November 2017 Journal

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Loraine McKenzie
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November 2017 Journal Pray for the soul of We have come across this plea quite frequently during the late summer, as we slowly made our way down the hillside, recording the inscriptions of the many

When first encountered, it seemed like this might be the burial of someone who had done a great harm to others, to himself, or to society, and had died as a result.

At the end of many an inscription, is the cry for mercy, She did what she could. As we encountered more Pray for the soul of.

.. but with a collective responsibility reaching out to the reader, drawing us in, enlisting OUR help in getting the deceased s spirit safely over to the other side.

This includes finishing that part of the early cemetery extensions, from Plot S to V, then Y to EE at the top end; then the huge 1939 extension covering Plots FF to XX.

1 November 2017 Journal Pray for the soul of We have come across this plea quite frequently during the late summer, as we slowly made our way down the hillside, recording the inscriptions of the many Roman Catholics who were buried here. When first encountered, it seemed like this might be the burial of someone who had done a great harm to others, to himself, or to society, and had died as a result. However, this proved rather fanciful, although, in a religious sense, none us goes to the grave sinless, blameless, without blemish. At the end of many an inscription, is the cry for mercy, She did what she could. As we encountered more Pray for the soul of... we realised that this was simply another way of saying In loving memory of... but with a collective responsibility reaching out to the reader, drawing us in, enlisting OUR help in getting the deceased s spirit safely over to the other side. Our small, devoted band of transcribers has done extremely well this season, getting to the other side, in the sense that we have, in six months, completed the recording of more than 3,500 monuments! This includes finishing that part of the early cemetery extensions, from Plot S to V, then Y to EE at the top end; then the huge 1939 extension covering Plots FF to XX. We have worked extremely well as a team; dividing the plots into manageable bites, pairing off into scribes and scramblers! It is ALWAYS great fun, and we ve gotten to know each other much better since Mandy suggested we have a snack break in the middle of our toil. Often the cry will go up, Come and have a look at this! and we ll oooh and aaah as we enjoy the discovery of an interesting monument or inscription, and we ll add the moment to our collective memory, or take a few photos for posterity. Nothing is forgotten, and all will eventually be given its rightful place in the annals of Herne Bay Cemetery s history; the inscriptions are being typed up by David, and made ready for uploading onto our website; the website is in progress, and will soon be online, thanks to Lance. Meanwhile several of us are busy piecing together the stories, histories and family trees of the deceased; continuing to weave that rich tapestry which is Our Cemetery. Pete

buried in the cemetery and remembering those who are buried far from home. The Revd.

2 Armistice Day Gathering At 10.45am on Saturday 11 th November please join us at Heroes Corner, (Plot T where most of the Commonwealth War Graves are sited), where we will be commemorating the casualties of the Great War who lie buried in the cemetery and remembering those who are buried far from home. The Revd. Carol Smith, Vicar of St Martin s, Herne and St Peter s, Greenhill will be saying a few words and we will observe the 2 minute silence at 11am. Herne s Heroes Remembering the Fallen on Herne s War Memorial by Sylvia McKean published by Herne & Broomfield Local History Group Herne Bay Cemeterians may be interested to know that Herne s Heroes, our Book on the 66 men on Herne s WW1 War Memorial will be launched on Remembrance Sunday, November 12 th, 12 noon 4.00 pm at Herne Community Hall School Lane. There will be a pop-up WW1 display featuring Herne, the surrounding area and the Memorial s soldiers and sailors. Entrance is free. The book has been 12 years in the making and covers the men s family and military histories. Some intriguing and interesting stories have been uncovered and as with all local history research, there are still some mysteries to be solved! Herne Bay Cemetery is very relevant to the book as it is where two of the soldiers, Ernest Thundow and Stanley Gates were buried with full military honours, their graves now tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Several of the soldiers are also remembered on their family s graves, one in particular is John Elmcourt Burge who was the grandson of one of Herne Bay s founding fathers, George Burge. Many of the men s parents and grandparents are also buried in the cemetery. On the memorial there are seven sets of brothers. The youngest to join the Services was aged 15 years. The youngest to die was not quite seventeen. We are proud to have a Victoria Cross recipient amongst them, as well as 2 Military Crosses, a Distinguished Service Medal and 2 Military Medal awards. Seven of the men served in the Royal Navy whilst twenty-one are also remembered on Herne Bay s War Memorial. Herne s Heroes has been written to interest both young people and adults and it is hoped that our local schools will find it useful. The book is fully indexed and illustrated, and includes; map, sources and references; 172pp. It costs and after the launch, can be obtained from the author, Sylvia McKean or H&BLHG Chair Alan Dilnot Contributed by Sylvia McKean 22 nd October 2017 Herne & Broomfield Local History Group

Tales from the Cemetery In arduis fidelis Faithful in adversity (motto of the RAMC) Heroes Corner was the name given by the Herne and Herne Bay Joint Burial Committee to the area where most of the

A little further down in an adjacent plot, Edward Dwelly recorded; A small cross Our dear baby, Charles Weller, d.

