East
Brent
Parish
History
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Our Village War memorial to those young men of the parish who gave their lives in  two world wars and  the Korean war, stands proudly at the junction of the Old Bristol Road and the Weston Road.

Erected circa: 1921

The East Brent village memorial is unusual in that it depicts statues of each of the main wartime services.
 
(Neville Curry from New Zealand came to visit the memorial in 2008, as It is believed that his father  was the model for the statue of the Royal Flying Corps airman and his uncle was the model for the soldier immediately behind him.
It is believed that an American sculptor was commissioned to do the statues?  And Emerys of Burnham on sea were the main stonemasons).
Colin Loader

For the 2014 WW1 Centenary Celebrations the Memorial was cleaned and restored, it is also known that some restoration work was carried out on some of the figures sometime during the late 1970’s-80’s. Can anyone confirm this?
Email

One only has to look at the names to realise the great loss and sacrifice of life during the first world war compared to the second world war.
War Memorials.
 ‘History’

For most of human history, war memorials were erected to commemorate great victories. Remembering the dead was a secondary concern. Indeed in Napoleon's day the dead were shovelled into mass, unmarked graves.
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris or Nelson's Column in London contain no names of those killed.
By the end of the nineteenth century it was common for regiments in the British Army to erect monuments to their comrades who had died in small Imperial Wars and these memorials would list their names. By the early twentieth century some towns and cities in the United Kingdom raised the funds to commemorate the men from their communities who had fought and died in the Second Anglo-Boer War.
However it was after the great losses of the First World War that commemoration took centre stage and most communities erected a war memorial listing those men and women who had gone to war and not returned.

Some of the records of those from our village who fell in the two world wars are reproduced below.


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Over 90 young men of our parish enrolled during WW1
Here is a record of those known to have served.


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The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website  www.cwgc.org contains information on military personnel killed in the two world wars.
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We remember them.

Information from the War memorial at East Brent. Also Memorial plaques at St Marys church and at the  Old Baptist Chapel Rooksbridge.


TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE HONOURED MEMORY

OF THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS AND RELATIVES OF

PARISHIONERS OF EAST BRENT

WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR


GEORGE INMAN COMER          FREDERICK C HAM

BERTRAM FRANK CREES   SYDNEY WILLIAM HAM

 JOHN LESLIE DERRICK            ALBERT HARRISON

JOHN DURSTON                      REDERICK POPHAM

EDWARD EMERY                          RALPH POPHAM

ERNEST FISHER                           CHARLES POPLE

WILLIAM HENRY GAMLEN                   JOHN PUDDY

 ALFRED GRANT              WILLIAM HENRY STUDLEY  


Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.


          1939  --  1945                        LOUIS WILLIAM TAYLOR

                  KOREA                         Ernest Henry COMER         


[A William Edward BABB and Arthur TURNER born in East Brent were both WW1 Casualties  But do not appear on the East Brent War Memorial.] See Below.

Some years ago, this brass plaque, similar to the one in our parish church, honouring those men of the village who died while serving their country, was found forgotten in an outhouse in Rooksbridge.

It was restored and put on display at the old Baptist Chapel in Rooksbridge by David Walden.

The War memorial to the dead of East Brent Parish

War Graves Commission.

In Memory of Gunner 
Alfred GRANT


620300, 2nd/1st (Somerset), Royal Horse Artillery

"B" Bty. 223rd Bde., Royal Field Artillery

who died age 25

on 03 December 1917

Husband of Martha Mabel Grant, of 205, Manchester Rd., Walkden, Manchester.

Remembered with honour

ABBEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION

Gunner Alfred GRANT was born in Rooksbridge in 1892.


He enlisted at Taunton into the Somerset Div of the Royal Field Artillery. He fought at Flanders and died in France. At the time of his death his wife Martha was living in Manchester.


Photo. Norma and Melanie Body. Rooksbridge.

Name:  COMER, GEORGE INMAN

Initials:  G I

Nationality:   New Zealand

Rank:  Trooper

Regiment:  Canterbury Mounted Rifles, N.Z.E.F.

Date of Death:  28/08/1915

Service No:  7/830

Additional information:

Son of Mary A. Comer, of Morrin Rd., Ellerslie,            Auckland, and the late Benjamin Comer.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Cemetery:

HILL 60 (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL

Name:   HAM  Frederick C

Initials:   F C

Nationality:   United Kingdom

Rank:   Private

Regiment:  Monmouthshire Regiment

Unit   2nd Bn.

Date of Death:  01/07/1916

Service No:  1735

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

II. E. 7.

Cemetery:

AUCHONVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY


Name:   HAM, SYDNEY WILLIAM

Initials:  S W

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Sapper

Regiment:  Royal Engineers

Unit Text:  2nd (Wessex) Field Coy.

Age:  18

Date of Death:  02/10/1915

Service No:  971

Additional information:

Son of Jeffery and Emily Ham, of East Brent,       Highbridge, Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

I. K. 8.

Cemetery:

HANGARD COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION


Name:   CREES, BERTRAM FREDERICK

Initials:  B F

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Sapper

Regiment:  Royal Engineers

Unit Text:  17th Field Coy.

