INTERESTING GRAVES

A new feature page with a selection of graves from around the UK. Is your local cemetery featured here?

A8 Submarine Disaster [1905 off Plymouth Breakwater]
PLYMOUTH Ford Park Cemetery
Ford Park Cemetery Trust
Friends of Ford Park Cemetery

The graves were vandalised and damaged and for the centenary of the disaster Ford Park Cemetery Trust organised with the Plymouth Submariners Association an appeal to raise funds. The picture above shows sailors attending the funeral procession.

Only four sailors survived the disaster. The early submarines were very prone to accidents and to serve on a submarine was a dangerous occupation. HMS A8 was theP third submarine lost by the Royal Navy. A1 had been struck by the Castle line ship "Berwick Castle" with all hands lost,  A3 collided with her depot ship and sank immediately and A4 sank at Devonport when a passing ship's wash flooded the ventilator hatches.  A5 was badly damaged by an explosion of petrol in her engine room and A9 sank off Plymouth when rammed by the "Coath". A9 managed to resurface but in 1908 petrol fumes killed four of her crew. A7 sank with all hands in Whitsands Bay near to Plymouth.

On the morning of 5th June 1905, A8 in the company of A7 and the mother ship "HMS Forth" were heading out by Plymouth Breakwater to start an exercise in Whitsands Bay.

The commander Lt A.H.C. Candy with three crew were on the conning tower platform with the conning tower hatch open, a standard practice at the time. Candy realised that the trim was not normal and suddenly the bow dived raising the stern upwards and the ship went into a steep dive. The four on the conning tower were thrown into the sea and the Plymouth trawler "Chanticleer" lowered a rowing boat and at some danger to the crew rescued the four survivors.

Seven days later the submarine was recovered and taken into Devonport Dockyard where the 15 bodies were removed. It was reported that the thick smoke and acid fumes from the battery exposions meant a very quick death for the men trapped inside.

Eleven of the men were buried at Ford Park [one a day after in a private family ceremony], the remainder were buried in their home towns. The funeral was held on the 15th and the procession took 90 minutes to cover the 2 mile trip from the Dockyard Chapel to the cemetery with many thousands lining the route.

In 2005 the graves having been restored were re-dedicated by a RN Chaplain and the congregation followed a piper to the graves, each had a young uniformed sailor by the headstone and a marine bugler played the "Last Post". The congregation included the family of Mr Johns who had helped to recover the survivors.

CLEY MATHEW Sgt Major 
BEDFORD Foster Hill Road Cemetery
Friends of Bedford Cemetery

A survivor of the Battle of Waterloo. Cley fought at Quatre Bras was amongst those defending Hougoumont Farm in 1815. Richard Holmes made a mention of him in his TV documentary. He went on to fight in the Expeditionary Force and was sent to Portugal at the time of the "Miguel Affair". At the time of his retirement he was a Sgt Major in the Bedfordshire Militia. The stone is now badly eroded and the Friends of Bedford Cemetery are considering a restoration project.

GAMMELL WILLIAM, Major
PLYMOUTH Ford Park Cemetery
Friends of Ford Park Cemetery Trust

The tomb of Major William Gammell, veteran of the Peninsular War 94th and 95th Regiment [Rifles] [Courtesy Gora Gray flickr]

LANCASTER family
RICHMOND, Surrey EAST SHEEN PARISH CHURCH

Another fine image from Associate Member Jeane Trend-Hill, This is the Lancaster family grave with a fine bronze casting of an angel mourning. The sculpture dates to the 1920's and is the work of Sydney March.

MIDDLEMORE: GENERAL GEORGE MIDDLEMORE CB
TUNBRIDGE WELLS Woodbury Park Cemetery
Friends of Woodbury Park Cemetery

The Peninsular War lasted from 1808 to 1814. The Battle of Talaverna raged for two days and two nights. It was as Wellington wrote at the time, "the hardest fought of modern times." On the advance of one Battalion, its senior officer Colonel Donellan was mortally wounded. However he did not allow his expression to display his pain but, seated erect in his saddle, he took off his hat and bowed, calling to the next senior officer "Major Middlemore, you will have the honour of leading the 48th to the charge." Wellington was made a Viscount after Talaverna later becoming a Duke. Middlemore was awarded the Talaverna Medal. He later became a Lieutenant-General and became the Governor-General of St Helena. The heroic and courteous Colonel Donellan died at Talaverna, and a stone to his memory stands at the head of General Middlemore's tomb.