Charles attended Guy s Hospital where he gained a degree in dentistry, later qualifying as a surgeon and setting up his own practice in Oxford Street, London.

3 Tales from the Cemetery In arduis fidelis Faithful in adversity (motto of the RAMC) Heroes Corner was the name given by the Herne and Herne Bay Joint Burial Committee to the area where most of the First World War casualties are buried in Plot T, and is easily recognised by the neat rows of Portland stone Commonwealth War graves. A little further down in an adjacent plot, Edward Dwelly recorded; A small cross Our dear baby, Charles Weller, d. May Captain Charles Weller was the son of a Kentish-born butcher who established his business in Redhill, Surrey and was able to afford a private education for his son. Charles attended Guy s Hospital where he gained a degree in dentistry, later qualifying as a surgeon and setting up his own practice in Oxford Street, London. In May 1911 he married Nurse Elizabeth Cooper at Islington, and in the summer that year their son Charles was born, whose premature death sadly may have brought them to our town. Baby Charles Weller died of Meningitis at Clarence House, Clarence Road, Herne Bay; a boarding house at the time, so it s not unreasonable to assume that the infant child was brought here for the benefits of the clean sea air, in the hope that he might have recovered. No evidence has been discovered as to whether the bereaved couple remained in this area, but we do know they had no more children. Charles took a commission with the Royal Army Medical Corps in November 1914, and together with his wife Elizabeth was stationed at No 1 Casualty Clearing Station at the Great Retreat of the Battle of Mons, the opening battle of the First World War for the British Expeditionary Force. He was promoted to Captain after a year s service and was Medical Officer for the 3 rd Cavalry Field Ambulance and then at the No 11 General Hospital in He joined the 2/3 rd London Field Ambulance and at the time of his death had been lent as Medical Officer to the 1 st London Regiment.

On 16 th August 1917 he was in the trenches when he received word the Battalion Headquarters had taken a hit and the officers were trapped.

The description of his death from the corporal at his side told of how Charles turned to him and said I am hit.

few moments. He met his death nobly carrying out his duty in this diabolical war.

Betty and Father Charles is commemorated on four war memorials; Guy s Hospital, British Dental Association, Redhill and Reigate, and 100 years ago, his widow added an inscription to their baby son s

4 On 16 th August 1917 he was in the trenches when he received word the Battalion Headquarters had taken a hit and the officers were trapped. He decided to go and help, taking a couple of stretcher-bearers with him. He made it as far as the communication trench where he took shelter. The description of his death from the corporal at his side told of how Charles turned to him and said I am hit. He was bleeding from the upper part of his arm and his head lolled over on to the corporal s arm, who removed the captain s helmet to find his brains protruding from his forehead and he expired in a few moments. He met his death nobly carrying out his duty in this diabolical war. Charles is buried at Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Belgium and his memorial bears the added inscription; So loved, so mourned, so missed, never forgotten. Betty and Father Charles is commemorated on four war memorials; Guy s Hospital, British Dental Association, Redhill and Reigate, and 100 years ago, his widow added an inscription to their baby son s headstone in our cemetery; In cherished memory of my beloved and gallant husband Charles Weller Capt RAMC killed in the trenches in France whilst trying to rescue buried officers. August 1 st His duty done. The date of his death on the headstone differs to most records, which give his death as 16 th August. Elizabeth continued to work as a nurse at the Frensham Hill Military Hospital in Farnham and at Buckingham Palace in 1918, she received the Royal Red Cross medal and Queen Alexandra remarked that she was proud to see Elizabeth wearing the Mons Ribbon. Our cemetery contains a scattering of inscriptions on family headstones which record wartime casualties, who may not be buried here and are not recorded on our war memorials. Charles Weller is the first of these to be researched and we shall be investigating others we have transcribed. Mandy

Herne Bay Cemetery an illustrated guide Our guide book (which is SO MUCH MORE than just a guide book) is now available at the Seaside Museum, Herne Bay - price 5.

