unanimously carried that the report be received and adopted.

The Clark was instructed to order a suitable laurel wreath in order that the Chairman may place same at the foot of the memorial on behalf of the inhabitants.

This is superb Kate. I only wish that there were such detailed records relating to the development of the War Memorial I am researching.

Are there records showing how it was decided which names would appear on the Memorial?

Are there similar details re the WW2 memorial?

Well researched, Kate. It makes for extremely interesting reading.

The words acompanying the picture are quite telling, don't you think?

"the band...will play the National Anthem....the soldiers will march away, the townsfolk will drift away, And the families affected will continue to mourn their losses."

I found this incredibly moving as I typed it up sitting in a cold county record office yesterday. Although this is the "official" report, probably written maybe days after the actual meetings, and a very literal report of the proceedings of all the meetings, I got a real sense of tragedy. The arguing & the resignation of the committee members...... I can imagine the meetings being extremely highly charged with emotion (bearing in mind that the initial meeting was before the end of the war).

I would love to hear from anybody that has anything on the men of Great Dunmow that are commemorated on this memorial. As with many things connected with the Great War, this has become very personal.

Please keep following this post. There is more to come when I’ve managed to type it all up and scanned all the images.

Kate

Great Dunmow War Memorial 1920s

Great Dunmow War Memorial 2003

Echoing what others have said, Kate, many thanks for putting up an utterly fascinating piece of primary source material. I know that part of the world and was enthralled to read the story behind Great Dunmow's memorial. Here are two pictures I took of it in July 2001; the second shows how prominent a feature it is when looking along the High Street.

Ciao,
GAC

Hi GAC

Thanks for posting those photos. Glad it's not just me that's enthralled by the story of Dunmow's war memorial!

Kate

“[The war memorial in the church] was designed by Mr Edward Gunn in memory of the 84 Dunmow men killed in the war. It was dedicated on Sunday 17 July 1921 by John Edwin Watts Ditchfield, D.D. the first Bishop of Chelmsford in the morning, and the same after a very old friend of Dunmow, General the Lord Byng of Vimy, unveiled the town memorial in the High Street. Lord Byng (then Sir Julian Byng) lived for some years at Newton Hall [Dunmow] and was a regular worshipper at Dunmow church.”

From “A Short History of Great Dunmow Parish Church” by W J House, Vicar of Dunmow (no date of publication but from the 1920s)

In my haste to share my research with the forum, I forgot to give proper credit to the two b/w photos.

They are from “Dunmow in old Picture Postcards”, Stan Jarvis, ISBN 9028834176

Excellent book for anyone interested in the area.

Kate

Some great pictures. I am amazed its still standing in that position on the road junction, that it hasn't been moved or knocked over by some juggernaut.

Can anyone tell me if there are any Greygoose names on it, as the family lived along the road in Takeley

Patrick

Patrick,
Sorry from my records there are not,
Bob

Kate
Nice to see the Gt Dunmow Memorial being researched.
I am just up the road doing similar stuff on the Stansted Mem and also writing a book about it.
If during my research I come across anything Dunmow related I will let you know.

Patrick
Keep looking for elusive Greygoose's -

Regards
Glyn

Patrick

I'm sure Bob is correct but I was going to double check for you this afternoon by going to the memorial but it's snowing in Dunmow! Not enough to settle but enough for me not to go out.

Kate

Essex Chronicle Friday 22 July 1921

Dunmow Memorial
Unveiled by Bishop of
Chelmsford and Lord Byng


On Sunday the two war memorials to the 84 Dunmow men who fell in the Great War were publicly unveiled in the presence of large gatherings. In the morning the marble tablet in church was unveiled and dedicated by the Bishop of Chelmsford and in the afternoon the public memorial, a stone column erected in High Street, upon the open space at the bottom of New Street was unveiled by General Lord Byng of Vimy who resided for some years at Newton Hall, Dunmow, before removing to Thorpe Hall, Thorpe-le-Soken. The tablet in church, which is of beautiful design, was provided by the relatives of the fallen soldiers, and the public memorial in High Street was provided at a cost of £760 by subscription in the parish. The subscription totalled £1,073 and it was arranged that the balance should go to the Dunmow Social Club which was founded as a war memorial to be of use to the young men of the parish. Col Tom Gibbons D.S.O was chairman of the Dunmow committee with Mr C.S. Suthery (of Barclays Bank) hon tres., and Mr L C Mackenzie hon sec. The public memorial is a handsome triangular Portland stone column upon a circular granite base and upon each side there is carved in relief a cross. Upon the front panel of the monument is inscribed: “Remember the men of this place who died for freedom and honour A.D. 1914-1918”. The names occupy the sides of the column. Mr. Basil Oliver was architect for the memorial. Union Jacks were flying a half-mast over Dunmow, and half muffled peals were rung upon the church bells.

