• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

St.Barnabas Church Erdington. Great War Memorial Plaque update.

Nick. Many thanks for the Facebook entry. I am very pleased with it. Please keep me posted how things progress with the memorial and the crowd funding initiative. Have you any idea what the costs involved are at this stage?
 
Hi,
I am happy you like the article.
I have already this morning added another name from the memorial and so I will go alphabetically as best I can.
The cost to make the memorial as it was is £60.000
However, it has come to light that Erdington High street is to be revamped.
And so, I contacted Councilor Robert Alden who agreed in principle that it may be possible to have a traditional
war memorial such as the sword of sacrifice which you see in most villages across the UK.
These are a lot more temperament and semi indestructible.
Erdington does not have one.
For some reason and I know not why, Robert Alden is not replying to my emails?
So, me being me, I dont give up there.
You see, its all to do with cash and publicity.
If I can raise cash then I am sure the council will just love the publicity.
And this is were the readers of this post comes in.
I have no idea how to do crowd funding, or patron pages.
These are the main modern ways to raise cash for funding.
Thing is, I dont have a scooby doo how to do it.
I need a young person to show me how.
So, thats were where we are at.
The larger sword of sacrifice will cost a lot more, just how much more at this stage I dont know.
As it is I now have the blessing of the church and the bishop of Birmingham.
So, looking for ideas, need some one who knows some one and preferably in the media.
I am just one man alone.
Nick.
 
Thanks for that Nick. Please keep me posted. The only missing part of my Great Uncle s research is his baptismal record from St Barnabas Church in September 1884. Have you any ideas where I might find this record?
 
Thanks for that Nick. Please keep me posted. The only missing part of my Great Uncle s research is his baptismal record from St Barnabas Church in September 1884. Have you any ideas where I might find this record?

hopefully someone will double check this but so far i cant find a bapt for harold pitt 1884
 
mmm....strange jan...he was born high st erdington so st barnabas would seem the obvious church..

lyn
 
My husband's grandfather, Joseph Henry Blakemore, was married at St. Barnabas Church, Erdington, c1912, to Edith Silvers. Sadly he died in 1918 and is buried in Rouen, France. He worked at the BSA, Small Heath, as a gun-maker. Would he have been commemorated on the War Memorial please?
 
Hi Judy, I placed a clear picture of the original memorial in a post in the earlier thread. Your grandfather's name does not appear to be on it. The link below is to my original post which has the picture
 
Thank you both Nick and Mowkawk for your input. Joseph and Edith Blakemore moved to Ashted Row after their marriage so that's probably why his name didn't appear on the plaque, which appeared to be a beautiful piece of work, by the way. Was it made of wood? How strange as my own grandfather was a wood-carver for Bridgemans in Lichfield until he married my grandmother and became a farmer. Joseph's name does appear on the BSA Roll of Honour.

Nick, I hope you succeed with your project. Even now it's important to remember these brave and unfortunate men who lost their lives in that terrible war.

Ancestry is free at the moment through various library memberships; mine being Solihull.

Nick, my name before I was married in 1967 was the same as yours.

Judy
 
Thinking about this subject further I suspect, if there is a memorial to Joseph Blakemore then it would probably be in St. Matthews Church, Duddeston (Nechells).

Judy
 
My husband's grandfather,
My husband's grandfather, Joseph Henry Blakemore, was married at St. Barnabas Church, Erdington, c1912, to Edith Silvers. Sadly he died in 1918 and is buried in Rouen, France. He worked at the BSA, Small Heath, as a gun-maker. Would he have been commemorated on the War Memorial please?

, was married at St. Barnabas Church, Erdington, c1912, to Edith Silvers. Sadly he died in 1918 and is buried in Rouen, France. He worked at the BSA, Small Heath, as a gun-maker. Would he have been commemorated on the War Memorial please?
Hello Judy, I think we have spoken before?
Anyway, there is a Arthur P. Blackmore 15912 Worcester Reg. But not your man sorry.
However.... Joseph Henry Blakemore was a Gunner regimental number 190766 - 119th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
Death 25th August 1918 - Buried St. Sever cemetery extension in Rouen.
This may be enough to start your search, but what you really need is an address at time of death.
Hope this helps?
Nick.
 
Joseph Henry Blakemore married Edith Silvers at the church of St James the Less, Ashted. Not at St Barnabas. St James was demolished in 1956 and I have no idea if it had a war memorial and if it did what happened to it. Sorry.
1585858315342.png

J H Blakemore is in the rememberance books at the Hall of Memory. http://hallofmemory.co.uk/
 
Last edited:
Back
Top