The commemoration of the dead of New Romney in the two World Wars I subsequently discovered is on brass plaques within St Nicholas’s Church (see previous post.)

However what may be a recently laid memorial garden, probably for the 100 anniversary of the Great War, lies opposite the church.

This contains a stone slab with an attached metal panel inscribed with the familiar fourth verse of the poem “For the Fallen.”

Another stone is dedicated to the Burma Star Association Romney Marsh Branch and is inscribed with the Kohima Epitaph, ‘When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today.’

There is also a “Ghost Soldier” seen here before a bed of poppies and remembrance crosses:-

Another memorial bears a plaque saying, “Candle of Remembrance.” Click to enlarge and see inscription:-

Rye’s War Memorial stands in the south-east corner of St Mary’s Churchyard. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield in the form which was adopted as the Cross of Sacrifice. The cross surmounts a three-stage octagonal plinth, standing on a two-stage octagonal base.

There are in total 142 Great War Names, plus 42 for World War 2 and one each for the Gulf War and Iraq.

Inscribed on the first step of plinth below the names is, “In memory of the officers and men from Rye who gave their lives in the Great War MCMXIV – MCMXIX.” On the next step below, “Their name liveth forevermore,” and below again, “Also to those who fell in the 1939-1945 war.”

The most prominent architectural feature in Rye is St Mary’s Church.

The Church is rather hemmed in though – there’s not much room on the hill where it’s situated. This is a stitch of photos to show the whole church from the east:-

Clock Tower:-

Clock tower from High Street:-

Graveyard and Church:-

Church and War Memorial – note the upturned sword on the memorial turning it into a Cross of Sacrifice:-

Inside the church a memorial quilt was on display. The topography of the church made this difficult to photograph:-

Also a memorial erected by their parents to the choristers of the church who fell in the Great War:-

Birr Cross Roads Cemetery lies on the Menin Road just east of Ypres/Ieper. One of the many Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries surrounding the city.

The cemetery contains 834 burials, 330 of whom are unidentified casualties. There are 504 identified casualties; from the United Kingdom (375,) Australia (115,) New Zealand (9,) Canada (4) and one Belgian.

From Menin Road. Cross of Sacrifice to right of centre, Stone of Remembrance to left of gates:-

Soldiers of the Great War:-

The Belgian grave is of an interpreter to the British Army. It is inscribed, “A la Memoire de De Wattine Camille, L E, Sergent de l’Armee Belge, interprete a l’Armee Britannique. Mort pour la Belgique, la 29 Septembre 1918.” (In memory of De Wattine Camille, L E, Sergeant, Belgian Army, interpreter to the British Army. Died for Belgium, 29/9/1918):-

The nine New Zealanders there include five soldiers from the Maori Battalion.

Corporal W M Karena, New Zealand Maori Battalion, 30/11/1917 and Private H Kanaru, New Zealand Maori Battalion, 30/11/1917:-

Private H R Kereama, New Zealand Maori Battalion, 7/12/1917, aged 26 and Private M Hapuku, New Zealand Maori Battalion, 30/11/1917:-

Private H M Power, New Zealand Maori Battalion, 7/12/1917, aged 22:-

Hawkhurst is a village straddling the A 229 in Kent, England. We passed through on our way down even further south after leaving Ironbridge.

Its War Memorial is a stepped set of stone pillars, square in cross section, surmounted by a cross. It was hard to photograph without items of street furniture intruding into the picture.

The inscription reads, “Hawkhurst War Memorial 1914-1918. Erected in sacred memory of our fallen heroes who gave their lives for their country. To the glory of god in the highest and on Earth peace and goodwill to all men. Geo Rex 1921.” Below, “1939-1945,” and what I assume are names from World War 2.

South aspect. Great War names plus one death in Afghanistan in 2007. Middle layer of names is most likely for World War 2:-

Western aspect. Great War names:-

Northern Aspect. Great War Names. Bottom layer may be for Second World War:-

In 2018 we visited Ironbridge, site of the eponymous iron structure. Unfortunately at that time the bridge was being refurbished and swathed in plastic. Last year on our way further south from Gladstone’s Library at Hawarden we returned. Lo and behold the bridge was revealed in all its splendour. A delightful sight.