The Church Memorial

The tablet in church which is placed in the south wall near the font is by Mr K Smith of Dunmow Monumental Works. There was a full congregation for the morning service, which was conducted by the Rev. W J House, vicar of Dunmow. The Rev John Evans, vicar of St Mary’s Colchester and formerly vicar of Dunmow, read the opening sentences of the burial service. The Rev B E F Mitchell M.C. curate of Dunmow served as Bishop’s chaplain. The first lesson from Wisdom 3 1-16 was read by Col Tom Gibbons D.S.O who commanded the 5th Essex in Egypt and the second lesson, St John 14 1-16 was read by the Rev R E F Mitchell. Psalms 15 and 121 were chantged. During the singing of the hymn “O valiant hearts” the Bishop and clergy proceeded to the south aisle where the Bishop released the Union Jack covering the tablet, and dedicated the tablet. The hymn “Soldiers who are Christ’s below” was sung during the return to the chancel and the Bishop ascended the pulpit.

The Bishop of Chelmsford said that service would live in their memories when other services were forgotten, because it touched their hearts and souls. The restless world needed re-assuring to-day that Christ was alive. No one who believed in God could be a pessimist, he must be an optimist. Men needed the proper perspective. He had been asked “What have we got out of the war?” and “Was it worth while?” From the point of view of pounds, shillings and pence it was all loss but no nation surely would plunge the world into a gigantic struggle for the sake of getting richer by commerce? All the trade of the world was not worth Dunmow men who had fallen, and there were millions fallen all over the world. We want to war for something higher then financial prosperity – for freedom, liberty, righteousness, justice – the things that counted. And now we had the victory the privilege purchased at so great a loss had to be properly used. Materialism was looming too large in the world. Had it been so in 1914 we should have lost the war. When in 1914 the Kitchener posters announced “Your King and country need you,” the men of Dunmow did not stop to ask if it would pay. The pay was only 1s a day, but the men left their homes without any thought of being paid. The same call was needed in peace as in war. Christ spoke today and said “I am alive; you cannot leave Me out without detriment to the world and yourselves”. The time was coming when Christian men and women would have to confess Him openly. For two thousand years men had been saying “Thy Kingdom come” but they never thought of communication between that prayer and public policy. The Christian would only have one kind of politics – that which would bring in the will of God. They should regard the ballot box with that idea alone. There was much talk in the world about death, but Christ had abolished death, the grave was a corridor into life. If we looked at death from the right point of view we could never be sorry for anyone who had passed beyond the grave. Of course, it was human nature to sorrow, but people should rejoice that their dear ones had gone to the region of growth and development. He believed in the communion of saints, and every Sunday morning when he went out on his work he could not help thinking that his late father was praying. “God bless John” as he did when he was a boy at home. When people got up beyond, they would almost laugh at how much they were worried about small things on earth.

Kipling’s Recessional was sung, and the service concluded with the National Anthem.

The tablet in church bears the following inscription, surrounded by a green laurel wreath, from which hangs a gilded Crusader’s sword, dividing the two columns of names of the fallen. “They whom this tablet commemorates, at the call of King and country left all that was dear to them to endure hardships and face dangers. And then passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice giving up their lives that others might life in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten.”

The public memorial

Lord and Lady Byng were the guests of Col and Mrs Tom Gibbons at Dunmow, and on walking up to the memorial the General was received by a guard of honour composed of local ex-Service men under Lieut A C Knight, Essex Regt. The 5th Essex Territorials under Lieut Hinton (Braintree) held a hollow square facing the monument and saluted General Bung who inspected both the ex-Service men and the Territorials. The General chatted with all the ex-soldiers, including one who had lost a leg. The children of the Sunday Schools were on the side opposite to the troops and the crowd gathered around. The Dunmow Town Band in Mr Floyd’s garden near the monument accompanied the singing of hymns. Among those present besides Gen and Lady Byng were the Countess of Warwick and the hon Mrs Maynard Greville, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the clergy and ministers, the committee and the Dunmow Parish Council. The service opened with the hymn “For all the Saints”. The Rev W J House, vicar, offered prayer, and the Rev W H Pace B.D (Chelmsford formerly Congregational pastor at Dunmow) read the Scriptures.

