War Memorial
The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the 19th Century. Previously, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
The war memorial was erected in 1920 near the north-west corner of All Saints Parish Church by a parish subscription. The cost of the memorial was raised by public subscription (£21 11s) and it was made by William Bryans, the Overseer of Stanton for the Bingham Union.
As a Millennium project, the war memorial was cleaned and re-sited to the newly finished memorial area outside the old churchyard, with a seat and a border planted with shrubs at the side of the path to the church. This area was consecrated and the war memorial re-dedicated by Bishop Roy Williamson on 30 October 1999.
The simple carved stone cross stands above a plinth that is inscribed with the names of the three men from the parish who fell in World War I. No servicemen from the parish died in World War II.The War Memorial was Grade II listed as a building of Special Architectural or Historic Interest on April 12, 2019.
Men from Stanton who died in the First World War
Hatherley, Joseph (28062)
Private, 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales's Regiment)
Died of his wounds on 21st March 1918, aged 29
Burial location is unknown; remembered on the Pozieres Memorial, France (Panel 67 and 68)
Son of Joseph and Phoebe Hatherley; twin brother of Isaac and brother of Leonard and Fred
Born around 1890 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Baptised at All Saints Stanton-on-the-Wolds on 25th May 1892
Husband of Mary Hatherley
Appears on 1891 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 1
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 11
Appears on 1911 Edwalton census, aged 21, Farm Labourer (single)
On 21st March 1918 the German Army launched a large-scale offensive (known as the Kaiserschlacht or the Kaiser's Battle) against the Allied front on the Somme battlefield.
Six thousand German guns fired a saturation barrage on the British lines for five hours after which the barrage was switched to selected targets. The allied army suffered severe losses which included Joseph, who was killed in action. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Joseph is commemorated on panel 67/68 of the Memorial at the entrance to Pozieres Cemetery which lists the names of the 14,649 casualties with no known grave who were killed on the Somme between March 1918 and August 1918.
Hatherley, Leonard (13912)
Joined up on 31st August 1914
Private, 1st Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
Died of his wounds on 25th February 1915, aged 18
Buried in Merville Communal Cemetery, France (Plot I.E.6)
Son of Joseph and Phoebe Hatherley; brother of Joseph, Isaac and Fred
Born around 1896 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Baptised at All Saints Stanton-on-the-Wolds on 25th May 1892
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 4
Appears on 1911 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 14, Chemist's Labourer
In February 1915 the 1st Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters were in action in the Merville area of France and were later heavily committed in the battle at Neuve Chapelle, where the British losses on three days amounted to 2,527 dead and over 8,000 wounded. Leonard was severely wounded in action on 17th February and died from his wounds on 25th February 1915 just thirty days after joining the French theatre of war.
He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Kemp, Tom Henry (201387)
Private, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
Died of his wounds on 8th July 1917, aged 20
Buried in Red Cross Corner Cemetery, Beugny, France (Plot I.D.3)
Son of Thomas and Rebecca Ann Kemp; brother of John Kemp
Born around 1897 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 4
Appears on 1911 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 14
The 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers was brought into action in June and July 1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge.
The Messines Ridge was blown out of existence on the morning of June 7th 1917 by the detonation of a million pounds of high explosive that had been placed deep beneath the German trenches by several Welsh Units drawn from the miners of the South Wales valleys.
Although this action was considered successful, Tom was severely wounded at Beugny, Cambrai and died on 8th July 1917 aged 20. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Men from Stanton who returned from the First World War
Harwood, Ernest Sydney (231595)
Joined up 13th October 1916
Army Service Corps (Mechanical Transport)
Demobilised on19 December 1919
Born 23rd February 1886 in West Bridgford
Son of Richard and Eliza Harwood of Harwood House, Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Appears on 1891 West Bridgford census, aged 5
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 15, scholar
Appears on 1911 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 25, estate agent's clerk
Died on 23rd January 1973 at Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Ernest Sydney Harwood was the third of four sons of Richard and Eliza Harwood of Harwood House.
He joined the Royal Army Service Corps on the 13th October 1916. After five days he was posted to the Mechanical Transport depot at Grove Park, Lee, SE London to be trained as a driver no 141663.
