MEMORIALS

Minstead has a Memorial Plaque in All Saints Church with the names of those from Minstead who lost their lives during World War 1 and World War 2.  There are also a number of individual plaques in the Church and headstones in the churchyard.  In addition there is a War Memorial Cross on the Village Green which has no names inscribed on it.  There is a silver Alms Dish given in 1953 by 716 Company Royal Army Service Corps, Airborne Light Division, who were stationed in Minstead during World War 2.  The names of the 33 men from this Company who died are inscribed on the dish but as they were not from Minstead they are doubtless commemorated on the War Memorials of their own towns or villages. There is a memorial cross at Mogshade Hill to all the Canadians who were encamped at Boldrewood whilst waiting for D-Day which stands on the spot where their Sunday Services were held.  Click here for further information on the Minstead War Memorial Project.

MINSTEAD WAR MEMORIAL PROJECT

Over the past eight years books have been published on the War Memorials of Beaulieu, Bransgore, Brockenhurst, Hordle, Lymington, Pennington and Milford-on-Sea, as part of the project to research all the New Forest War Memorials by 2014.  The aim is to identify all those who died as a direct result of war in each town or village, to describe the local connection and to explain the circumstances leading to each death. This will ensure that their sacrifice will not be forgotten. We are also very interested in details of those men who went to war and RETURNED SAFELY. In focusing on the Lyndhurst area we would like to start by researching the backgrounds of those Men of Minstead who went to war between 1914 and the present day.

If you can help the project in any way, with stories and photographs of these men and their families, could you please contact either:

John Cockram (01590 624338 or john.cockram@virgin.net)

or

Carole Standeven (023 8028 3459 or carolestandeven@btinternet.com

All such help will be acknowledged in the proposed book. Research material will be respectfully treated and returned soonest.

The profit from these publication is donated to the Poppy Appeal, which to date has benefited by £2,800 from the project.

Your help in this matter is appreciated.

MEMORIALS

Minstead has a Memorial Plaque in All Saints Church with the names of those from Minstead who lost their lives during World War 1 and World War 2.  There are also a number of individual plaques in the Church and headstones in the churchyard.  In addition there is a War Memorial Cross on the Village Green which has no names inscribed on it.

There is a silver Alms Dish given in 1953 by 716 Company Royal Army Service Corps, Airborne Light Division, who were stationed in Minstead during World War 2.  The names of the 33 men from this Company who died are inscribed on the dish but as they were not from Minstead they are doubtless commemorated on the War Memorials of their own towns or villages.

There is a memorial cross at Mogshade Hill to all the Canadians who were encamped at Boldrewood whilst waiting for D-Day which stands on the spot where their Sunday Services were held.

INFORMATION GATHERED SO FAR

FIRST WORLD WAR

a. Names on War Memorial in All Saints Church

Surname	Forename(s)	Rank	Age	Service	Unit	Died	Month	Day	How	Mem	Bd./Comm
Auton	Frederick Thomas	Rfmn	25	Rifle Bde	13th Bn	1916	Nov	14	kia	Min	Ancre Br Cem, Beaumont Hamel
Broomfield	Frank	Cpl	20	RGA	25th TMB	1917	Nov	21	kia	Min	Cambrin Military Cem
Crockford	Harry Stone	Pte		Wilts Regt	2nd Bn	1918	March	21	kia	Min	Pozieres Memorial
Curtis	Henry (Harry) Herbert	Pte	30	RAVC	Hospital	1915	June	1	died	Min	St Sever Cem, Rouen
Doe	Bert	Pte	35	Wilts Regt	6th Bn	1917	Oct	1	kia	Min	Bus House Cem, Ypres
Ellis	Robert James	Gunner	30	RFA	A Bty 4th Bde	1917	April	20	kia	Min	Henin Comm Ext, Arras
Gailor	Harry Edward	Pte	25	Hants Regt	11th Bn	1916	August	15	dow	Min	Choques Mil Cem nr Bethune
Jeffreys	Darell Richard	Capt	33	Devon Regt	1st Bn	1915	July	11	kia	Min	Chester Farm, Zillebeke, Ypres
Jeffreys	Robert	Cdr	39	RN	HMS Clan MacNaughton	1915	Feb	3		Min	Chatham Naval Memorial
Jones	Charles James	Pte	35	RAVC	Depot	1915	Feb	24	dies	Min	Greenwich Cem London
Judd	Walter	Pte		Hants Regt	14th Bn	1918	Jan	10	kia	Min	Tyne Cot Memorial
Osman	Walter Sidney	Pte		Devon Regt	8th Bn	1917	July	17	kia	Min	HAC Cem Ecoust-StMain
Payne	Thomas Philip	Pte	19	MGC	144 Coy	1918	March	23	died	Min
Pigot-Moodie	Charles Alfred	Lt	24	Rifle Bde	6th Bn	1915	Jan	13		Min	Kemmel Chateau Mil Cem Nr Ypres
Prince	William Charles	Pte	24	Hants Regt	Training Reserve	1917	Feb	21	died	Min	Minstead Churchyard
Soffe	Albert Edward	Pte	28	Hants Regt	2nd Bn	1915	Sept	11	kia	Min	Green Hill Cem Gallipoli
Soffe	William Edward	Stoker		RN	HMS Victory	1918	Sept	13	died	Min	Minstead Churchyard
White	Joseph Harry	L/Sgt		Hants Regt	1/7th Bn	1919	March	5		Min	Minstead Churchyard
Witt	(Philip) George	Bomb	22	RGA	207th Seige Bty	1917	Sept	1	kia	Min	Canada Farm Cem Nr Ypres

b. Names of Men not on Minstead War Memorial but with strong Minstead Connections

