OTHER MEMORIAL PLAQUES IN NEWMARKET

ST. MARY'S CHURCH

These plaques, which were originally part of a wooden side screen, were unveiled on Sunday 14th August 1921 by Colonel H.Fortescue.

Major George Edward Savill Young was the brother of Henry Brook Young, the Rector of St Mary's in 1911 census
This appears to be his only connection with Newmarket
Thomas Edwards has so far eluded positive identification

ALL SAINTS CHURCH

The main memorial in All Saints' Church is a carved wooden altar near the vestry door. Carved from oak, it holds the names of 102 victims of the Great War. Made from Austrian oak, costing £400, designed by Mr.Leopold E.Cole A.R.I.B.A. of Newmarket and made by Linzell & Edmondson (Foreman Carpenter A.Boys). It was dedicated by the Ven. W.T.Farmilo, Archdeacon of Sudbury.
It is 9ft 4" (2843 m/m) high, 8 ft (2436 m/m) wide and 3ft (914 m/m) deep.
The altar table was a gift from Lady Edith Windham "in Memory of and to the Glory of God and in loving memory of Charles Douglas-Pennant Lt. 1 Battn Coldstream Guards, killed near Ypres 29 Oct.1914"
at this time it has not been possible to obtain decent photographs of this memorial

Hand written Roll of honour in All Saints Church, all who served and all who died in WW1

Hand written Roll of honour in All Saints Church, all who died in WW2

In addition a roll of honour was unveiled in All Saints School on January 27th 1921 by Capt G C GRAY.
Sadly this plaque has been lost
However the list of names had been published in the Newmarket Journal.

Flagstones commemorating those who fell in 1939-1945

In addition there is a stone inscribed
"Killed during bombing: 18 Feb 1941
William J.Gale Viola Alice Lambert Richard Fredrick Jennings"

also a brass plaque on the wall between the vestry and the pulpit
In Memory of
No.4163 Pte Hughes
1st King's Dragoon Guards
killed in South Africa 11th Nov.1901
Erected by his officers & comrades"

St. AGNES CHURCH

Sacred
to the memory of
Francis Lambton
2nd Lieutenant Royal Horse Guards
9th son of the 2nd Earl of Durham
Born 18th January 1871
Killed in action against the German Army at Zandvoorte
October 30th 1914
This tablet is erected by some of those friends who knew and loved him
To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die

940 m/m high, 1120 m/m wide - Unveiled 19th June 1921 by Major S.J.Ennion, dedicated by Canon Farmilow

Pro Patria Mori
1914 - 1918
TO THE GLORY OF GOD & IN GRATEFUL MEMORY
OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
FOR HUMANITY IN THE GREAT WAR

WILLIAM ALBERT BOND...........FREDERICK LESTER RICKABY
Kings Royal Rifles...........................Tank Corps

ALBERT G.W.MANNING..........EDWARD P.WILLSON
Rifle Brigade..................III Grenadier Guards

HUGH CECIL MOXON Lt
5 Beford Regiment

STILL FOR THEM HIGH SERVICE WAITS THOUGH EARTHS LAST FIGHT IS FOUGHT

Unveiled 19th June 1921 by Major S.J.Ennion, dedicated by Canon Farmilow

IN FURTHER REMEMBRANCE OF THE
MEN WHO FELL IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

MAURICE ADNEY ELLIS ENNION.....................WILLIAM CHARLES GREEN
RAF..............................................1st Cambs Regt

ROBERT FREDERICK HALLIWELL..............................JOHN LAMBTON
RAF.........................................................RAF

CHARLES OSBORNE..................................ORTON SIDNEY TAYLOR
1st Duke of Cornwalls Light infantry.............1st Cambs Regt

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH PLAQUE

This plaque was a bronze tablet in an oak frame.
When last seen it was broken in half, but now no trace can be found of any of it. The names however were recorded in the Newmarket Journal and were as follows:
Frederick W CHALLICE.................Bert T.CLOW
Robert H CLOW....................Joseph CROMPTON
Gordon C FREESTONE.............James W GOODCHILD
William J KING..................Walter E LEONARD
William H SINGLETON.........Robert SPENCER (Jun)
Alfred J TURNER.................Bertram S TURNER

The plaque was unveiled on 19th June 1921 by Mr. W.R.Lane.
What was left of the inscription was the last six names above and the dedication..
...TEFUL MEMORY
OF
...CHURCH
WHO FELL IN THE
..WAR
1914-1919

Any clues as to the possible location of this artifact would be gratefully received

EXNING ROAD PLAQUE

This particular Memorial has a page of its own on this website....click here Exning Road

Post Office Great War plaque

Charles Amos is commemorated on the Newmarket Memorial, William Day in on the Lidgate memorial
Thomas Atherton is named on the Little Thurlow (Haverhill section here).
Unveiled by the Postmaster on October 1st 1921

Post Office World War 2 plaque

Both Queenie and Allan are buried in Newmarket Cemetery.