He subsequently joined the British Expeditionary Force and spent the next two years driving lorries and ambulances for the Royal Field Artillery before being de-mobilized at Woolwich on the 19th December 1919.
He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Hatherley, Fred Henry (158641)
Joined up on 7th June 1916
Gunner, Royal Field Artillery
Demobilised on 24th January 1919
Born around 1892 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Son of Joseph and Phoebe Hatherley; brother of Isaac, Joseph and Leonard
Baptised at All Saints Church, Stanton-on-the-Wolds on 22 May 1892
Married Catherine Ellen (nee Gilbert) in Kimberley Primitive Methodist Church on 5th September 1914
Father of Doris Bertha and Lilian Emma
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census aged 9
Appears on 1911 Keyworth census aged 19, Waggoner on farm
Died in 1962
Fred Henry Hatherley joined the Royal Field Artillery as Gunner No. 158641. He was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in Salonika. His Unit remained in Northern Greece fighting in the Bulgarian Campaign for nearly seven months.
On the 4th October 1917 he left Salonika bound for Alexandria in Egypt where a push was being made to drive the Turks out of Palestine. General Allenby's forces captured Jerusalem in December 1917 and took Jericho on the 26th February 1918.
Subsequently he landed at Marseilles, France on the 11th May 1918.
He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Hatherley, Isaac Shelton (22685)
Private, 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
Discharged from the Regiment (wounded) on 29 July 1918
Born around 1890 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Son of Joseph and Phoebe Hatherley; brother of Fred, Joseph (twin) and Leonard
Baptised at All Saints Church, Stanton-on-the-Wolds on 22 May 1892
Husband of Florence Ellen (nee Chamberlain)
Appears on 1891 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 1
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 11
Appears on 1911 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 21, chemist's labourer
Died 11th March 1964
Isaac Shelton Hatherley saw his first action in France on the 17th August 1915. In the summer of 1918 he was badly wounded, lost both his legs and was discharged from his Regiment on the 29th July 1918.
He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. In addition, on his discharge he was awarded the Silver War Badge (SWB) that could be displayed on his civilian clothes to show he had served his King and Country.
Kemp, John (24782)
Joined up on 10 December 1915
Private, 3rd Battalion North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales's Regiment)
Demobilised on 23rd October 1919
Born around 1890 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Son of Thomas and Rebecca Ann; brother of Tom Henry Kemp
Married Ethel (nee Maud) at All Saints Church, Stanton-on-the-Wolds; Father of Ethel
Appears on 1891 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 1
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 10
Appears on 1911 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 20, farm labourer
John Kemp was a coal agent, and attested at West Bridgford on the 10th December 1915, joining the 3rd Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment as Private 24782
On completion of his basic training he was posted to the 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment where he joined the British Expeditionary Force and landed at Calais, France on the 30th August.
On the 24th June 1917 he received a gun-shot wound to his right hand and returned home for surgery. He re-joined the 3rd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment at Wallsend on 6th November 1917.
He was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in France for the second time. And subsequently transferred to the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment in August 1918. In May 1919 he voluntarily transferred to the 1st Cyclist Battalion of the Army Cyclist Corps, Army of the Rhine and was finally discharged 31st March 1920 to rejoin his wife Ethel and daughter Ethel Maud.
He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Page, Christopher Charles
Commissioned to Lieutenant in 1916
Born around 1895 in Stanton-on-the-Wolds
Son of George and Mary Jane (nee Pearson, of Plumtree)
Baptised at All Saints Church, Stanton-on-the-Wolds on 18 December 1895
Appears on 1901 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 5
Appears on 1911 Stanton-on-the-Wolds census, aged 15, clerk to a hosiery manufacturer
Died on 6th January 1962 in Asfordby (survived by his widow, Gladys Mabel)
Christopher Charles Page was the youngest of four sons of George and Mary Jane Page who farmed from Pages Lodge (now the Golf Course).
Christopher joined the Northamptonshire regiment in 1916 as a commissioned officer. Other than that, little is known about him, but there is this photo, taken at his commission.
He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Stanton on the Wolds Parish Council would like to thank Alan and Val Hunt of Melton Road for their original article and research on which this page is based.