Holy Trinity Church, Smethwick

[Bardess]

According to the Smethwick Telephone on 15th March 1919
"MEMORIAL TO A SOLDIER-PRIEST
There is a proposal to place in Holy Trinity Church a memorial to the Rev George E Craven, MA, who ministered in the Church and who gave his life in the great war. The rev, gentleman was educated at Durham School and Queen's College, Oxford, and the whole of his ministerial life was spent at Holy Trinity till military service took him to the camp, and then to the battlefield. He was Chaplain to the Forces, attached to the Rifle Brigade, and died at Salonica on December 7th last."

Smethwick Telephone on 14th June 1919
"Only about GBP10 is now required for the memorial to the late Rev George E Craven, MA, CF, who was at Holy Trinity Church 1914 - 1917, and then served as Chaplain to the Forces. It is proposed to place a stained glass window in the Church. Mr Craven was Chaplain to the 10th Battalion Rifle Brigade and died in Salonica on December 7th last."

I haven't been able to contact anyone at the church to request a photo and wondered if a kind soul could find out if the window was, in fact, donated AND please take a pic for me?

Many thanks
Di

 

[Astoness]

have you tried emailing them..there is also a telephone number for them on their website presuming i have the correct church

holytrinitysmethwick | Welcome to Holy Trinity Church

holytrinitysmethwick.co.uk

lyn

 

[Bardess]

Thanks Lyn. I emailed David Gould approx 2 years ago and he didn't respond, sadly.

I should explain that I reside in Melbourne, Australia so phone calls are out of the question, unfortunately. Any assistance would be very welcome

Di

 

[Astoness]

Thanks Lyn. I emailed David Gould approx 2 years ago and he didn't respond, sadly.

I should explain that I reside in Melbourne, Australia so phone calls are out of the question, unfortunately. Any assistance would be very welcome

Di

hi di yes i noted you are in australia...leave it with me i will see what i can do for you

lyn

 

[Bardess]

hi di yes i noted you are in australia...leave it with me i will see what i can do for you

lyn

Fabulous!!!! Many thanks

Di

 

[Astoness]

i shall make it my next mission di

lyn

 

[Astoness]

According to the Smethwick Telephone on 15th March 1919
"MEMORIAL TO A SOLDIER-PRIEST
There is a proposal to place in Holy Trinity Church a memorial to the Rev George E Craven, MA, who ministered in the Church and who gave his life in the great war. The rev, gentleman was educated at Durham School and Queen's College, Oxford, and the whole of his ministerial life was spent at Holy Trinity till military service took him to the camp, and then to the battlefield. He was Chaplain to the Forces, attached to the Rifle Brigade, and died at Salonica on December 7th last."

Smethwick Telephone on 14th June 1919
"Only about GBP10 is now required for the memorial to the late Rev George E Craven, MA, CF, who was at Holy Trinity Church 1914 - 1917, and then served as Chaplain to the Forces. It is proposed to place a stained glass window in the Church. Mr Craven was Chaplain to the 10th Battalion Rifle Brigade and died in Salonica on December 7th last."

I haven't been able to contact anyone at the church to request a photo and wondered if a kind soul could find out if the window was, in fact, donated AND please take a pic for me?

Many thanks
Di

hi di just reading the above again...what does only about GB10 is now required for the memorial mean...does it refer to monies being collected...? maybe other members can help.. if so maybe there was not enough money for the memorial to go ahead

i have now spoken to mr gould at the vicarage and explained what we want to know..he said off hand he cant recall a window for george craven but there are other memorials dotted around the church..i got him on his mobile as he is on holiday until monday but he asked me to email him the details and he will investigate on his return...he didnt seem to mind i had disturbed his break and seemed quite interested

lyn

 

[pjmburns]

I assumed it was raising the money and they needed £10 more although it seems a strange way to put it.

 

[Astoness]

I assumed it was raising the money and they needed £10 more although it seems a strange way to put it.

i thought that jan..i thought GB was the american way of putting it..mabye di will know.

 

[Bardess]

I suppose it was the way back then but, yes, the donations were only 10 quid short of the cost of ordering the stained glass window. [My computer doesn't have a pound sign ^_^ ]

Very happy that you managed a convo with Rev Gould, Liz. Just brilliant in a couple of hours

Di

 

[Astoness]

I suppose it was the way back then but, yes, the donations were only 10 quid short of the cost of ordering the stained glass window. [My computer doesn't have a pound sign ^_^ ]

Very happy that you managed a convo with Rev Gould, Liz. Just brilliant in a couple of hours

Di

ahh we guessed it was just sort of £10 di...we dont hang around on here where a mystery is concerned especially one as important in remembering our heros..think thats as much as we can do for now...will be in touch as soon as i hear back from the church...if i hear nothing by say a week tomorrow i will be phoning up again...there are also some comments on your avery thread..

lyn

 

[pjmburns]

Smethwick Telephone January 12th 1924. It doesn't say what the memorial was. Tucked away at the bottom of the page.