Conservative Club plaque

Since the demise of the club it has been moved to the wall in the dining room of the Avenue Bowls Club, Newmarket

ASTLEY CLUB PLAQUE

The Racing Stables Mission was actually a completely separate entity to the Astley Club, being more concerned with the spiritual needs of the racing lads, whilst the Astley Club, on Vicarage Road, was more in tune to their recreational needs. The Mission was located in Park Lane, up a little lane almost opposite the junction of Park Lane with Park Avenue. When the Mission closed the plaque was taken into care by the Astley Club and moved with them to the present site in Fred Archer Way.
The plaque went missing for a while, but it was being stored with the Racing Museum. It is now (2015) safely re-installed in the Club, now known as the Newmarket Racing Centre. I suspect it will continue to be known as the Astley Club !. All that remains is for me to get a more up to date photograph

This plaque is of particular significance since in some cases it is currently the only link between the casualty and Newmarket. Hopefully for some lads who may have been apprentices or jockeys, the racing records may eventually reveal more information about them, although in the grand scheme of things, horses histories were always more assiduously recorded than humans

ST. PHILIPS AND ST ETHELDREDA

previously the Workhouse Chapel, Exning Road

This memorial plaque was originally in St Philip's Church in St.Philip's Road until that was demolished in 1988 for redevelopment and it was eventually moved to its present location.
Listing 262 names of those who served and 29 who died. A wall mounted, wooden wooden frame, 60" high 32" wide, with the names in a glazed panel at the bottom.

The carved dedication reads:-
PARISH OF EXNING
CHURCH OF ST.PHILIP
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN GRATEFUL REMEMBERANCE
OF THE MEN OF THIS DISTRICT
WHO FOUGHT, SUFFERED AND DIED
FOR THE VINDICATION OF BRITAIN'S
WORD IN THE GREAT EUROPEAN
-1914 -WAR- 1919
WE BESEECH YOU BRETHREN TO
ESTEEM THEM VERY HIGHLY IN
LOVE FOR THEIR WORK SAKE
1 THESS. V.12.13

Carved frame, no names in carving

Printed names of all who served with those who failed to return in the centre column

All who died in Service for their Country

Arthur Raymont DRAKE and Albert TILLEY are on both the Exning and Newmarket War Memorials
William GOODCHILD; Selwyn Vermon LAWS; James TURNER are on the Exning War Memorial
There were two different Sidney BUTCHER, one is on the Newmarket War Memorial, and the other on the Exning War Memorial

Opening photo from the collection of Peter Norman

Nurses Home and Children's Ward in Cardigan Street,erected in 1923

When the town war memorial was erected after the Great War, there was a cash surplus and this was used to build a home for the district nurses, incorporating a children's /maternity ward, dedicated to the memory of the men who fought in the Great War 1914-1918. On a site in Cardigan Street, gifted by Major D. McCalmont, and designed by architect Mr Leopold E.Cole and opened by Princess Mary, Viscountess Lacelles, on Thursday, November 1st, 1923
It is interesting to note that the idea was first approved in January 1923, estimated to cost £1,250. In February Mr. H.F.King's tender of £1,386.10s (excluding central heating) was accepted and planning permission was granted on 19th February. It was decided, despite the extra cost, to incorporate a ward with 6 cots for children, This cost was quickly covered by donations and The Hon George Lambton defrayed the cost of the central heating. As well at the children's ward, the accommodation included a doctor's surgery and living accommodation for two nurses.

Plaque for the crew of Stirling AA-N at the July Racecourse

Short Stirling Mk3 R9245 c/s AA-N was delivered to No.75 (New Zealand) Squadron, R.A.F. on 5/10/1942
On the night of the 16th December 1942 nine Stirling bombers of the Squadron were detailed to undertake a Gardening Op (dropping mines)off Bordeaux. The surface wind at Newmarket around take off time was fluctuating and tending toward crosswind. Then it backed severely so that the flare path was downwind. During take-off at 21.45hrs, the first three aircraft swung badly on take off, but this was promptly rectified and they became airborne. The next Stirling due to take off, R9245- AA-N, Piloted by Sgt. Benjamin Franklin, was subjected to the same wind effect causing it to swing dangerously, but Sgt. Franklin kept power on to counter it and continued the take-off attempt. The aircraft became airborne briefly but crashed a mile away from the airfield. Two mines exploded and all the crew were killed. The remaining aircraft, due to take off, were grounded.
It was later established that the starboard undercarriage had hit Devil's Dyke (a mound around the perimeter of Newmarket airfield) and broke off the oil tank to the starboard inner engine, causing it to seize and turning the aircraft into the ground.

