RSCGWP

Acknowledgments & Sponsors

Honouring those who supported the preservation of history.

SPONSORSHIP

This research was kindly sponsored by Anthony McCourt, a director at Court Collaboration.

Court Collaboration purchased the former Sutton Coldfield Council House in the Summer of 2014. The property is adjacent to ‘The Town Hall’, which is situated in King Edwards Square.

‘Court Collaboration’ refurbished and extended  the elegant and historic building into 18 luxury apartments. The  development is known as ‘Royal Sutton Place’.

Anthony McCourt said “Royal Sutton Place is a site which is full of history and a big part of that is the war memorial that stands out front.

With this year being the 100th anniversary of World War 1, this is a project we were very honoured to support – a lot of hard work has gone in to documenting the journey of these brave soldiers and we are happy that their story can be shared in such a momentous year.”

Court Collaboration
Two Snowhill, Snow Hill Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6GA
www.courtcollaboration.com

Everyone involved in this project, as well as the wider community in Sutton Coldfield, all wish ‘Court Collaboration’ every success with their new development, ‘Royal Sutton Place’.

We also hope that the focus of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield War Memorial will enable future generations to share many years of remembrance and commemoration.

It is important that we strive to keep these memories alive for the generations yet to come. This is why so many people have given their time and resources freely to help with this major piece of local history.

It is also our long term aim to update the project as new information and records come to light and to look at the social effects and losses the war had on the families of those who died.

The Royal Sutton Coldfield Great War Project would also like to acknowledge that this printed version of our research would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship by Anthony McCourt.

We are very grateful to be able to place a printed copy of our research in the Royal Sutton Coldfield Library.

Yvonne Moore
Editor and researcher

THE ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD GREAT WAR PROJECT 2014 - 2024

‘WE WILL REMEMBER THEM’

Many thanks go to all of people who have taken part in the research of this project. Without your hard work, and generosity, this research would not have been possible.

This work is by no means complete and where we have ‘missing men’, we will continue to research them as new records become available over the next months and years.

The main thing is that we have remembered those who served and lost their lives during this tragic war. We have also remembered those who were left behind.

This piece of work also serves as a ‘snapshot’ of what life was like in Sutton Coldfield at the outbreak of war.

There was a population of about 22,000 people. The town was much smaller than it is now and everyone living there would have been touched by the war in some way.

We know that some men were not included on the war memorial – either by error or by the choice of their families.  As a group, we decided to add those men we have found who are not on the memorial – so they will not be forgotten. If further men are found, then they too will be added to our research.

Many thanks have to go to Andy Coles for all the hard work he did since 1998 in researching these men and inspiring me to further his work. His 1998 W. H. Smith diary, full of lovely handwritten research, was too big a temptation for me to ignore.

I only intended to transcribe his work, but the family historian in me thought it would be a good idea to research the online records for these men. This was in the autumn of 2013. Like those back in 1914, I thought “it would all be over by Christmas”. Wrong. This research is still not complete and is ongoing in 2024.

November 2013 by Peter Moore

Recognising the dedicated contributors to this project.

A list of our contributors

Tina Ambrose                                                   St James Church, Hill

 

Eve Beeley                                                          Individual contributor

 

Peter Bell                                                             Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club

 

David Bicknell                                                   David kindly loaned Peter Moore his copy of the ‘Birmingham Battalions’ Book edited by Bowater

 

Richard & Rosemary Christophers     Ripley Court School archivists, contributors

 

Margaret Cross                                               Researcher and individual contributor

 

Michael Dale                                                     Individual contributor

 

John Day                                                              Sutton Coldfield YMCA – individual contributor

 

Phil Duggan                                                       Medal researcher and individual contributor

 

David Eason                                                      Military Historian

 

Sue Gaughan                                                   Librarian at Walmley Library, co-ordinating their commemorations

 

Jane Guest                                                        Individual contributor

 

Patricia Gumbley                                           St Peter’s Church, Maney researcher

 

Marion Hall                                                         Researcher, Streetly Local History Group

 

Paul Harrison                                                    Researched the Four Oaks Cross men and helped with editing

 

Brian Hoyle                                                         Individual contributor

 

Graham and Penny Jennings                 St Michael’s Church, Boldmere

 

Mike Kemble                                                      Local historian

 

Pat Knight                                                           Medal enthusiast

 

Richard Lloyd                                                     Western Front Association and individual contributor

 

Suzanne Lord                                                     Individual contributor

 

Patricia McCormack                                        Librarian, Sutton Coldfield Library, co-ordinating their commemorations

 

Peter Moore                                                      Great War amateur historian

 

John Mutlow                                                      Individual contributor

 

Linda Newey                                                      Librarian at Mere Green Library, co-ordinating their commemorations

 

Chris Owen                                                         Medal historian and advisor

 

Kathy Page                                                          Teacher at Town School, co-ordinating their commemorations

 

David Phillips                                                     Bishop Vesey Grammar School, teacher and war historian

 

Sue Purdey                                                         Individual contributor

 

Allen Redfern                                                    Hill Allotments Society

 

Matthew Rhodes                                             Vicar at St Peter’s Church, Maney

 

Rob Rolfe                                                            Researcher at Emmanuel Church, Wylde Green – Emmanuel Commemoration

 

Joy Timbrell                                                        Individual Contributor

 

Lily and Sydney Stonehouse                        Individual contributors

 

Cliff Webb                                                           Individual contributor

 

Alison Wheatley                                               Archivist at King Edward Schools, Birmingham (KES)

 

David Wilkes                                                      Individual contributor

 

Sylvia Williams                                                  Researcher

A sincere thanks to all

And thanks go to the very many others who have contributed via social media and Ancestry family trees.

Online research was undertaken using Ancestry.co.uk and Findmypast as well as general searches of the Internet.

Help has also been freely given by the librarians at Sutton Coldfield Library, Mere Green Library and Walmley Library during this research. Many thanks go to our librarians.

Thanks must also go to Theresa Tammam, Sutton Coldfield District Support Officer.

Theresa worked hard to make sure this work was sponsored in order that we could get the work printed and bound.

Yvonne Moore 2014 – 2024

Editor and researcher