The three World War memorials of East Keswick
Perhaps East Keswick is unusual in having three separate memorials to the soldiers who died in the World wars.
In chronological order of their inception these are as follows-
1 - The Memorial Lime trees
Planning for the avenue of memorial limes along Crabtree lane started less than a year after the war had ended and it was one of the earliest of such memorials in the area.
The first letter, below, strongly supportive of the idea, was published in the in October 11th 1919.
One might think that such memorials would have been universally popular however the second letter, below, written by some E.K. ex-servicemen, published just in advance of the ceremony, makes it clear that some surviving veterans and families of the deceased were strongly opposed to such memorials viewing them as unwanted reminders.
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Notwithstanding local objections, on the 31st of January 1920 “in not very propitious weather conditions” the Reverends Lascelles, Scott and Harrison in the presence of “a godly gathering of residents and sympathisers” dedicated the avenue of Limes to the memory of the deceased.
Initially 16 trees were planted as shown below, with the soldier’s wife or family member or friend responsible for their individual tree or in some cases by a church representative when the family did not approve or were not available . Shortly afterwards a couple more trees were planted for Frederick Eustace Bearley (who died in June 1920) and Joseph Percival Wade (who is remembered on the Hunslet war memorial but who’s wife stayed in East Keswick).
Initially 16 trees were planted as shown below, with the soldier’s wife or family member or friend responsible for their individual tree or in some cases by a church representative when the family did not approve or were not available . Shortly afterwards a couple more trees were planted for Frederick Eustace Bearley (who died in June 1920) and Joseph Percival Wade (who is remembered on the Hunslet war memorial but who’s wife stayed in East Keswick).
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Initially each tree was surrounded by a guard and it was to these guards that the soldier’s wooden name plaque was fixed. Since that time the plaques have been replaced on at least a couple of occasions.
In April 1937, to mark the coronation of her brother King George VI, Mary the Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, accompanied by her two sons Viscount Lascelles and the honourable Gerald Lascelles, planted four further Lime trees beyond the 18 planted 17 years earlier.
Following the end of World War II a small piece of land known as Little Burton Close was given by Edmund Patchett to the Parish Council as a war memorial garden and garden of rest to be used by the public forever. The conveyance of land took place on November 14th 1949. Mr Howarth donated additional five trees which were planted to remember the five men who were killed during World War II.
Following the end of World War II a small piece of land known as Little Burton Close was given by Edmund Patchett to the Parish Council as a war memorial garden and garden of rest to be used by the public forever. The conveyance of land took place on November 14th 1949. Mr Howarth donated additional five trees which were planted to remember the five men who were killed during World War II.
2- The Lych gate
The wooden lych gate with pitched slate roof was added to the entrance of St Mary Magdalene church in 1920. The church had made efforts to support the West Riding War Fund and the Belgian Relief fund during the war.
It is inscribed “In memory of the men of the village who gave their lives for their country”
The dedication service took place on the 16th September 1920.
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In addition to the boards listing the men killed, there is a calligraphy picture inside the church which is titled the Roll of Honour. This lists the 18 men who died, the 78 men who served, and, added a little bit later, the 4 women from the village who served during WW1
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3- The Memorial cross
In the last week of January 1920, just before the planting ceremony of the memorial trees, plans for a second memorial in the village were published.
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The 4.5m high Celtic cross, which cost £207, was unveiled on October 8th 1921 by Colonel Lane-Fox of Bramham Park
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Perhaps surprisingly the names of the men who died during WW2 were not added to this particular memorial.