5 Herne Bay Cemetery an illustrated guide Our guide book (which is SO MUCH MORE than just a guide book) is now available at the Seaside Museum, Herne Bay - price 5. If you re not local and would like a copy, then we can send one to you for 6.30 (Inc. p&p). So much more? Yes indeed! This A4 book contains 36 pages, beginning with the history of how our cemetery came into being and its early days, including the staff and residents of the lodge. There are details about undertakers, stonemasons, mourning etiquette and the local draperies who supplied mourning clothes. We have of course included some Tales from the Cemetery, most of which have not been featured in our monthly journals; such people as Edmund Reid - one of the men who hunted Jack the Ripper, Bessie Mundy the Brides in the Bath victim, Cecily Hill the local showgirl who hit the headlines because of her dalliance with a sultan, plus the tale behind the wonderful memorial featured on our front cover and its mysterious disappearance. Just a few of the comments we ve received Amazing book. Beautifully presented. Fascinating and a very worthy addition to historical research about Herne Bay Have just been looking through the guide recently received from our daughter who lives in The Bay. What an excellent effort! I can imagine the hours of research that must have gone into that. This is no ordinary guide and I couldn t put it down.

Website We are pleased to announce that we now have a website not the transcriptions yet- they come later still a lot of background work and transcribing to do.

6 Website We are pleased to announce that we now have a website not the transcriptions yet- they come later still a lot of background work and transcribing to do. The website is in its infancy and we are going to be having tutorials with our hard-working techy crew in order that we can become adept at tweaking and updating. A huge SHOUT OUT to Lin, Lance and David the Herne Bay Cemeterians I.T. dept! hbcemeterians.org Library drop-in sessions We shall be holding informal drop-in sessions at the Herne Bay Library. In addition to being able to use the library s facilities for research, we would love to meet and chat with anyone who wants to pop along. Perhaps we can help you locate a burial plot in the cemetery? Have you got a tale of a loved one buried in the cemetery that you d like to share? Do you have any ephemera you d like to bring along and show us memoriam cards, photographs, obituaries etc? We ll be there from 10.30am on the Saturdays listed.

The Alice Connection This year saw the opening of a new tea room in Herne Bay Alice and the Hatter, and there is actually a family buried in the cemetery that has a connection with the Alice stories.

7 The Alice Connection This year saw the opening of a new tea room in Herne Bay Alice and the Hatter, and there is actually a family buried in the cemetery that has a connection with the Alice stories. The Brothers Dalziel; George, Edward, John and Thomas were a highly productive firm of Victorian engravers. Artists they worked with included; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, Richard Doyle and William Holman Hunt. They cut the illustrations for Edward Lear s Book of Nonsense and John Tenniel s familiar illustrations for Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass. At the end of the 19th century, the youngest brother, Thomas Bolton Gilchrist Septimus Dalziel ( ) and his family moved to Herne Bay. He died in 1906 and is buried at the old Highgate Cemetery, London. His wife, children and their spouses remained in Herne Bay, pursuing their artistic careers and most are buried in the cemetery. The death has occurred at his residence, Wooler House, Herne Bay, of Mr Thomas Dalziel, the last surviving member of the famous wood-engravers, the Brothers Dalziel, and the last of a family of twelve children, all of whom, with but one or two exceptions, practised art in one or more of its branches. Among the many distinguished artists who worked for the Brothers Dalziel were Leighton, Millais, Sir Edward Poynter, Burne-Jones, Whistler, Watts, Holman Hung and John Leech. All these artists at one time or other drew on the wood block for the Dalziel firm. Mr Thomas Dalziel was in his 83rd year. (Thomas Dalziel s obituary in the local press) The Dalziel Family (at least 9 of whom are buried in the cemetery)

8 Searching for images by Herbert and Owen Dalziel (two of Thomas s sons) reveals a selection of paintings, many of which are reputed to be scenes of Herne Bay For anyone interested in learning more about this family, the St Bride Foundation, Fleet Street is holding the following event. 24 th November at 7pm Tickets 8-12 We shall certainly be delving more deeply into the lives and times of this family buried in our cemetery.

Tickhill The Parish Church of St Mary.

Tickhill The Parish Church of St Mary. The War Memorial Tickhill Tickhill s War Memorial stands just inside the north gates of St Mary s churchyard and many people pass by it daily, probably giving little