EFFINGHAM AND THE GREAT WAR
The Steps to War
This article written in 2011 describes the events on the world stage leading up to the First World War and Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in August 1914 led rapidly to the enlistment of men from Effingham. It goes on to describe how some of those men subsequently lost their lives and the campaigns in which they had fought.
The Fallen
At least nineteen servicemen associated with Effingham died either during active service while the war was in progress or (in one case) subsequently from their injuries. Their individual stories are told on the following pages.
Statistics and Sources
Only seven of the men were born in Effingham parish: Barnett, Kemp, Ottaway, Smith, Wells (Arthur), Wells (Reginald) and Whittington; Vigars was born at Effingham Junction in East Horsley.
Six of the men were born outside Surrey: Bayly, Bullen, Patten, Roberts, Scarff and Taylor.
Five of the men had joined the armed services before the War: Bessell, Bullen, Scarff, Taylor, Wells (Reginald) and Whittington.
Only two of the men married: Bessell and Taylor. Only Taylor is known to have produced a child.
Only five of the men have surviving service records: Marchant, Roberts, Scarff, Smith and Wells (Reginald).
The average age upon death was 23.1 years.
The principal sources used for the genealogical findings were (i) the 1841-1911 Census Schedules held by the National Archives [Classes HO107 and RG9-RG14], (ii) the General Register Office indexes of births, marriages and deaths and (iii) the International Genealogical Index.
The principal sources used for the military findings were (i) the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, (ii) the WW1 Army Service Records held by the National Archives [Classes WO363 and WO364], (iii) the WW1 Medal Rolls held by the National Archives [Class WO329], (iv) the 80-volume work Soldiers Who Died in the Great War [Publ. H.M.S.O., 1921] and (v) the 44-volume Surrey Recruitment Register [Surrey History Centre, Woking].
The ‘War Shrine’ in St. Lawrence Churchyard
In the St. Lawrence churchyard, a few yards from its northern entrance from Church Street, stands Effingham’s memorial – sometimes referred to as the Shrine. It bears small metal plaques naming 17 men “from this parish” who died during military service in the Great War of 1914-18. It was erected in May 1918, before the war had ended.
In 2010, when Effingham Local History Group first began investigating the memorial, it named only 16 of these men; the plaque for one of them – Reginald Wells – had evidently disappeared. According to a transcription made in 1929 (authorship unknown) of the St. Lawrence monumental inscriptions, his plaque had been present at that time. We do not know when, or why, it subsequently vanished, but our best guess is that it was during some refurbishment of the memorial. In late 2012 the Group decided, with the agreement of the Church, to commission Ms Lucy Quinnell of ‘Fire & Iron’ with the task of producing a replacement plaque for Reginald, matching the original as closely as possible. His new plaque was duly mounted on the memorial in the autumn of 2013.
The Shrine was dedicated at a special service held on 9 May 1918, Ascension Day. The local National School was closed for the day and a large number of parishioners attended the service.
Although we cannot be certain, it seems very likely that the photograph on the left – contributed to ELHG by the grandson of one of the people (Mr Ralph Edgar Street) seen in the crowd – shows the dedication in progress. The view is looking roughly northwards down Church Street opposite its intersection with Chapel Hill. The Shrine in the churchyard lies just out of view on the right.
The memorial consists of a tall, canopied, stout wooden crucifix rising from an inscribed granite pedestal. On the canopy are the words “Greater love than this hath no man”. On three faces of the wooden upright are affixed 17 miniature bronze plaques, each inscribed with a serviceman’s rank, name, unit and date of death. Below is an example.
The origin of the Shrine has recently been investigated further by ELHG members, leading to a more extensive account that has been published on the Surrey Heritage website Surrey in the Great War: A County Remembers. Other articles have also been published there by ELHG, including very detailed studies of some of the Effingham servicemen and their families, and these are listed below.