ST. MARY'S NORTHCHURCH
UNITED BENEFICE OF NORTHCHURCH & WIGGINTON
THE WAR MEMORIAL
The Northchurch War Memorial was unveiled and dedicated on Saturday 6th March 1920.
Rear Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, the Comptroller and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales, the Patron of St Mary’s church, performed the unveiling and the Rector, Revd R H Pope, then dedicated the memorial.
Outside a new White Ensign, given to the Church by the Prince Wales, proudly flew from the church tower.
Inside St Mary’s there is also a stone memorial tablet commemorating those who died during the First World War together with several other tablets or brass plaques that remember those who died. One brass plaque, fixed to the south wall of the church, commemorates Major Hubert Thelwell and his two brothers, and dates from 1916, whilst another on the same wall commemorates Captain Nigel Hadden.
At the rear of the church, close to the organ, is a stone tablet commemorating Rifleman Charles Ross. Another stone tablet in the South Transept, surrounded by various windows associated with the Duncombe and Loxley families commemorates the three Loxley brothers, Arthur Noel, Vere Duncombe and Reginald Byron. Also in the South Transept is a stained glass window commemorating Peter Loxley, Arthur Noel Loxley’s son, who died in an air crash in 1945.
In the early 1960’s a major crack was discovered in the memorial. To prevent a possible accident and to preserve the names enscribed on the memorial's base it was decided to remove the cross and re-erect it on a new limestone base. The original base was moved a few yards to its present position nearer the churchyard wall.
The names recorded on the original base cover the hostilities of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. In 2013 research into the various names mentioned on the War Memorial and plaques in the church together with other sources led to the updating of the list of names read out annually at each Remembrance Service.
The revised list of names can be found here.
If you have any information on the servicemen who are named on the memorial please contact us.