Trumpington Local History Group History of Trumpington War Memorial

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Arthur Brookes This history of the Trumpington War Memorial is based on a talk given to the Trumpington Local History Group on 26 November 2009. It is one of a group of pages about the War Memorial. For additional information, see: 1997 Leaflet The Wilson Brothers

The War Memorial in the 1920s. From a photograph used by Percy Robinson during lectures in the 1920s-1940s.

View of the War Memorial from the north east. Photo: Arthur Brookes, 1997.

There has never been any national policy on the erection of war memorials, other than those laid down by planning authorities where the erection of a structure has necessitated compliance with certain regulations. Indeed for most of our history, war memorials were constructed to celebrate victories and remembering the dead was a secondary concern. The Boer War was the first time that many memorials were erected, followed soon after by World War I which saw memorials constructed on a national and even global scale. A war memorial can take on many forms, from a monument, statue, plaque or more traditional symbol, such as the familiar structures we associate with many village war memorials. It could be argued that not all war memorials are classified as monuments, whereas many spectacular monuments are regarded as war memorials. The Menin Gate at Ypres, the American monument at Montfaucon (near Verdun) and the Canadian monument at Vimy Ridge are three such examples. Every year, the nation marks Remembrance Sunday with a ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The Rev. H.V. Morton writing in one of his many books says a cenotaph is an empty tomb and the Collins English Dictionary goes further saying: ‘a tomb like monument, especially a war memorial to a person whose body is elsewhere’. Many war memorials are in obscure, isolated and often forgotten locations. We are very fortunate that in Trumpington and Cambridge our war memorials are in very visible and prominent places where they can be viewed on a regular basis and remind us daily of the true cost of the freedom we so often take for granted.

Cambridge War Memorial. Photo: Arthur Brookes, 1997.

In Trumpington there was much debate as to how the village would commemorate the fallen of World War I. It was not until May 1919 that a Trumpington Parish Council sub-committee considered various proposals, including a memorial garden with tennis courts, a clock tower and the erection of an obelisk. Two prominent members of the committee were the Rev. Moule and Dr Wingate. A Cambridge doctor, Dr Wingate had married Viola Pemberton. (The Trumpington estate is entitled to carry the Pemberton name.) Although the cost of the memorial was raised by public subscription, the Pemberton family contributed £200. The then Parish Council accepted the memorial on behalf of the parishioners on one condition: no alterations were to be made without the consent of a parish meeting. No one then could have foreseen there would be a second war, by which time the village was absorbed within the boundary of the city.

Cover of brochure about the Ceremony of Unveiling and Dedication, Sunday 11 December 1921. Original held by Shirley Brown.

The unveiling took place of the 11 December 1921 followed by a service in the church. It was conducted by the Rev. Moule, the vicar of the parish, assisted by both a former vicar and the pastor of the Free Church. A muffled peal of bells was rung and the Town Silver Band played sacred music in the churchyard. It was a solemn occasion and 800 copies of the souvenir brochure were printed.

Views from the south, north and north east. Photos: Arthur Brookes, 1997.