THE CREW:-
Pilot - Sgt Benjamin Allan FRANKLIN - RNZAF rests in Newmarket Cemetery.
Navigator - Sgt William Henry WHITCOMBE - RNZAF rests in Newmarket Cemetery.
Flt Engr - Sgt William, Joseph LAWRENCE - RCAF - rests in Newmarket Cemetery.
Air/Bmr - Sgt Edgar William HARVEY - RNZAF - rests in Lakenham (St. John the Baptist and All Saints) Churchyard.
W/Op/Air Gnr - Sgt Harold Rangi WELCH - RNZAF - rests in Newmarket Cemetery.
Air Gnr - Sgt Tom PASCOE RAF rests in Ashburton (St. Andrew) Churchyard Extension.
Air Gnr - Sgt Eric James BURBRIDGE RAF rests in Wandsworth and Streatham Cemetery, Surrey.

A local busines man, Mike Nicholas, finding the original memorial plaque had corroded away, leaving just the stump of its stake, sponsored its replacement with a cast bronze plaque, this time including the names of the crew.. The new plaque was dedicated by Rev.Colin McCARTY on Thursday 25th August 2016. It can be found on the town side of the Dyke by the 5 furlong marker of the race course

Plaque for the 99 Squadron R.A.F. at the Rowley Mile Racecourse

This memorial, unveiled in September 1985 by the Member's Entrance to the Rowley Mile Racecourse, commemorates 99 Squadron R.A.F. 1917 to 1976. It consists of a propeller blade recovered from the wreckage of Vickers Wellington Mk1, ser.no.T2888,c/s LN-R from 99 Sqdn (Dec 1940-Feb 1941) which crashed at Stag's Holt, nr Wisbech on 11th/12th February 1941.

On the block, a plaque, below the squadron crest and an etching of a Wellington, is inscribed:
WELLINGTON T2888 R-ROBERT "B" FLIGHT
99 SQUADRON DEC 40/FEB 41
OF WHICH THE PROPELLER BLADE ON THIS
MEMORIAL WAS RECOVERED
CREW ABANDONED AIRCRAFT
OVER WISBECH FEB 1941

and on a plaque on the wall, to the left of the propeller, below the squadron crest, is inscribed:
IN MEMORY OF
ALL WHO SERVED WITH
99 SQUADRON
ROYAL AIR FORCE
BEWTWEEN ITS FORMATION
IN 1917
AND DISBANDMENT IN 1976
THE SQUADRON WAS BASED
HERE FROM SEPTMEBER 1939
TO MARCH 1941

The wall plaque on the right commemorates Cpl John "Jack" Taylor, a Newmarket man who was awarded the George Medal when rescuing personnel from a burning aircraft at RAF Newmarket and later he was awarded the British Empire Medal, again rescuing personnel from a burning aircraft.
'Jack' survived the war to become a well known business man and Councillor in Newmarket.

Original 99 Squadron plague at Rowley Mile stands

Plaque for the victims of the High Street bombing

This memorial was unveiled at the Memorial Hall, High Street, Newmarket on 18th February 2022, exactly 81 years to the day after the actual bombing of the High Street, a ceremony delayed by one year due to COVID restrictions.
The victims had previously been commemorated on various memorials, locally and elsewhere, but never together on one memorial.

The plaque is black marble with gilded lettering, 460m/m wide, 680 m/m high

MISSING PLAQUES

Some school and church plaques, which are known to have existed, have been lost. All Saints School and the Congregational Church plaque names were recorded in the Newmarket Journal at the time of their unveiling.

It is known that there was a plaque in St Mary's School but no record is available of any of the names on it. Enquiries at the Catholic Church, Methodist Chapel and Laureate school have drawn a blank.

It seems unlikely that they were spared losses, or that in the event of losses and the feelings at the time, that there was not a roll of honour drawn up.
The demolition, and rebuilding elsewhere, of some of these places may have resulted in the loss of the plaque. Of course there was the period when some trendy folk thought such things glorified war, so they would be no loss!

Should any reader know of the whereabouts of any memorial plaque to the fallen of Newmarket, even if they can point us in the direction of only the names on such plaques, please contact us.

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