The Dunmow Record

Col J M Welch, T.D., D.L. on behalf of the people of Dunmow offered Gen. Lord Byng a hearty welcome to Dunmow and thanked him for his kindness in attending to unveil the memorial. Dumow people knew Lord Byng not only as a great soldier, but also as a former resident and they remembered him as a kind neighbour, for whom they had the greatest respect. (Hear, hear). Out of a population of 2,800 Dunmow contributed 600 men to the fighting forces of the country during the war, and of that number he was glad to say that 418 offered themselves during the early stages of the war, when men were most urgently need, and before any form of compulsory service was introduced. There were 84 Dunmow men who fell in the war. Their names on that monument would serve to remind future generations of the duty nobly done and the sacrifice made, that our people might live in peace and freedom. They would further remind people that they had a duty to perform by their lives and conduct to be worthy of the great sacrifice made. (Hear, hear).

General Lord Byng then released the Union Jack by which the monument was enshrouded. He said they had met to pay a last tribute to the 84 Dunmow men who gave their lives in the great war, and to ensure that those names should be handed down to future generations. He asked the people to remember what the tribute to the fallen should be. They paid lip service by prayers and hymns, but was there not something more to be done in the way of tribute to the men who gave their everything for the nation? Would not the men who had fallen expect that in the future those who remained should try to fulfil what the fallen in the past did so nobly? It was the greatest thing a moral man could do to give his life for his country, yet it was a simple thing to do for it was simply in answering the call of duty that the men lost their lives.

Great and simple

These 84 Dunmow boys did a very grand and a very simple thing, ought not those who had got through the 4½ years of war with their lives to try to carry through what those boys made the sacrifice for – to preserve and continue their country as a prosperous whole? They must not only pay respect to the dead. They must also fulfil the object to attain that for which the boys who had fallen gave up all the blessings of this life. The time was now to consider if the ambition of the boys who gave all to make this country happy and better for the war could not be realised. With those words he would leave the people to consider what was in front of each one to do now and in the future.

The hymn “O God, our help in ages past” was sung, and the Bishop of Chelmsford, having dedicated the memorial said there was a right and a wrong way to re-make England after the war. Those who had served in the war knew that England could not be put right with cannon and rifle, and did not want to see the horrors of war in France and Flanders brought home to the women and children of England. A better way was by service and sacrifice. The war was not won by dividing class from class, but by all classes working together. England must be rebuilt sanely and soundly to be made worthy of the comrades who had gone. The Bishops asked the boys as the passed the memorial to doff their caps to their fathers and brothers who had fallen. God had carried us through the war and He could bring us the peace to our native land, so that all the loss and sacrifice endured should not be in vein.

Col Gibbons read the deed conveying the memorial to the Dunmow Parish Council, and the Chairman, Mr J W Beard, accepted the memorial on behalf of the parish and hoped that peace would remain among all nationalities. Buglers sounded the “Last Post”. The Bishop of Chelmsford pronounced the Benediction, buglers sounded “Reveille” and the proceedings closed with the singing of the National Anthem.

Relatives then placed floral tributes on the monument. Lieut Lockwood, 5th Essex, in uniform, placed a laurel wreath tied with the Essex Regiment colours, black, blue and yellow from the 5th Essex Comrades’ Association; Mr W R Siggers placed a wreath from the Dunmow branch N.A.D.S.S and Mr A B Perry placed a floral tribute from the Dunmow Priory Lodge, R.A.O.B.

Hi Glyn, yes still looking. I dont think there are any more but you never know!!

What I find interesting is that various branches of the family lived in Takely from 1640s up until the Great War, but I cannot find any evidence of them other than what is in the Church records. One might have thought the name stood out a bit !


Regards
Patrick

Lord Byng was appointed Governor General of Canada in June 1921. He still found time to unveil the Dunmow War Memorial in July 1921. He had previously lived in Dunmow and was well known to many residents

Newspaper article announcing his appointment as Governor General 4 June 1921 in The Times.

From the local historian Dorothy C Dowsett's book on Dunmow "Through all the changing scenes" "In 1908 Sir Julien Bung came to live a Newton Hall, and one of his early visitors was Baden Powell, who had recently started the Scout Movement. It was not very long before a troop was formed in Dunmow with Charlie (Waggles) Lucking as Scoutmaster. Many distinguished people visited the Byngs, who had previoulsy stayed at Easton Lodge, especially the Teck family".

Easton Lodge was the country residence of Frances Evelyn Greville, Countess of Warwick just outside of Dunmow. She was a beautiful socialite and had been one of Edward VII's mistresses. The song "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do" as about her.

Both Lord Byng & the Countess of Warwick were at the unveiling of the Dunmow war memorial to their local boys.

A small section of Dunmow war memorial. This is towards the top of the section shown in the photo in post #7.

