St Stephen's Church To Rededicate War Memorial

It includes a number of names from Chiswick

A First World War Memorial that will be re-dedicated at St Stephen's Church in Shepherd's Bush will contain the names of a number of young men who came from Chiswick.

The names include the Gidley brothers, Geoffrey ( Lance Corporal) and Robert ( Ambulance Driver) who are also on the St Michael's Elmwood Road memorial- they used to live at Pennard Road, W12 before the family moved to Burnaby Gardens W4.

Other names from the locality include Private Thomas Dixon of Bedford Park and Rifleman Donald Bishop, Brackley Road, Chiswick. Many of those killed were aged under 25 when they died, some even as young as seventeen.

The memorial, which was taken down during a re-ordering of the church about 50 years ago, is to be re-hung in the church on Remembrance Sunday. The organisers are hoping to reach some of their descendants to come along to the ceremony. Some of the names on the memorial are address unknown.

The church has also been researching their stories - for example two of the men listed ( Robert Hutchings and Frank Rowe) perished together on 1/11/1914 aboard HMS Good Hope and two others, Frank Munton and David Morgan) both in the same Battalion of the London Regiment, died on the same day, 9/5/1915.

St Stephen’s Church will be open on Friday 7 and Saturday 8th November (10.00am – 4.00pm) for visitors who wish to see the memorial and the accompanying small exhibition, which will include histories of the men and some First World War Memorabilia.

Holy Communion on Remembrance Day (November 9th) will take place at 10.00am and during the service the men will be honoured and the Memorial re-dedicated. It will be possible to view the Memorial and the display afterwards.

The church is on the Uxbridge Road, corner of Coverdale Road, (W12 8JJ)

If you wish to find out if your family is represented, a full list with names, addresses and other military and family information can be emailed to you.

Please contact The Rev Anne Cowley, St Stephen’s Church: anne@ststephensshepherdsbush.org

The Parish Church of St Stephen with St Thomas, 1 Coverdale Road, Shepherds Bush, W12 8JJ

October 29, 2014