Name	Forename(s)	Rank	Age	Service	Unit	Died	Month	Day	How	Bd/Comm	Connection with Minstead
Hillier	Edwin	Driver	39	RFA	223rd Bde A Bty	1918	Sept	9	dow	Varennes Mil Cem Nr Albert	Parents lived in Canterton
Smeathman	Julian Missenden	Lt	26	RE	55th Field Coy	1914	Oct	24	kia	Menin Gate, Ypres	Memorial in All Saints Church
Smith	George	Rfmn		Rifle Bgde	8th Bn	1917	Sept	17	kia	Tyne Cot Memorial	Born Minstead
Spray	Stanley Beckford	Gunner	20	RFA	69th Bty 31st Bde	1915	Oct	1	dow	Bethune town Cem	Parents lived in The Lodge, Castle Malwood
Tilbury	William ernest	2nd Cpl		RE	560th Army Troops Coy	1918	March	20	kia	Sailly-Labourse Comm Ext	Connections with Lyndhurst & Minstead; not on a local memorial.
[Short?]
Dixon	John Henry	2/Lt	37	RE	85th Field Coy	1919	May	1	died		Parents lived in Minstead. Born in Minstead

SECOND WORLD WAR

a. Names on War Memorial in All Saints Church

Surname	Forenames	Rank	Age	Service	Unit	Died	Month	Day	Mem	Bd./Comm
Crofton	Diana Stewart	Nurse	21	Aux. Nursing Service	(India)	1944	Aug	4	Min	Delhi War Cemetry, India
Darling	James Weyland	Midshipman		RN	HMS Gloucester	1941	May	22	Min	Plymouth Naval Memorial
Devereux	Thomas Edwin	2/Lt	37	RA	394 Bty, 48 Searchlight Regt	1942	May	7	Min	Minstead Churchyard
Gale	Sidney Allen	Driver	20	RASC	not specified	1940	May	21	Min	Minstead Churchyard
Hillier	Eric Dudley	Sapper	24	RE	999 Docks Operating Coy	1944	Feb	17	Min	Minstead Churchyard
Hillier	Leslie Ronald	Pte	26	Hants Regt	5th Bn	1943	Feb	25	Min	Medjez-el-Bab War Cem Tunisia
Purkiss	Cyril Frank	Pte	29	Wilts Regt	5th Bn	1944	July	22	Min	Banneville-la-Campagne Cem, Caen
Stallard	Wilfred Arnold	Joiner	53	Naval Aux Personnel	HMS Laurentic	1940	Nov	3	Min	Liverpoll Naval Memorial
Stamp	Ernest Reginald	Lt/QM	44	RASC	not specified	1945	March	18	Min	Minstead Churchyard
Trench	John Patrick	Flt/Lt		RAF Volunteer Reserve	7 Sqdn	1943	March	8	Min	Les Souhesmes Cem, Nr Verdun
Young	Robert Andrew	Lt	22	RAC	1st Regt Recce Corps	1943	April	29	Min	Massicault War Cem Tunisia

b. Names of Men not on Minstead War Memorial but with strong Minstead Connections

Name	Forename(s)	Rank	Age	Service	Unit	Died	Month	Day	How	Bd/Comm	Connection with Minstead
Allan	David Henry	Sgt	25	RAF Volunteer Reserve	115 Sqdn	1941	Aug	15	Missing in Action	Runnymede Memorial	Memorial in Minstead Churchyard
Lawrence	Robert Percival	Sub Lt	28	RN Volunteer Reserve	HMS Express	1940	Sep	1		Hull Northern Cemetry	Wife from Minstead

EMERY DOWN LYCHGATE PROJECT

‘Lest we forget’ – the words carved onto the front of the lychgate to Emery

Down Church.
As part of the process of commemoration, honouring and remembering a group
of local people are researching the lives of soldiers and airmen who died in
the First World War and whose names are inscribed on the walls of the
lychgate – the war memorial for the villages of Bank, Emery Down and
Gritnam –  it is planned to have a record of those who lost their lives in
the First World War available in the church for visitors to read alongside a
Book of Commemoration for people to set down their own thoughts and memories
of the losses caused by war and in particular, those caused by the First
World War.

If you wish to be involved in what has become known as the Lychgate Project
or if you are related to any of the men whose names are inscribed in the
lychgate (see War memorial Emery Down for full list) and have information for us please contact the project’s co-ordinator <mailto:sasa.hall@btinternet.com>  (one of the
churchwardens).

See Emery Down Lychagte Project for further information