The Fairmile Cemetery.

Go into the new graveyard at Cholsey Church and over on the far left hand side you will see this plaque commemorating the those who were buried there.

 "This Plaque is to commemorate all those who have been laid to rest in this churchyard and cemetery from Fairmile Hospital 1870 - 2003

"The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms"    

             Deuteronomy 33v27 

Underneath are two other plaques placed there in memory of who I assume were patients there. My parents would have known if they had been alive.
The original  cemetery was over on the south west side.

A few headstones can be seen in the area though there is one which watches over them.

The grave belonged to Dr James William Murdock who was the superintendent at the Hospital  His last wish was that he was buried with his patients so he could watch over them

The inscription reads
"Write me as one (who laboured for) Loved his fellow men the Angel wrote"
He died on 28th April 1917 His wife Celia who is buried with him passed away on 9th October 1962 aged 92 years.
The statue used to have a trumpet but that disappeared many years ago.
There are a few headstones left in that part of the churchyard though I think it would have been full of cast iron grave markers 

 

Like these in the photo's above, when I was young lad I used to cut the grass in the churchyard and was always coming across them.
When the churchyard ran out of room an extension was built next door  and the Fairmile cemetery went next door as well.

The is the second Fairmile cemetery with a few headstones  showing, no doubt provided by their estate and relatives. Most of them have no marker to remember them. I'm also not sure if the area was used for paupers graves as I seem to remember an open grave with planks on which I was told was for this purpose.

One of the headstones you see above is to Ronald Leslie Walker or Les as his friends knew him. He used to work with my Father  for many years
 

 Another person or persons who worked at Fairmile were Moses Nicholls and Avery Nicholls the latter who I think was the son of Moses. Both worked as Stewards of Fairmile.  Moses is buired with his Wife  Maria and Avery with his Sister Blanche who I knew as Miss Nicholls and remember her riding a bicycle round the village and visiting a lady who lived next door to  me

William or Bill Southby who is buried with is parents was another member of staff who worked at Fairmile and was a keen sportsman. He now has a close named after him New housing at Fairmile. His grave like the last is in the old Churchyard

The O'Brians were family friends and used to live in the Star Terrace before moving to the new housing built in 1960 along Papist way I went to school with the oldest son and was Friends with him for years till we lost touch. Last I heard was that he had moved to Ireland. His younger brother Paul young like his Mother.

 The name Ethel Mary Fetherstone is a name I recognise but I could not tell you any more at the moment. The cemetery here is still provided for by the NHS in maintenance costs though there are few headstones there to remind you of what the place was used for. When you walk round the cemetery you can recognise many of the staff who worked there including my parents. A few I have shown and will add more in future.
The plaque on the wall is the reminder of those who lay buried here RIP.

Cholsey War Memorial

The First World War started  on the 4th August when Great Britain declared war on Germany after they invaded France & Belgium. From that day thousands of young men gave their lives for their country. This weekend on the 11th November 2018 we mark 100 years since the war ended, over 1000000 men were destined never to return, nearly every town and village was affected. Cholsey had it's fair share of casualties like many other villages in the country. Like them it is marking this occasion in it's own way. I wrote this blog a while ago after seeing the memorial in Cholsey Church so I think it is fitting I republish it on this occasion. You will find graves from both wars shown but they gave their lives none the less.

This year to commemorate the centenery people from the village knitted poppies

They were sold to people in the village

These hang on the barrier around forty. In Sunday people will gather here to remember the fallen from the village who died in the first world war

Around this memorial and later in the church where the Roll of Honour is on the North Wall

When you go into the church and look at the Memorial you can see the village probably thought that this was the best place rather than in the village  as it is a fine piece of sculpture and underneath is a smaller one to the dead of the second world war.

When I look at the names of the fallen from the first war  I recognise many family names from the village today and back then the village was smaller so the loss must have been devastating.

By compassion the second world war one below has fewer names though both the Bitmeads came from a  farming family and that  must have had a deep effect on them.

While talking with my Friend the other day he told me a story about his father who when called up for the second war had to go off to camp on the train. His parents cried as he went off believing they would not see him again. They remembered what happened with the first war. He came back though some of the guys he knew did not.