Notice two names

Harold J N Kemp
Gordon P Kemp

Post number 2 shows a picture of the unveiling of the war memorial in 1921. I had seen the pictures of the unveiling in two different local history books and had always assumed them to be the same picture. Having at last managed to get a copy of one of the books from my local library today I've realised that the two pictures are not the same.

I've edited post 2 to show both pictures. The 2nd picture is from Dorothy C Dowsett's "Dunmow through the ages".

Kate

From CWGC

Name: KEMP
Initials: G P
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Gunner
Regiment: Royal Garrison Artillery
Unit Text: 186th Siege Bty.
Date of Death: 26/09/1917
Service No: 60984
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. J. 43.
Cemetery: VOORMEZEELE ENCLOSURES No.1 and No.2


Name: KEMP
Initials: H J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment: British South African Police
Date of Death: 28/05/1916
Service No: 164
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. A. 18.
Cemetery: NDOLA (KANSENSHI) CEMETERY

Voormezeele Cemetery June 2004

“In Sept 1917 the 186 Siege Battery was armed with four 9.2 Howitzers and up through 4 Sep 17 was serving under 69th Heavy Artillery Group. From 5 Sep 1917 to 17 Dec 1917 it was serving under 33rd Heavy Artillery Group”

This information was kindly given to me last year by Dick Flory of this board on this thread. Dick, thanks again

Essex Chronicle 19 October 1917

"Mr J N Kemp for many years a resident at Dunmow and now of Yarmouth has received the sad news that his second son, Gordon, has been killed in action in France"

Essex Chronicle 9 June 1916

Harold Kemp of Dunmow
Killed

Mr J N Kemp of the Golden Lion, The Conge, Great Yarmouth for many years resident in Dunmow has received information from the British South Africa Co that his son Harold has been killed in action with the Northern Rhodesian Force. Harold was educated at the Dunmow Church Schools. He started in life with the late Mr F J Snelland at his death continued with Mr Gifford, under whose instructions he became very proficient and acting on Mr Gifford’s advice obtained a situation in the Council offices at Sidcup where his instructions stood him in good steed. From there he joined the R.S.A. Police and became the manager of the Police Review. When he had served his time he obtained a good situation with Messrs. Arnold and Co of Salisbury and London. On the outbreak of the war he volunteered for active service and now, alas, his end. He was a member of the Dunmow church choir from his school days up to the time of his leaving Dunmow and he will be remembered as singing solo in the old church the Sunday before his departure for South Africa.

Kate.

Thanks for such a great account of the Great Dumow memorial.

I have friends who live in Great Sampford so sometimes my route takes me past this memorial when I visit them. It is fascinating to hear the details of its creation.

Good luck with the research.

Neil

Thank you everybody that has posted messages of support on this thread about my research into Dunmow War Memorial. I wasn’t sure if people were finding this interesting as only a few people have posted responses but as my “viewing” figures appear to be increasing I’ve had to assume that people were.

This research is very much “work in progress” hence the delay in posting the on-going information. I started researching this a couple of years ago but then, like all things, had to put it aside because of work/family commitments and didn’t even get the chance to write any of it up properly. A lot of the information I’ve been posting, I have scattered on bits of paper around my office at home. I’ve been spurred on by Passchendaele Archive’s request for photos of men killed in the 3rd Battle of Ypres to carry on researching and get this into some reasonable sense of order.

Some of the information I’m waiting to get back via photocopies/photographs from various archives and so am reliant on their “10 day turn around”. Please keep reading the thread – knowing that other people are enjoying reading it as much as I’m enjoying researching keeps me going!

Kate

Hi Kate,

I think you are an inspiring example of motivated research.

I look forward to the other results!!

Kind regards,

Jan

The story of the Kemp brothers’ service for “king and country” has to end here. Like so many other millions of soldiers, they were “ordinary heroes” and were not awarded any medals so the evidence of them as soldiers is probably not in conventional military archives.

Behind every name on every memorial and every gravestone in every CWGC cemetery there are stories of men (and women) and their families. The brothers had 3 sisters and a brother all of whom survived the war, the last of which died in 1988 – long before I got involved in their brothers’ stories (or even knew of their existence). The family custodian has passed to me some evidence of the Kemp brothers but unfortunately there are not any letters home to mother nor photographs of them in uniform.

However, the Kemp have left their indelible mark on the town of Dunmow and so it is now local history that has to be used to unravel more of their story. As someone on the forum asked me, how is it that two men who were born in Tottenham (Middlesex) and enlisted in Yarmouth (Norfolk) ended up on a War Memorial in Dunmow (Essex)?