Trumpington War Memorial is one of the finest examples of the work of Eric Gill. Jeremy Pemberton had an uncle, Frank Rinder, the art correspondent of the Glasgow Herald. The two shared a mutual friendship with Edward Johnson, a calligraphic teacher at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. It was under his tutorage that Eric Gill had learned his craft. Trumpington Church already contained a memorial plaque to a member of the Pemberton family killed in action in 1914; the inscribing was the work of Eric Gill and it was largely through his connection with the family that he came to be associated with Trumpington war memorial. Eric Gill came from a religious family; his parents were clergymen and missionaries. In the years between the wars, Eric Gill was known for both his sculpture and letter carving. Although sculpture had once been the main source of his public fame, this was to be overshadowed as more adventurous artists emerged. Eric Gill is still regarded as a master of letter carving.  Trumpington war memorial is unique in that it combines both examples of his skills. It was not unusual for artists to have little connection with work attributed to them, much of the work often being carried out by their pupils. Eric Gill was very much involved with Trumpington. In The Homecoming by K.S. Inglis (1992) it was thought by David Kindersley and his apprentices that the whole work was designed and executed by Gill. He submitted designs to the memorial committee chaired by the Rev. Moule and in 1920 he was able to comment in a letter to a committee member that “with regard to the carving of the panels and the lettering, I will do these either myself or have them done by one of my pupils, which comes to the same thing”. The decision to locate the war memorial on the site of what was once called Cross Hill proved to be a wise choice. In 1921 excavations for the present memorial unearthed a large piece of Barnack stone. Over two feet square at its base, the centre contained a socket, one foot square, in which the remains of an original wooden shaft were found. This was the first real proof that Cross Hill had once been an important part of the old village. Old post cards show the road layout as it was both before and after the memorial was erected. It seems that the road to Grantchester went both sides of the memorial, not just the one side as it does today.

The south, north and east faces of the Memorial. Photos: Arthur Brookes, 1997.

The memorial contains four carved panels above which the names of the dead are listed. The panels were carefully chosen to represent both St Mary and St Michael after whom the church is dedicated. St Mary is shown with the babe in a cradle whilst St Michael is slaying a dragon. The third panel is of St George slaying the dragon (St George being the patron saint of England) and the final panel depicts a weary soldier surrounded by shell bursts and broken tree stumps making his way home with his rifle slung over his shoulder.

Decorative reliefs: St Michael slaying the dragon, St George slaying the dragon, Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus, Portrait of a soldier. Photos: Arthur Brookes, 1997.

The names of the World War II dead have since been added to the base. It is widely regarded that this was the work of David Kindersley, who had himself learned much from Gill’s skills and talents, having served his apprenticeship under the great man himself.

Memorial to the dead of World War II. Photos: Arthur Brookes, 1997.

Constructed of Portland stone, the memorial has stood the test of time with the exception of the west panel, the stone of which seems to be slightly more porous than the rest. Being a sedimentary stone, the presence of fossils and soft indentations in Portland stone can lead to premature weathering and this seems to be the case. In 1969 the top of the cross was broken when someone attempted to climb it. The stone was re-fixed and the masons managed to clarify which way the cross faced from the blacksmith nearby. Apart from regular washing (this was last done in 1997), there is little to be done to the actual memorial, stone weathers over time to produce a natural patina which can be easily damaged by the use of abrasives. Unfortunately the cobbles surrounding the memorial regularly come loose and perhaps this is something that could be addressed in the future. It should be possible to find a better surface such as weathered reclaimed sets which will not spoil the appearance of the memorial while at the same time making the surface easier to maintain.

Two of those listed on the memorial are buried in the Hauxton Road church yard. One is commemorated with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone: Albert Charles Wilson who died of injuries a week before the armistice was signed. Whilst many Trumpington families suffered losses in World War I, the Wilson family suffered more than most. Mr Wilson senior worked as a shepherd and later as a roadman. The family lived in Workhouse Yard, more commonly known as Whitlocks Yard.  They had four sons, three of whom were killed in the Great War, only the youngest son survived. The family also lost a son-in-law.

Graves in Trumpington Churchyard, Shelford Road, Trumpington: Private Albert Charles Wilson, Lieutenant Gerald Hugh Smyth and Captain Arthur Hugh Bates Chaplin. Photos: Arthur Brookes, November 2009.

Newspaper commemorations of Trumpington soldiers: Private Michael Charles Metcalfe, Cambridgeshire Regiment, died 26 September 1917 Private Frank Mynott, Middlesex Regiment, died 16 October 1917 Private Harold Scott, Suffolk Regiment, killed in action 26 September 1916 Private James Richard Wilson, Suffolk Regiment, killed in action 30 August 1916 Private Robert Wilson, Suffolk Regiment, died 1 July 1916

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