NORTH EAST WAR MEMORIALS PROJECT NORTH EAST WAR MEMORIALS PROJECT NORTH EAST WAR MEMORIALS PROJECT

CHARITY NO 1113088

NEWSLETTER NO 7 SUMMER 2007 NEWSLETTER NO 7 SUMMER 2007 NEWSLETTER NO 7 SUMMER 2007

www.newmp.org.uk

MISSING MEMORIALS AROUND THE NORTH EAST NEDDERTON

What has happened to the plaque formerly in Nedderton County School?. It was removed from the building when it was sold. There were rumours that it was to go into St Cuthbert’s at Bedlington, where the porch was consecrated as a War Memorial chapel, and which contains the memorials to the Bedlington and Nedderton Colliery companies. But the plaque seems to have vanished. Can anybody help?.

NEWMP REF: N52.01

ANNITSFORD A Mr and Mrs Davidson who came to one of NEWMP drop in sessions at Cramlington asked why we did not show details of the War Memorial from the original Methodist Chapel. The original had been replaced by a later building, which itself has been sub-sequently demolished.

The Davidsons indicated the Chapel had held a 1939-45 Memorial in the form of a silver Rose Bowl, on a black plinth, with a dedication plaque, listing the names.

The RC congregation attended the Methodist Memorial dedication service. This may well be covered in a newspaper report in the Blyth News (or Shields Gazette?) in 1946/7. Do you know the whereabouts of this Rose Bowl?.

NEWMP REF: A25.05

Further missing Memorials can be found on the website and include

* The Book of Remembrance Holy Trinity Church, Washington.

* Monkton Church Roll of Honour 1914-1918. * Chester Moor Roll of Honour.

* Plaque 1914-1918 Hartlepool Steel Workers Social Cub.

* Ebchester Boat House Roll of Honour . * Nativity painting, St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle.

* Unknown number of Memorials from the Co-operative factories at Pelaw.

The National Family History Fair 2007The National Family History Fair 2007 Come and meet the team who will be available to help you trace your Military ancestors who may be remembered on a War Memorial. See our searchable database, and our web

search facility. You may find that missing link in your Family’s Past.

Gateshead International Stadium Saturday 8th September 2007

10.00a.m - 4.30p.m

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE www.newmp.org.uk

Drop-In Sessions

The Group is half-way through the planned series of Drop-In Sessions in Libraries across the Region. Library staff have reported significant interest in our display – generally in place about a week before each event – and we have been able to help everyone who came to meet us at the events to check out the Website and seek advice. While numbers have not been huge, the extent to which queries have been able to be answered has made up for that.

Also on the plus side, we have met several people interested in becoming Project Volunteers, for which we are very grateful. We have also gleaned considerable intelligence about War Memorials of which we were previously unaware – another real bonus. For details about our remaining Sessions please see the Events List on the Website Home Page – we look forward to seeing you!

Two interested visitors studying the NEWMP website

CO-OP CLOSURES “Following the closure of Co-op non-food stores, people wrote to expressed concern for the memorials in them. The Co-op has a good record of erecting memorials, and also for looking after them. We have now learned that the one in Jackson Street, Gateshead (NEWMP REF: G39.05) has been removed to the Co-op Funeral Parlour at Windy Nook. The one in Newgate Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (NEWMP REF: NUT046) is to remain in situ because of the way in which it was fixed. Our thanks go to Anthea Lang of Gateshead Central Library for this update.”

NEWMP WEBSITE ACTIVITY GROWS Readers of the Newsletter are aware that we receive information from our Website developers – Effective Internet Ltd – on the use of the Website. This is accessed regularly to keep us up-dated on how busy the Website is, and, in particular, how many people are using the information available via www.newmp.org.uk.

We receive numerical information on how many files are ac-cessed, and how many “hits” this represents, but, after consid-eration, we believe that the figure of unique visits is perhaps our most reliable indicator of activity. This is a count of how many individuals have logged on to the Website on any particular day – each person only counts once each day, no matter how many times they access the Website within that 24 hour period.

We even get details of activity by the individual hours of the day, and by country of origin – a fascinating glimpse of global Internet activity!

Since the Website was launched on 11th November 2006 the av-erage number of unique visits per day has increased steadily. In November 2006 – bearing in mind the launch did not take place until the morning of 11th – the daily average over the month was 72. This fell to 51 in December – largely due to the Christmas holidays– but then recovered to 77 in January 2007, and then climbed until reaching—at the time of writing - a daily average of 104 in July.

When it is considered that many specialist and research Websites would regard such an average figure as reasonable for a month, never mind a day, we have cause to be pleased that the Heritage Lottery Fund investment in the Project is allowing a significant level of public access to our War Memorial information – a total number of unique visits, since the launch, of over 22,000 bears witness to this fact.

RESEARCH NEEDED INTO MISSING

WAR MEMORIALS

The Project Group is really keen to hear from local people with local knowledge about what has happened to their missing local War Memorials. In recent years many community buildings, especially places of worship, schools and halls, have been demolished for development, or have become redundant and their activities moved to other locations. Non-Conformist Churches especially have, in many places, been grouped into a more central venue, as congrega-tions have fallen in number. In not every case, sadly, have the War Memorials within the redundant buildings been preserved, or rein-stated in the new location.

Changes to War Memorials within Anglican Churches are subject to Diocesan Faculty approval – and this covers their removal or reloca-tion, as well as their initial establishment. This does not appear to be the case with Non-Conformist Churches and we have, on our Indexes, many examples of War Memorials listed as “lost” once a Church or Chapel building has gone out of use. We are aware of some, rescued by local people, patiently awaiting a new home, and this is referred to on our detailed files. The recent discovery of a First World War Memorial Plaque in a box of rubbish in Shildon – featured in an earlier Newsletter – is an excellent example, both of the negative aspect of change, and the positive attitude of local people who were determined to see the Memorial rescued, cleaned, and appropriately re-homed.

Please - check our Indexes for your locality – do we have “missing” Memorials listed there? What has happened to them? Can you check the relevant archives or talk to older residents who may have some clue as to their fate? If they have been destroyed or demol-ished can you find original photographs, if we don’t already have them on the Website?

These are vital pieces of YOUR local heritage – do tell us what you can find out, by e-mailing enquiries@newmp.org.uk, or writing to the Chairman, Janet Brown, at Bilsdale, Ulgham, MORPETH, Northumberland, NE61 3AR.

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Those Custodian bodies, public organisations and individuals who

receive their Newsletters by post are asked to think seriously about switching to electronic transmission.

The positive arguments are that this saves:

Paper – both in terms of the Newsletters themselves, the enve-lopes they come in, and the labels that are stuck on them.

Time – as less envelopes are filled, addressed, posted and deliv-ered.

Money – as postage and stationery costs are reduced – helping Project funds.

To make the switch, send an e-mail with your current address de-tails to john@newmp.org.uk and ask to be added to the electronic transmission list. Some MPs and Local Authorities have already

switched – what are you waiting for?