Below are two photographs of a road in Dunmow. The first I took on Monday morning of this week (whilst dodging the cars as it is no longer a sleepy road!) and the second was taken between 1905 and 1914. Wouldn’t it be great if I could tell you that the occupant of the second car was one of the Kemp brothers! Alas, unfortunately not – he has been identified as the local doctor, Dr Gardiner.

The road is called “Rosemary Lane” and it is a shortcut if you are driving from the direction of Thaxted/Saffron Walden towards Bishops Stortford/M11 and want to bypass Dunmow town centre. Both photos are looking up Rosemary Lane towards the direction of the town from a vantage point half way down the road. As you can see, not much has changed between the two photos (except street furniture & the dreaded double yellow lines).

Kate,

Good job! This is the best we can do to give, if not some form of life at least some dignity, back to them and not leave them just as an unknown, fading name on a memorial.

Keep up the good work.

Ian

If you follow Rosemary Lane to the top in the previous photos, behind the lamp post (next to the car) in the b/w photo, you will see a house at the top of the hill.

Below is how the house looked this week. According to English Heritage it is "late C14 and C16/17. Timber framed and plastered with gabled peg tile roofs. 'T' shaped, but with hipped roofed, white weatherboarding, later outbuilding at rear of W end. Front has crosswing at E end with cast iron, leased light window over rectangular bay window with small panes and wrought iron sign bracket. Main block has very small, gabled dormer in front roof slope, 2 large cast iron leaded light windows on first floor over a lean-to porch with brick steps and timber painted handrail. Also a 2 light iron leaded light casement and slightly bowed similar window. The West gable has 4 light, leaded light casement over a C19 leaded light square bay window. Lean-to at E flank of crosswing and off-centre big stack in front of ridgeline and stack against E end of crosswing. Interior reveals fairly complete frame of late C14 crosswing but without its central crownpost. "Hall" range suggests early C17 later raised."

Although a private house today, it's shape gives away it's past life.

This is the house in 1911. It's an old pub called "The Royal Oak". Standing outside the pub door is James Nelson Kemp, father to Gordon & Harold Kemp.

The following picture is a photo of an old postcard that was reprinted in the "Dunmow Broadcast & District Advertiser" in June 1978. The quality of the reproduction is poor but you can see a shadowy figure of a man in the doorway and a man sitting in the pony trap.

What an amazing piece of research Kate and thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks Spike.

This is the best bit coming up (well for me at least!). The last picture was in the newspaper as cited above - I hadn't seen the photo before last week. Who could the figures be? The man in the door way could be James Kemp licensee of the Royal Oak, but the man in the horse and cart?........

In August 1978, the following letter was published in the Dunmow Broadcast and refers to the postcard.



It's a picture of Gordon Kemp doing his delivery job for his father before the war to end all wars killed him in the mud of Flanders.

It's as well we cannot see what lies ahead. Gordon K seems to be smiling in the photo.
Marina

Kate,

It seems a long way from this rural idyll to the mud of Flanders....

On another note, I wonder whether the picture with the donkey cart predates the other picture of the apparently rennovated pub. It looks shiny and new in the first pic, whereas the donkey cart view shows the wall (with post box) and the low wall (with fencing) as carrying old whitewash. Probably not important, but I mention just in case!

Ian

Well spotted Ian! I hadn't noticed that but I think you are correct. The Kemps were at the Royal Oak from approx 1905 until 1911. The following two photos are also of the Royal Oak - the first is again a photocopy from a newspaper so is poor quality. Notice the little girl - I think she is Harold & Gordon's sister. The wall doesn't have the whitewash. The 2nd photo has been dated to 1915 - by which time the Kemps had left Dunmow - again the wall doesn't have whitewash.

Researching local history can sometimes be a very frustrating past-time. Time and time again I find myself asking questions that perhaps can never be answered. In the Kemps case, why did they leave Dunmow? How did they end up in Great Yarmouth (as seen by the place of Gordon’s enlistment & the obituaries in the Essex local paper). Did Harold go with them? His place of enlistment is not (yet) known, but his obituary says that he “will be remembered as singing solo in the old church the Sunday before his departure for South Africa” – does the “old church” mean Dunmow, or Yarmouth?

Fortunately for us (or me at least!), the local newspaper once again gives answers to this question. Harold & Gordon’s father decided to give up the licence trade to take up politics! The following extract is from the Essex County Chronicle 13th October 1911.


