Warner & Sons War Memorial

A Brief Memorial to the men of Warner & Sons

who gave their lives during the

Great War 1914-1918

Private A. Frank Beresford. 43515. 10th Batt. Essex Regiment. 53rd Bde, 18th (Eastern) Division. Died 11th August 1917. Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, Ypres. Died of wounds. Born Bethnal Green, son of a silk weaver. Lived Manor Street 1901.

Baptist Church Memorial

The 18th Division had captured Glencorse Wood but became isolated and suffered casualties when the Germans counter-attacked strongly.

****

Private Arol W. Compton. 43538. "A” Coy. 9th Bn. Essex Reg. 35th Bde. 12th (Eastern Division) Died 29th April 1917 Age 24. Son of Rose A. Compton, of 28, Single St, Mile End, London, & the late Richard Compton. Born Braintree, father deceased by 1901,brothers George and Albert and sister Lily when family lived 219 Manor Road. By 1911 lived 62 East Street with mother Rose and brother Albert. ARRAS MEMORIAL

The Battle of Arleux

After a ten day rest the Division re-entered the Arras battlefield, 37th Brigade going into the forward positions between the north-east of Monchy and the River Scarpe. On 28 April, formations north of 12th Division undertook an operation to capture Roeux. 35th Brigade took part and attacked Rifle and Bayonet Trench but owing to heavy enemy shellfire and machine guns firing from Roeux - which was not captured - fell back to its start point.

Driver Walter Godfrey 622532, 15th Bde., Royal Horse Artillery. Died on 07 October 1918. Husband of Mrs. E. Godfrey, of "Belmont", Woodfield Rd., Braintree, Essex. DADIZEELE NEW BRITISH CEMETERY, East of Ypres, north of Menen. Widow at ‘North View,’ Bardfield End Green, 22nd Nov 1938. Silk weaver at Warners.

Official of Braintree Congregational Church. Married with two sons. Ex-Essex Yeomanry. Father & brother William also silk weavers. Brother Sydney a carpenter, also a sister Elizabeth. Married 1904.

Walter was one of several 2/1st Essex Yeomanry men who volunteered for the RHA. A major German push, one of the last of the war was attempted north of Menen. Walter Godfrey’s battery was amongst those sent to resist this attack. The attack failed and Walter was among those who died somewhere along the Menen road.

Braintree Congregational Church Memorial.

Second Lieut. George H. Grimshaw. Royal Air Force. Died 8th July 1918. Age 24. Son of George and Annie Grimshaw, of 25, Arbourhay St., Macclesfield. MACCLESFIELD CEMETERY. London Gazette 31st Aug 1914, Officers list. Born Macclesfield, son of a silk manufacturer. Died 8th July 1918.

Transfer from South Lancashire Regiment to RAF as second Lieutenant effected, 20th July 1918. Grimshaw was killed when flying at Montrose on 8th July 1918. Medical Index card, (possibly his) says sergeant 34980, in RAMC, then 2nd Lieut South Lancs, then RAF.

****

Private Ernest A. Hodson. 48408. Rifle Brigade, (The Prince Consorts Own). Psted to 1/28th Bn. London Regiment (Artists Rifles). Died 27th September 1918. Resided Braintree. VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL. Born Braintree,one of 14 children, three dead by 1911, a silk weaver like his father and one brother all worked at Warners. Lived at 57 Victoria Street in 1911.

The VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL bears the names of over 9,000 men who fell in the period from 8 August 1918 to the date of the Armistice in the Advance to Victory in Picardy and Artois, between the Somme and Loos, and who have no known grave.

****

Private Sidney Turner 126576. 50th Battalion Machine Gun Company (inf). Died 4th Oct 1918. Berlin, South-Western Cemetery, Brandenburg, Germany. Born Felsted 17thNov 1898.

Attended Rayne School from 1st Dec 1905 until 17th May 1912, left school to work in shop, employed at some time with Warner's. Enlisted at Braintree, probably at Hall in Victoria Street. It appears he died in Prisoner of War camp.

German cemeteries were amalgamated into four large cemeteries at the end of the war making it difficult to discover where actual death occurred. Commemorated on Warner's Memorial at St Michaels Church, Braintree, and also at Rayne Church.

Felsted Remembers

Private HERBERT HARRY WATSON 55796. 51st Coy., Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). 51st Bde. 17th Division. Died age 27 on 14 July 1917. Son of Samuel and Catherine Watson, of 25, New St., Braintree, Essex. SUNKEN ROAD CEMETERY, FAMPOUX, Arras. Married Edith Maud Mayne, 20th Dec 13. Born Bethnal Green, silk weaver.

"1912/13. In Warner's Cricket Club and sang in St Peters choir. Herbert, son of a Silk Weaver, was himself a Silk Weaver at Warner's Mill and was the first silk weaver to fall although several others have been wounded or taken prisoner. He was well known in Braintree Football and cricketing circles. He captained the St Michaels FC when they won the North Essex League Cup 19er's Choir." (Essex Ch 27th July17)