 

[Bardess]

Fabulous! Thanks Janice

Di

 

[Astoness]

Smethwick Telephone Janury 12th 1924. It doesn't say what the memorial was. Tucked away at the bottom of the page.
View attachment 181706

great jan just what we needed...i will email this to the church..thanks

lyn

 

[pjmburns]

Foudn an article which suggests the church suffered bomb damage in WW2 - often when this happened the glass windows were the things most affected. So it may not exist any more.
Opening paragraph
Holy Trinity Church in Smethwick proudly bears witness to the history of the area, from the exterior blackened by the soot of heavy industry to the family vaults of the great and the good in the crypt. Its windows are testimony to the artistry of Smethwick stained glass, to the early patronage of the church, to the damage caused by bombing in the Second World War and, through glass lovingly imported from the four other Smethwick churches that came together to form the Parish of the Resurrection, to the changing demographics of the area.
One of the biggest raids of the war in Dec 1940 caused massive damage

Six churches were badly damaged: Holy Trinity, Smethwick; Sparkhill Congregational Church; St Mary’s, Acocks Green; St Peter’s, Harborne; St Thomas’s, Bath Row, and St Anne’s, Moseley.
Taken from this article in 2015 Birmingham Mail

RAF secret experiment may have added to Birmingham Blitz deaths

Seventy-five years ago this weekend, Birmingham endured the longest air-raid of the Second World War.

www.birminghammail.co.uk

 

[Bardess]

A great find and worrying at the same time. Many thanks, Janice

Di

 

[Astoness]

just received this off the rev gould...i have sent him all the info i can so far..i am afraid this is looking like a window was made for the rev craven but due to ww2 bomb damage it perished...will get back to you if i have any other info from rev gould

lyn


Dear Linda,

My apologies for delay but I am not able to find this name anywhere on a window.

Do you have any other details?
Regards

David

 

[Bardess]

Thanks so much, Lyn but, obviously pretty devastating if it was damaged. I'd appreciate any further updates

Cheers
Di

PS: Sorry for late reply as we've just moved house and I'm on my computer for the first time in 3 days!

 

[Astoness]

Thanks so much, Lyn but, obviously pretty devastating if it was damaged. I'd appreciate any further updates

Cheers
Di

PS: Sorry for late reply as we've just moved house and I'm on my computer for the first time in 3 days!

sorry for delay in replying di i missed your post..no reply as yet so i may send another email to the church...will inform you if i hear anything back..hope you are settling in ok now

lyn

 

[pjmburns]

Just wondering if David only checked the windows. It may have been something else in the church.
Does he, or any long standing parishioners, know what damage the church suffered in WW2?

 

[Astoness]

Just wondering if David only checked the windows. It may have been something else in the church.
Does he, or any long standing parishioners, know what damage the church suffered in WW2?

jan i will ask that in my next email....do you think you can re check the newspapers please to make sure there is nothing more reported about the actual damage to the church...thanks

i was just doing a general google and this came up so it does sound as though this church suffered significant damage



Six churches were badly damaged: Holy Trinity, Smethwick; Sparkhill Congregational Church; St Mary’s, Acocks Green; St Peter’s, Harborne; St Thomas’s, Bath Row, and St Anne’s, Moseley.

lyn

 

[Astoness]

i was looking on the net for more info about the church and came across this info...a list of people who died during the air raids of west bromwich...although nothing to do with the church the list contained the deaths of the care family...mom ..dad and their 5 young children all perished...if either or both parents had survived how on earth would they have coped with such a tragic loss..so very sad and once again brings home to me the horrors of war


CARE, Eric, age 9; of 2A Richard Street South. Son of Thomas William and MatildaCare. 19 November, at 2A Richard Street South.CARE, Harry, age 5; of 2A Richard Street South. Son of Thomas William andMatilda Care. 19 November, at 2A Richard Street South.CARE, Jill, age 2; of 2A Richard Street South. Daughter of Thomas William andMatilda Care. 19 November, at 2A Richard Street South.CARE, Matilda, age 40; of 2A Richard Street South. Wife of Thomas William Care.19 November, at 2A Richard Street South.CARE, Roy, age 13; of 2A Richard Street South. Son of Thomas William andMatilda Care. 19 November at 2A Richard Street South.CARE, Thomas William, age 44; of 2A Richard Street South. Husband of MatildaCare. 19 November, at 2A Richard Street South.CARE, Vera, age 11; of 2A Richard Street South. Daughter of Thomas William andMatilda Care. 19 November 1940, at 2A Richard Street South.6CLARE, Ed

 

[pjmburns]

i was just doing a general google and this came up so it does sound as though this church suffered significant damage

Six churches were badly damaged: Holy Trinity, Smethwick; Sparkhill Congregational Church; St Mary’s, Acocks Green; St Peter’s, Harborne; St Thomas’s, Bath Row, and St Anne’s, Moseley.

lyn

Think I posted that somewhere earlier.
Glass would be one of the first things to go but could also have been fire damage. I will look but it may be those years are not online.

 

[Astoness]

Think I posted that somewhere earlier.
Glass would be one of the first things to go but could also have been fire damage. I will look but it may be those years are not online.

thanks jan..maybe worth another look

lyn

 

[Astoness]

it seems that the church has a memorial to those who died in ww1

Holy Trinity Church

Memorial type: Board / Plaque / Tablet

www.iwm.org.uk

 

[Bardess]

I've been doing a little digging and found out that George was married and had a child - I'd love to know what became of him. Attaching...

 

[Astoness]

hi bardess yes it would be interesting to know what happened to his son..think his wife died in 1934 at a hospital in bournemouth...

soldiers effects to his wife dorothy

 

[Bardess]

Thanks Lyn, I didn't have those
Di

 

[pjmburns]

I've been doing a little digging and found out that George was married and had a child - I'd love to know what became of him. Attaching...

Wasn't the George who died in WW1 the son listed in 1911? The George who died in 1918 was only 27 (1911 + 7 = 1918 and 19 + 7 gives an approx age of 26 depending on when birthday was).
His Father also George Edward was also a clergyman.
The CWGC entry reads

(the S is for Susannah the Mother on 1911 census).

 

[pjmburns]

The widow of the George who died was Dorothy.

I think he married Dorothy HIggins in 1916.