Dunmow Teetotal Publican
How he left the bar for the Platform
Interesting Interview

Mr James Nelson Kemp, the well known teetotal publican of Dunmow, in which town he has held a licence for 21 years has decided to quit the bar – where he has been “at home” to all comers, and which he has made famed for the discussions that have there taken place – to become a lecturer upon the staff of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations, and on Wednesday (Oct. 11) the licence of his house, the Royal Oak was transferred to another tenant. All who know “Kempy” sincerely regret his departure and he keenly feels taking farewell of his Dunmow friends.

Mr Kemp had become recognised as the local philosopher and friend, and it is his proud boast that he has not an enemy in the world. Visitors to the Oak were in no wise expected by the teetotal publican to drink.

<<<large photo of Mr J N Kemp>>>

A notice outside the main door informed passers by that the Encyclopaedia Britannica was “at their service within”, and every information was to be obtained from the man behind the bar.

A representative of the Essex County Chronicle who visited the Royal Oak found Mr Kemp busy getting ready for his departure.

“I don’t like going away”, said Mr Kemp, “because I have the best of friends all over Dunmow, from the Vicar downwards. During the time I have been here I have succeeded in meeting all my engagements, but the conditions placed up the licensing trade made me prefer some other living, and an accident, nothing less, has led me to become a professional speaker for the cause I have always advocated. I wish I could go about and talk Conservative politics as an amateur, because I love it, but of course I have to live, and I might just as well live that way as any other. I became a public speaker all through a foggy night which prevented a speaker from reaching a village meeting during Colonel Lockwood’s campaign about four years ago. It happened at Broxted, where I had gone to hear the Colonel and I was seated among the audience when word went round that the speaker had been lost in the fog. The Colonel was on the platform and the audience were ready, when the Colonel called to me “Kemp, you will have to come up here with me”. So I got on the platform, alone with the Colonel, and when he told me I had to speak for half an hour I wondered what about. However, it had to be done, and I did it, with the result that from that time on they never left me alone. I had not the remotest idea of being a speaker, but Colonel Lockwood wrote of me, “I don’t believe there is a man in Essex who will be listened to with more pleasure by our agricultural labourers than J N Kemp of Dunmow? From that time I was taken about, and I am happy to say I helped Colonel Proby during the campaign when Saffron Walden Division was won by the Conservatives.

“Hall-marked”

“My policy is absolutely for Tariff Reform. I am an out-and-out, 18 carat hall-marked Tariff Reformer and that is the political teaching I am going out to spread. I have studied the question for 30 years – from the man on tramp who comes to your door with a can in the morning and asks for hot water to make tea, to the landed proprietor. I have also watched my customers in the bar, and have noticed that they get less and less money to spend, owing to intermittent employment. I say Tariff Reform is going to absorb a great deal of the unemployed labour in this country by finding work for the men in making goods which are now brought in cheap from foreign institutions. The other day at West Ham I was with the Rev. Pierrepont Edwards the “fighting parson” of Mersea, and we were promised a warm quarter of an hour, but I spoke for forty-five minutes without interruption and was complimented by the most ardent opposer of Tariff Reform. It is in the country villages more especially that I shall work. I have come into close contact with the agricultural labourers in Essex, and they all complain that in this Free Trade country they cannot live during eleven months of the year owing to the price of things, but in the twelfth month, which is their harvest, when they earn better wages, the price of food sinks into insignificance with them because they can afford to pay. If the labourers like they can make the whole year like the harvest month, when they have plenty of money. I say the agricultural labourer can be raised so that he will earn enough money in fifty weeks of the year to live comfortably and be able to take two weeks’ holiday. I am going out to fetch the labourer, because I say he is much more free to make a choice than the workmen in towns who vote as their unions direct,

Logic in the Bar

‘Hw will the labourer be raised by Tariff Reform? Why, when wheat crops are worth growing hundreds of acres of hedges and ditches which have never been cultivated and never produced a penny worth will be drained and cleared and put into cultivation, and the agricultural labourer, under the improved conditions, will be able to command his price and full work for fifty weeks of the year, which will be all he will want. It is as impossible to go back to the high prices under Protection in the sixties as it is for a many to live under water. In the old days there were not the means of transit we now have, nor the machinery to manipulate the harvest. In Essex it took from one harvest to another to deal with the produce of the farms. I was born at a water flour mill in the little village of Bickleigh, Devonshire. My father was a miller, driving six pairs of stones and I have helped to make scores of sacks of flour. I remember Russian wheat used to cost 16s a qr carriage and take six or eight weeks to reach this country, today it comes in less than three weeks at 3/4 d per qr carriage. It was the introduction of machinery that made bread cheap, and not Free Trade, and it was the sailing boats that made bread dear. I have many times been told in Dunmow of the hungry days of the sixties, when the labourers ate barley cake but I have never yet been told what it was that built up the constitutions of our Essex labourers to enable so many of them to take the pension after seventy years old because they must have been born in those hungry days. I am a small shareholder in the Dunmow Bacon Factory, and I find the farmer cannot now fat pigs at profit because feeding stuffs are dear. This is because the foreigner sends in flour to England ready ground, and keeps the offal to fat his own pigs, consequently we are short!