View the website of the Friends of Woodbury Park Cemetery click here

MOND, LUDWIG
LONDON St Pancras and Islington Cemetery
submitted by Jeane Trend-Hill, Associate Member

Mond was a chemist and industrialist who invented a process to recover sulphur during the manufacture of alkali and also developed a producer gas known by his name. His mausoleum is a large grey granite structure. [Entry by Jeane Trend Hill ref photo 235] http://www.homestead.com/askjeane

NICHOLS, MARY
LONDON, Highgate Cemetery
Friends of Highgate Cemetery

Mary Nichols lies beneath this wonderful reposing angel monument in London's Highgate Cemetery. Mary died in 1909 and was the wife of Arthur Nichols a bank manager. She is buried with her 18 months old grandson. This monument would have cost a large amount even in 1909. Entry by Jeane Trend Hill photo ref 136 http://www.homestead.com/askjeane

PITE, ARTHUR BERESFORD
LONDON, West Norwood
[wife also commemorated on family vault Cowgate Cemetery, Dover]
Friends of West Norwood Cemetery
entry submitted by Jeane Trend-Hill Associate Member

Cowgate Cemetery Dover

It is an early example of a cremated remains memorial and does not have any emblems of Christianity, very unusual in Edwardian times. Its Egyptian symbolism is intended to inform rather than act as a memorial. The epitaph on the rear is very apt in view of their beliefs and scientific work. It is possibly the only memorial that carries a representation of photographic plates. There are similarities in style to the Le Verrier memorial at Montparnasse in Paris but the memorial is unique even when compared to other astronomical graves or memorials. The memorial was designed by Dorothea who almost certainly would have seen the Verrier Memorial as she had worked at the Paris Observatory.

In 1999, Professor James Stevens Curl said "This is a very splendid memorial, redolent with symbolism, including a variant of the Ancient Egyptian winged globe, the symbol of power and enlightenment."

Modern understanding of the memorial and its symbolism is only the result of considerable research work carried out by the Friends of Flaybrick. More information on the website.

View the website of the Friends of Flaybrick click here

 
TAYLOR Jonas Dearnley 1829 to 1902
HALIFAX Lister Lane Cemetery
Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery

Jonas Dearnley Taylor was a founder member and the first secretary of the Halifax Permanent Benefit Building Society. He was 24 years old when as a young accountant, he attended a small meeting in the upper room of the Old Cock Inn, Halifax.

He filled the post with energy and conviction for nearly 50 years, continuing a busy working life until a few weeks before his death at the age of 73 years.

In person he was described as a man of minute attention to detail, as straight as an arrow in all his dealings and living above that too common spirit of pushing others of  to the wall.

He had been actively in various other roles both commercial and in association with the Congregational Church but had concentrated the best of his life's work to the building society's growth and development  and had probably done more to encourage thrift than any other single individual in the town.

His labours have borne fruit in many lives. Through the instrumentality of the Building Society, thousands of working men have been encouraged to save their money and to build or acquire houses. Taking town of Halifax and the district around, it is believed that there are few places that can show such a large proportion of their households occupying their own dwellings. His great Building Society will in truth be his permanent memorial.

For the history of building societies visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_society

For details of other graves of interest visit the website of the Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery http://www.listerlanecemetery.co.uk

WHITE THE UNFAITHFUL
Minstead, Hampshire

When Thomas White died age 81 his loving and dutiful wife instructed the stonemason to record her affection. "A faithful husband, a father dear A beloved husband buried here, In love he lived, In love he died, His life we craved but God denied". However this caused much gossip in the village as it seems that he had fathered children outside of his marriage. The stonemason was asked to return and cut out the word "beloved" from the stone.

WYATT FAMILY
BEDFORD Foster Hill Road Cemetery
Friends of Bedford Cemetery

The Wyatt Enclosure [graves 1855 to 1988]. James Wyatt [1816-78] was responsible as Borough Treasurer for purchasing the original site of the cemetery. As editor of the Bedford Times which he founded in 1845 he spent many years campaigning for the development of a cemetery. The family went in for unusual names. One of the earliest burials was to be his eldest son Otho Illesley Wyatt age 10 years. The family were leading figures with distinctive Christian names such as Otho Illesley and Vitvruvius Partridge, they left their mark on Bedford's history.