Age:  30

Date of Death:  30/04/1915

Service No:  13986

Additional information:

Son of Frederick and Emily Crees, of East Brent,       Highbridge, Somerset; husband of Winifred Crees, of       Cholwell, Temple Cloud, Bristol.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

Panel 9.

Cemetery:

YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL


Name: DERRICK, JOHN LESLIE

Initials: J L

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Captain

Regiment: Yorkshire Regiment

Unit Text: 6th Bn.

Age: 27

Date of Death:  27/08/1917

Additional information:

Son of the Rev. J. G. and Edith Derrick, of 2, Royal       Crescent, Cheltenham. Enlisted in Public Schools       University Bn. Royal Fusiliers in 1914. Gazetted 2nd Lt.       Dec., 1914. Served in Egypt Jan.-July, 1916; France and       Flanders July, 1916-Aug. 1917. Promoted Capt. July,       1917.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

Panel 52 to 54 and 162A.

Memorial:

TYNE COT MEMORIAL


Name:  HARRISON, ALBERT

Initials:  A

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Private

Regiment:  Gloucestershire Regiment

Unit Text:  2nd Bn.

Age:  35

Date of Death:  09/05/1915

Service No:  5655

Additional information:

Son of James Harrison, of 35, Gloucester Rd.,       Trowbridge, Wilts.; husband of Hannah Harrison, of East       Brent, Highbridge, Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

Panel 22 and 34.

Cemetery:

YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL


Name:  DURSTON J

Initials:  J

Nationality: Canadian

Rank: Private

Regiment:  Canadian Infantry (British Columbia       Regiment)

Unit Text:  7th Bn

Age:  35

Date of Death: 22/06/1917

Service No: 442054

Additional information:

Son of Charles and Lydia Durston, of Hawker Cottages,       Bristol Rd., Bridgwater, Somerset, England. Born at       Rooksbridge, Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

I. A. 13.

Cemetery:

ARRAS ROAD CEMETERY, ROCLINCOURT


Name:  EMERY, EDWARD JOHN

Initials:  E J

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank: Sergeant

Regiment: Dorsetshire Regiment

Unit Text:  2nd Bn.

Age:  36

Date of Death: 17/09/1916

Service No: 9408

Additional information:

Son of George Emery; husband of Florence Mabel Emery formerly Hastings,

of 6, South Petty Staff Lines,       Poona, India.

Born at Rooksbridge, Axbridge, Somerset.

Casualty Type: POW

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

XXI. S. 13.

Cemetery:

BAGHDAD (NORTH GATE) WAR CEMETERY


Name:  GAMLEN, WILLIAM H.

Initials:  W H

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Private

Regiment:  Gloucestershire Regiment

Unit Text:  1st/6th Bn.

Age:  39

Date of Death: 23/07/1916

Service No:  266522

Additional information:

Son of William and S. A. Gamlen, of Chapel Farm, East       Brent, Highbridge, Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

Pier and Face 5 A and 5 B.

Cemetery:

THIEPVAL MEMORIAL


Name:  POPHAM, FREDERICK

Initials: F

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Private

Regiment:  Somerset Light Infantry

Unit Text:  7th Bn

Age:  23

Date of Death:  01/10/1916

Service No:  20593

Additional information:

Son of Frank and Sarah Popham, of Badgworth, Axbridge,       Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

Pier and Face 2 A.

Cemetery:

THIEPVAL MEMORIAL


Name:  PUDDY, JOHN

Initials: J

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Rank:  Private

Regiment:  Somerset Light Infantry

Unit Text:  1st Bn.

Age:  20

Date of Death:  08/08/1916

Service No:  17373

Additional information:

Son of Samuel and Emily Jane Puddy, of Yardwall, Mark,       Highbridge, Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

III. B. 17.

Cemetery:

ESSEX FARM CEMETERY


Name:  STUDLEY, GERALD HENRY WILLIAM

Initials:  G H W

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment:  Somerset Light Infantry

Unit Text: 12th (West Somserset Yeomanry) Bn

Age: 20

Date of Death: 02/09/1918

Service No:  295591

Additional information:

Son of Mrs. Beatrice Jane Studley, of 9, South Terrace,       Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.

Casualty Type:

Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:

Panel 4.

Cemetery:

VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL


J Rigarlsford

J Rigarlsford

Memorial

Photos

here

East Brent War Dead notes by
John Flavin

Lympsham

here

Name:  POPLE Charles

Initials: C

Nationality:  United Kingdom

Enlisted: Weston super mare.

Rank:  Private

Regiment:  

Age:  

Date of Death:  23/04/1917

Flanders


Source: Ancestry.co.uk

Casualties not commemorated on memorial

William Edward Babb

Born East Brent

Died Flanders 02/09/1918

Family moved to WSM c 1911.


Arthur TURNER

Born East Brent

Died 09/09/1915 from war wounds at home at Chelwood.


Arthur Turner’s father was a church rector at Chelwood near Pensford

Arthur having been born at East Brent is buried at Chelwood and thus may appear on a war memorial in that area.


Ian McClaren (Biddisham)