The Labourer and his honey

“The small holder about here can produce stuff five times as fast as he can dispose of it, because of the difficulty in getting to market. There is enough stuff wasted on the allotments and small holdings about Dunmow in a year to keep London for a day. This year has been a remarkably successful one for honey. I now an energetic farm labourer who keeps bees, and he has been running about trying to sell his honey, as have other cottagers. I know cottagers who have had to sell their honey at 6d a section, while foreign honey dumped into London is making 1s a section. I am one of the fools who believe it is possible by putting a duty on foreign corn in a scientific manner to make bread cheaper, inasmuch as I would give the home farmer preference over the Colonist, and the Colonist a preference over the foreigner.”

“I have been a teetotaller all my life. I don’t know one beer from another except by the look of them, and it has always been my practice to let my customers judge. A doctor never takes his own physic.”

At Dunmow Mr Kemp served for a term as a Poor Law guardian and rural councillor, and he was one of the most prominent supporters of Lady Warwick’s rural nursing association, having frequently been called upon by the Countess to speak at the meetings over which she has presided.

Kate,

Amazing spin-off from Grerat War research into local history. A warning to us all - there is no end to it!

At least we now know why the election poster was on the pub chimney!

My guess is that Kemp sr had the pub rennovated before selling up?

How nice would it be to visit the pub in the days of the donkey cart? Dream on....

Ian

Once again thanks Kate. I can only guess how you felt as this piece of history was unfolding before your eyes. The discovery of the picture being Gordon Kemp......from a 1978 news article....amazing.

This research has been an amazing experience for me. I originally started it as "family history" (my great-grandmother was sister to the Kemp brothers' mother so my grandfather was their cousin) but its taken a turn to local history and how world history has an effect on local communities.

My grandfather enlisted too (he was underage) but unlike his cousins he survived the war. I wonder if he enlisted after hearing about his cousins' death? I'm sure he and his "intended" (my grandmother) are in the crowd at the unveiling of the Dunmow war memorial but I don't think I'll ever be lucky enough to find concrete evidence of that!

More pictures to come!

Kate

Harold’s obituary in the local paper states that he was in the local choir in Dunmow. The following two photos are from Dorothy Dowsett’s local history book “Dunmow through the Ages”. The first photo she’s dated to 1893 – whilst she was a contemporary of the boys in the photo she’s sometimes a few years out with her dates so this could be at the earliest about 1891 and at the latest about 1895. The 2nd photo shows Rev John Evans who was the incumbent from 1905 to 1914.

Which one is Harold? He was born in 1885 so would be aged about 8 to 10 in the first photo and a young man in his early 20s in the second. Is Gordon in either photo? He was born 1887 so possibly is not in the first photo but is he in the second one? I think I’ll probably never know.

As the caption says, the choirmaster Stacey King was killed. Here is his entry on CWGC

Name: KING, STACEY BATES
Initials: S B
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment: Honourable Artillery Company
Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Age: 28
Date of Death: 08/12/1916
Service No: 4389
Additional information: Son of Fredric and Susannah King, of "Crosby," Grove Hill, Woodford, Essex.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: VIII. C. 201.
Cemetery: BOULOGNE EASTERN CEMETERY

How many other men and boys of these two photos died fighting for their country?

Kate:

A small (and coincidental) world it is! I picked up this photo postcard (unused) at a Pennsylvania postcard show back in September (a well spent .50 cents). I confess I didn't know anything about Dunmow, but I thought that someday--perchance--a Forum thread might arise which in some way would have a connection or through which someone would have an interest. Little did I think that it would be so soon.

Chris

What a coincidence! I live about a mile away from the church and still haven’t managed to get there to take a photo and you living thousands of miles away have the very picture I’m missing from this story. Can you make out any of the names on it?

Thanks for posting it.

Kate

The following extract is from “A short history of Great Dunmow Parish Church” by W J House, Vicar of Dunmow and Rural Dean. He was vicar from 1915 to 1926.