The iron bridge at Ironbridge (Ironbridge War Memorial to right; see first link above):-

Closer view:-

Reverse view of bridge:-

River Severn from the iron bridge (looking east):-

(Looking west):-

Ironbridge village from the iron bridge:-

River Severn to west:-

River Severn looking to bridge from west:-

Sadly earlier this year the River Severn rose – not for the first time – and overwhelmed the temporary flood barriers that had been erected in an effort to prevent damage.

I have posted about Overleigh Cemetery Chester, before. These are all graves within the cemetery of casualties of the Great War:-

Private L C Woolley, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, 16/4/1919:-

Private J Lawrence, Royal Lancaster Regiment, 20/12/1915, aged 33:-

Private H Jones, Cheshire Regiment, 15/11/1918, aged 45:-

Private C Nuttall, Cheshire Regiment, 4/11/1918, aged 29:-

Pioneer C H Webb, Royal Engineers, 11/9/1918, aged 24:-

Serjeant Major J W T Francis, Cheshire Regiment, 25/5/1915, aged 27:-

Gunner R T Ryder, Royal Field Artillery, 20/4/1915, aged 20:-

Corporal H Cooper, Cheshire Regiment, 4/1/1917, aged 44:-

Boy A Burton, Cheshire Regiment, 19/2/1918, aged 17:-

Corporal J Warburton, Royal Engineers, 21/2/1917, aged 44:-

Private H H J Martin, Cheshire Regiment, 3/11/1918, aged 30:-

Private T Z Stephenson, Royal Engineers, 7/7/1915, aged 32:-

Captain Thomas Arthur Ellis, RAF, 20/11/1918, aged 25:-

Pioneer A Sutton, Royal Engineers, 17/5/1920, aged 50:-

Private T Jenkins, Welsh Regiment, 30/8/1915, aged 18:-

Private E R Noakes, Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry,) 26/4/1920:-

Sapper W H Turton, Royal Engineeers, 3/6/1918:-

I have posted several times previously about Overleigh Cemetery Chester. I photographed several World War 2 graves there.

Warrant Officer K Buckingham, Pilot, RAF, 7/9/1944, aged 23:-

Aircraftman 2nd Class W Ledsham, RAF, 23/2/1940:-

Corporal A Henshall, Royal Engineers, 5/12/1944, aged 28:-

Leading Seaman J D H Gibson, Royal Navy, 25/5/1945, aged 30:-

Guardsman T E Mallard, Grenadier Guards, 9/7/1944:-

Aircraftman W J Wilding, RAF, 14/2/1942:-

For more general views of Overleigh Cemetery, see here.

It’s unusual in the UK for two soldiers to be commemorated on the one headstone. (It is much more common in the battlefield War Cemeteries in Belgium and France.)

There were two such paired burials in Overleigh though.

Gunner W Jones, Royal Garrison Artillery, 5/11/1918, aged 35 and Driver A Wildman, Royal Field Artillery, 6/11/1918:-

Private R Jones, Cheshire Regiment, 19/10/1915, aged 21, and Private C H McLaren, Cheshire Regiment, 12/10/1915, aged 43:-

Private A Waterfall, West Yorkshire Regiment, 26/7/1916, and Private E T Morris, Cheshire Regiment, 22/5/1916:-

Private J Williams, Royal Welch Fusiliers, 15/6/1921, aged 29, and Private F Dale, Manchester Regiment, 16/1/1921.

Bombardier C Pearce, Royal Field Artillery, 13/7/1920, aged 32, and, in background, F Williams, The King’s Liverpool Regiment, 2/6/1920, aged 20:-

In amongst the Commonwealth War Graves in Overleigh Cemetery (see previous post) were those of three men from the former Czechoslovakia.

Karel Müller, VOJ, Czech Army, ?/?/1917-21/9/1940:-

Antonin Umlaut, Des Czech Army, 11/6/1910-26/8/1940 and Rudolf Mikurchik, Des Czech Army, ?/?/1907-18/8/1940, with in the background, Lance Corporal W B Brown, The South Lancashire Regiment, 6/6/1940, aged 29, and Private G Atherton, The South Lancashire Regiment, 6/7/1940, aged 45:-