War Memorial
On August 24th, 1914, at the very beginning of the Great War, a Branch of the Prince of Wales’ Fund was started in the Parish, which was intended to support those people affected by the war.
There quickly followed a branch of the Red Cross Fund and also a Belgian Refugee Fund, which was formed to support a family of Belgian refugees that had settled in Belbroughton.
The war ended in 1918. The Committee then in charge of the Refugees were asked to organise something in the form of a War Memorial. The Parish Council was approached and along with Belgian committee formed “The Committee of Belbroughton and Fairfield Peace Fund”, the proposition that Memorial Crosses should be erected at both ends of the Parish (Belbroughton & Fairfield), to meet the strong feeling that some permanent Memorial should be provided. It was also suggested that a Recreation Ground be established in the village of Belbroughton.
With the generous support of local subscribers, donations from the employees of Messrs. Isaac Nash Ltd, a scythe making factory in Bebroughton, the committee achieved its goal.
Belbroughton recreation Ground was opened for use in September, 1920.
Belbroughton War Memorial Cross was unveiled by General Sir H. Walker, and dedicated by the Rev. S. M. Cooke, Rector, Saturday, November 12th, 1921.
Fairfield War Memorial Cross, was unveiled by General Sir Percy Radcliffe, and dedicated by Rev. Canon Cronshaw, Sunday, May 4th, 1924.
As well as the names of the fallen from both World Wars, another inscription reads:- “To the Glory of God and in Memory of the Men of Fairfield who gave their lives for God, King and Country in the Great War 1914-1919 + Lest We Forget”. Like many memorials of this time, the ending date is given as 1919 rather than 1918.
According to the United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, the memorial was designed by the Bromsgrove Guild, who were well-known in the arts & craft world. (The Bromsgrove Guild existed from 1898 to 1966.)
The War Memorial lists the following men who died in service of their country:
John Banner (son of Luke & Teresa Banner, Wildmoor)
Rank : Lance Corporal
Regiment : 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 12364
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 25th April 1915 aged 21
Buried : Commemorated on Helles Memorial, Turkey.
Stanley Charles Biddle (son of Edward & Sarah Biddle, Fairfield)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 18726
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 15th November 1916 aged 33
Buried : Commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France.
John Thomas Burton (husband of Florence of Fairfield and father of 10 children)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 36507
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 27th March 1917 aged 40
Buried : St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France
Samuel Clements (son of Henry and Emma Clement of Birmingham)
Rank : Lance Sergeant
Regiment : 1st Battalion Warwickshire Regiment
Service number : 1125
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 16th February 1917 aged 26
Buried : Fins New British Cemetery, Somme, France
Albert Crisp (son of Thomas and Eliza Crisp of Bournheath)
Rank : Corporal
Regiment : 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 26908
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 9th October 1918 aged 26
Buried : Fairfield (St Mark) Churchyard.
Clifford Vernon Darby
Rank : Private
Regiment : 13th (2nd/4th Battalion The South Lancashire Regiment) Battalion The Parachute Regiment Army Air Corps
Service number : 14520557
Conflict : WW2
Date of death : 7th June 1944 aged 23
Buried : Ranville War Cemetery, France.
Jephthah Davenport (son of Henry & Mary Davenport of Bournheath, husband of Lizzie of Bournheath)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 27433
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 11th July 1916 aged 26
Buried : Commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France.
Philip Davenport
Rank : Sapper
Regiment : 1017 Docks Operating Company Royal Engineers
Service number : 1909248
Conflict : WW2
Date of death : 11th August 1942 aged 22
Buried : Beirut War Cemetery, Lebanese Republic.
Ernest John Eades (son of John & Emma Eades of Fairfield)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 19457
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 4th July 1916 aged 22
Buried : Basra War Cemetery, Iraq.
George Eades (son of John & Julia Eades of Stoneybridge)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 2nd Battalion The Herefordshire Regiment. King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
Service number : 4038165
Conflict : WW2
Date of death : 31st July 1941 aged 25
Buried : Fairfield (St Mark) Churchyard.