“When the present incumbent came in 1915, we were at the beginning of the four war years. Owing to the lighting restrictions the clerestory windows were painted black and other windows heavily curtained, so that our sorrow and anxiety seemed to be reflected in the dark and gloomy appearance of the church. In spite of the alarums and excursions of the air raids, we never missed a single service between 1914 and 1918 though our congregations were naturally small. We could often hear the roar of the guns in France – it was seldom that we did not know by the dull continuous murmur in our ears when a battle was being waged in Flanders. And several times when we came to church on a winter’s evening the star-shells going up when an air raid was threatening, lighted us on our way.

Elaborate but unnecessary plans were drawn up by the military authorities for the removal of all our people to the west, in the event of a German landing on the East Coast. Farm carts were allotted for the carriage of women and children, the sick and infirm, while the able bodied were to march on foot. Their route was to be by Green Lane to Stansted, avoiding the main roads, and their final destination was to have been Oxford. More fortunate than the inhabitants of big towns we never really suffered from te food shortage, caused by the submarine menace; we never saw a queue of people in Dunmow waiting outside the provision shops for their ration of tea, sugar, meat or margarine.

When the news of the Armistice came 11 am, 11th of November 1918, the townsfolk spontaneously came to church that evening and held a memorable thanksgiving service together. That very week Mr Goodey cleaned all the paint off the windows, the curtains were taken down, and as the blessed sunlight streamed once more into the old church, it seemed as if all the clouds of darkness and sorrow that had overhung us so long, were rolling away.”

Kate:

Thanks for the info. about the church--very interesting. Here is a cropped image of the names.

Chris

Kate.

In the choir photos I think the young lad in the middle (5th from left or right) of the second row of the first photo is the same person as the young man in the second photo 4th from left of the back row.

They seem to have the same shaped chin and mouth and parting on the same side. What do you think?

Doesn't mean this is Harold though of course.

Neil

Neil, I think you could be right. I also think that 2nd row number 3 from left on 1st photo is back row 6th from left on 2nd photo.

Anybody else think there’s any that look the same?

Kate

The following extract is from a local historian, Dorothy C Dowsett, who wrote her memoirs in the 1970s in “Through all the Changing Scenes”. The photos are from a book “The Dunmow Centenary Book 1894 -1994” by Dunmow Historical and Literary Society

“On August Bank Holiday 1914 some friends and myself went to Easton Lodge Flower Show. After a good day there, we walked home from Easton by the fields, singing merrily. It was one of those glorious summer evenings when one does nto feel like hurrying home to bed.

On reaching the town our attention was drawn to a notice on the Post Office (then No 7 High Street) announcing that War had been declared with Germany. This did rather dampen our spirits, but we did not realise the full meaning of it. In fact, we teenagers felt a kind of excitement, that this would liven things up a bit. Not that we were ever bored. Such an attitude was not thought of in those days. We made our own fun, and life was free and happy.

But it was not long before it was brought home to us, that this war was going to be a very serious matter.

In the next few days men “on reserve” were called up, both Army and Navy, and of course, the Territorials. Each day in the following weeks, men and horse, cannon, and all kinds of Army equipment, were passing through the town on their way to the ports, to embark for the front. Larger posters were put up – “Your King and Country Needs You”.

Before many weeks our young men were answering the call and this, to us young ones, was a serious challenge. One Saturday night there were eight young men in our shop. It was their usual routine, when they left off work, but on this occasion, they all made up their minds o go to Chelmsford on the Monday to enlist. They were put in the Ninth Essex Regiment. Of these, only two lived to come home at the end of the war, and one of those only lived to the next Spring, as he had been gassed while in France.

On Sunday morning, 23rd of August 1914, we found the town full of soldiers. They were lying all over the pavements, and were so sore-footed and exhausted. The officers said that they could take them no farther. However, it was decided to leave one Battalion here, and send the rest of the Brigade to Braintree.

Soon the warrant-officers were round for billets, so before dinner we had two soldiers to swell the family. We were just in the midst of our meal when we almost simultaneously said “What’s that!” All made a rush for the garden. Yes, we had closed with our adversaries, and they with us. This was the Battle of Mons. The “Old Contemptibles” of about 80,000 were facing about 300,000 of the German crack troops. Many, many times we were to hear these great artillery battles, when the wind was in the right direction.

The Notts and Derbys remained with us till the following January. By this time the recruiting was for Kitchener’s Army. The first 100,000 were enlist, and the second 100,000, but by now Lord Kitchener was missing. He went to sea to confer with the Russians, and was never heard of again, the ship being “presumed sunk”. About this time the Post Office was asking for young women to replace the men who had joined up, and I was keen on offering myself for this kind of work.”


Willet’s [Dunmow] in the war years – newspaper headlines


Recruiting Posters outside Brick House, North Street, Dunmow 1915