 

There is even a smaller memorial to them on the church wall placed there by the family with a third name added.

On the same wall a little way from the last memorial you will see this one

Outside in the churchyard is a memorial to those who died and are buried in the churchyard. Most of the men listed here were admitted to Fairmile Asylum with shell shock or similar. they died while there so no doubt would have been buried in the Farimile part of the churchyard.

Below are the Commonwealth war graves you will find in the Churchyard

Private F. Heges

Private
A. Smith

Driver H.
Greennough

Private
 W.R. Howse

Privte
 F. Nelson

 A .Abdey who is named on this headstone does not seem to appear on  the memorial though his brother named below does.  Alfred Abdey. was in the Royal Berks territorials, but he was ill in Wallingford Hospital when they held their summer camp that year.  He died on the day after war was declared, 5 August 1914 which is why he is not mentioned on the war memorial.

 Lance Corporal Herbert John Abdey is Remembered on Loos Memorial, the panel reference is 93- 95 which I fear means his body was never found.
Cholsey like many other villages paid a high price with it's men, may they never be forgotten.

Since writing this blog another memorial has come to light. It used to hang in the Memorial Hall in Cholsey which is now the site of the telephone exchange.

It has been restored and hangs in the entrance foyer of Cholseys New Pavilion

I only spotted this memorial tonight and its to
Ivor Leonard Lillington W.O.II, B.S.M.,R.A.  who was killed in Action  on June 1 1940 in the evacuation of Dunkirk  He is buried in St James Cemetery Dover 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

We Will Remember Them

St Mary's Cholsey

I know there are many churches with that name around the country but this one is in the Village of Cholsey and local to me. The church is like many others you see and dates back to Saxon times being founded in 986. It's also the churchyard where Agatha Christie is buried. There used to be a fine Yew tree in the churchyard at one time but it was blown down. It used to be near the South Trancept you can see what it looked like Here

 It was only of late that I managed to look round the church and that was only by chance while up the churchyard I was chatting with a lady who was doing the Easter flower arrangement. I happened to have my camera in my pocket and took the time to get a few photos inside.

 

This is the oldest part of the church which dates to Saxon times

 

 

Services are held looking to the west end of the church now I have seen a photo of the nave before the re-ordering and there used to be an organ that went across the west end of the church

Looking down the nave to the crossover arch and the chance

 The old alter is still in the Chancel with some beautiful tiles on the floor. I failed to get a photo  of the chancel due to the light. Surprising the chancel window is not in stained glass. though there are other memorial stained glass window in the side.

 

 The window sill decorated for harvest festival in the chancel

 

Window sill decoration

This is the dedication on the base of one of the  tall windows in the chancel 

On the opposite side is another. There are six stained glass windows in the chancel.

 

 One of the stained glass windows in the chancel

 

 

The west window

 

These impressive windows are in the nave of the church with the one on the right being at the end.

 

 The reflections off the window when the sun shines

 

The church has few memorials on the walls  though the war memorial takes pride of place in the nave. The one above is another though I must find out what happened to the Children's library.

 

 

This wonderful memorial in in the chancel.

 

On the east window sill you can find two angle satues

 

I could not say were they came from but could be from the original church

On another windowsill you can find this lead work which was saved off the roof when it was re done 

Edward Giles was a bit of a graffiti artist.
 

 

But this one is the best showing a train going along The GWR. note the name what you see is an original broad gauge train which first ran on the railway built by Stevenson. 

The old Church chest which I could not tell you the age of and a fretwork of the lords prayer

Close up of the lords prayer

 

 

 The south Transept was a little messy last time I was in it but is used for a creche, the screen you see behind was in the process of being made then but looks very nice now it is finished 

 

 This was also in bits and I am glad to see it restored also

 

 Below the south transept window you will find the effigy of an unknown lady, the transept may well have been her chapel and I think she may have been on a tomb chest but she is worn way from either people sitting on her of walking over her. She was in prayer and no doubt had a dog or lion at her feet

 You can also see this plaque to Reverend Richard Knight

If you are here to visit Agatha Christie then take some time to look at the other headstones and memorials

 

Which you can find in he churchyard .

 

But if you are there to see Agatha Christie she is over in the far right hand corner of the churchyard behind the church.