Donald Evans (son of Mr. & Mrs. T.R.J. Evans of Fairfield)
Rank : Driver
Regiment : Royal Signals
Service number : 316382
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 16th December 1918 aged 21
Buried : Terlincthun British Cemetry, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France
John Hancox (son of Annie Elizabeth Hancox of Fairfield)
Rank : Private John Wallace Hancox
Regiment : 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 12386
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 27th June 1915 aged 26
Buried : Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Turkey.
William Harbach (son of Harry & Caroline Harbach of Stourbridge)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 424th Agricultural Company Labour Corps
Service number : 460691
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 10th October 1918 aged 27
Buried : Fairfield (St Mark) Churchyard.
Samuel Harbridge (son of George & Mary Harbridge of Bell Heath)
Rank : Driver
Regiment : Royal Field Artillery
Service number : 87551
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 27th March 1918 aged 35
Buried : Etaples Military Cemetery
Walter Harris (son of Joshua & Jane Harris of Bournheath)
Rank : Driver
Regiment : Royal Field Artillery
Service number : Unknown
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 19th August 1917 aged 27
Buried : Unknown
Charles Herbert Harrison (son of Charles H. & Sarah Harrison of Bournheath)
Rank : Lance Corporal
Regiment : 14th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 25484
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 8th June 1917 aged 23
Buried : Fairfield (St Mark) Churchyard.
John Hodgetts (son of Caleb & Annie Hodgetts, Bournheath)
Rank : Lance Sergeant
Regiment : 14th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 25815
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 2nd September 1916 aged 22
Buried : Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France.
Ernest Hughes (son of Edward & Charlotte Hughes of Fairfield)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 26033
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 9th August 1916
Buried : Vermelles British Cemetery, France.
George Frederick Ivamy (of Fairfield and son of Joseph & Emily Ivamy of Winton, Dorset)
Rank : Sergeant
Regiment : 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 15670
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 1st July 1916 aged 34
Buried : Commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France.
Frederick Charles Jones (son of Charles H. & Agnes Jones of Bournheath)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment
Service number : 47597
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 31st July 1917 aged 20
Buried : Commemorated on Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.
Rupert Rea (son of James Ellen Rea of Huddington)
Rank : Private
Regiment : Devonshire Regiment. Transferred to 446th Company Labour Corps.
Service number : 29625
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 1st December 1918 aged 27
Buried : Fairfield (St Mark) Churchyard
Harry Read (son of Arthur & Mary Read of Fairfield)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 27142
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 15th December 1916 aged 20
Buried : Commemorated on Basra Memorial, Iraq.
Charles W Stevens (son of Charles Henry & Myra Stevens of Bromsgrove)
Rank : Driver
Regiment : 10 Ambulance Car Company Royal Army Service Corps
Service number : 138071
Conflict : WW2
Date of death : 13th October 1943 aged 24
Buried : Johannesburg (West Park) Cemetery, South Africa.
Harry Tilt (son of Thomas & Mary Tilt of Bournheath)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 9803
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 14th April 1918 aged 19
Buried : Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez, France.
Charles Tranter (son of Mary A. Tranter of Belbroughton and husband of Jane of Bournheath)
Rank : Gunner
Regiment : 129th Battery 42nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery
Service number : 328
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 15th October 1917 aged 37
Buried : Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm), Belgium.
William Thomas Wilkes (son of Thomas & Elizabeth Wilkes of Wildmoor)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 10th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 19896
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 30th July 1916 aged 26
Buried : Commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France.
Arthur Wood (son of Sarah Read of Bournheath)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 15719
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 6th October 1916 aged 22
Buried : Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La-Boisselle, France.
Ernest Wood (son of William & Emma Wood of Wildmoor)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 3rd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Service number : 60440
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 19th February 1919 aged 18
Buried : Fairfield (St Mark) Churchyard.
Frederick Ernest Wood (son of Mrs. Hodgkiss of Wildmoor)
Rank : Private
Regiment : 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
Service number : 29789
Conflict : WW1
Date of death : 12th April 1918 aged 20
Buried : Unknown