Lower Cam and St. Bartholomew's Memorial

War Memorial

The Lower Cam war memorial was organised mainly by St. Bartholomew's Church, at the same time as the Parish Council was planning the village's main memorial. It was originally located in front of the church before being moved in 2011 to its present location next to the Tesco roundabout. Sadly, the memorial hasn't been maintained and much of the writing on it is now difficult or impossible to read. The names that can be read on it match the ones on the Hopton Road memorial.

(L-R) The memorial on the bank by the roundabout, and the state of the engraving.

I think, although I cannot be sure, that in the transportation of the memorial, it may have been put back together the wrong way round. The dedication to all the First World War soldiers, usually on the front of a memorial, is facing the hedge but the crucifix is facing the opposite way, looking towards the roundabout. This is the side which says '1939-1945' at the top and a list of names below, which would have been added twenty years after the memorial was first unveiled. I have done my best to transcribe the side facing the hedge (pictured above, right):

To the Glory of God 

And in the Thankful

Memory of the Men

Of This Parish who

Gave their Lives in

The Great War of

1914 - 1918

Leonard Hill

Frank J. Coopey

Frederick Reeves

Gilbert Lydiard

Edgar Keep

Military Graves

At St. Bartholomew's Church itself there are the graves of three Cam servicemen who were buried in their home town. All three of these - Charles Coopey, Archibald Thornhill, and Richard Worthington - are listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's database, but only one of them (Coopey) has the official white Portland stone headstone. These were provided at no cost to the families and in other cases of home burials the soldiers have both their military grave as well as the family one, so I'm not sure why Thornhill and Worthington don't: it may just have been a decision made by their families.

    

(L-R) Richard Fitzpatrick Worthington's grave inscription; his family grave; a photo of Worthington in uniform

Worthington's memorial is on the side of the family grave and includes the epitaph "faithful unto death" which is a biblical quote from Revelation 2:10. He was privately educated at Tonbridge School before reading classics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he excelled at sports: namely athletics and cricket. A brief biography can be found on the school website, although this wrongly claims that he died in France. The Glosters website more accurately says that he died following treatment for wounds at Birmingham University Hospital. His Glosters lapel badges can be seen in the photo; he was a captain of the 5th Battalion Glosters which was the local territorial force for Dursley.

(L-R) Archibald Thornhill's family grave looking overgrown, and his inscription

Thornhill was one of the early members of the RAF. Developed from the Royal Flying Corps in early 1918, the Royal Air Force was one of the biggest developments to British military in the First World War. A resident of Edney Cottage, Cam, the earliest record of Thornhill's service is as a cadet in the RFC in October 1917. From his service record, it can't be determined whether was actually a pilot, although this is possible, especially as it doesn't appear that he was in the engineering departments. He continued his service after the Armistice, until his death in 1919.

Charles Coopey was the brother of Frank, who was also killed in the war and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in France. Charles died one day before the Armistice was signed, aged only 18. For his body to have been buried in Cam, it is likely that he died of either wounds or sickness.

Roll of Honour

Shiny glass and church lighting don't make for good photos

Inside the church is a roll of honour, complete with the 177 names of the Lower Cam men who served in the military in the First World War. It can be found to the right of the main door as you walk in, but is in a difficult position to read closely. Below is a transcription. The middle column (middle two on the original) is a list of those who died, all of whom appear on the Cam war memorial on Hopton Road. There is a similar one for Upper Cam in St. George's Church.

Lower Cam Roll of Honour

"Brethren Pray for Us" - 1 Thessalonians 5:25

Rev. G.A. PIPER CF Percy W. ALDER Thomas ALDER Arthur ALLEN George ALLEN James ALLEN Reginald J. ALLEN Tom ALLEN John Beaconsfield AYRES Albert H. BALL Hubert BALL Herbert BALLINGER Ernest LEONARD Arthur BENNETT Frank BENNETT James W. BERRY Oscar BIDDELL (RIP) Reginald C. BIDDELL Reginald C. BIDDELL Ernest F. BIDDELL Thomas S. BOLTON Percy BRAZINGTON Charlie BROTHERS William R. BROTHERS Harry COOPEY Maurice CORNOCK William J. CORNOCK Ernest John COX Tom CURTIS Giles DENNING Frank DERRETT Charles ELLIOTT Joseph EVANS Charles W. FISHER Edgar G. FISHER Ernest FRENCH John GABB Albert ANDREWS Tom GABB Charles J. GASTON Harry GASTON Herbert GASTON Pierce GASTON Burland HADLEY Frederick Hopton HADLEY Joseph W HAYWARD Albert HILL Arthur HILL Charles D. HILL Clement HILL Clifford HILL Colin R. HILL Granville HILL Pierce HILL William J. HILL Albert G. HOBBS Leslie HODDER Guy HOLLOWAY Sidney J. HORNE Arthur IRELAND Ivor Lloyd JAMES Ernest JARVIS Edwin V. JENNER Frank JOBBINS Ingram J. KEMPSHALL Arthur KENDAL Harry KEEP Ivor KEEP Arthur Ralph LACEY George F. LEWIS Edward R. LONG

"Greater love hath no man than this" - John 15:13 Killed In Action Edgar BUTCHER Handel WORKMAN James REEVES Frederick REEVES Gilbert LYDIARD Victor ADLER Edgar KEEP Ivor FRENCH Elijah G. WOODWARD Richard Fitzpatrick WORTHINGTON Gregory ALLEN Frederick GREENWAY William Cecil BUTCHER William IRELAND Frederick MEDCROFT Archibald THORNHILL Oscar BIDDELL William Henry WHITFIELD Frank Thomas COOPEY Reginald TERRY Alec Leonard TAYLOR Walter BROWNING Leonard  HILL Thomas Oswald WORKMAN Arthur KEEP Alfred SMITH John DAY Leo SPARROW Cyril BRIDGES Gilbert MORGAN Percival Edward SMITH Charles COOPEY Charles John GILES Frank SMITH "Make Them To Be Numbered With Thy Saints in Glory Everlasting" -Te Deum / A Song of the Church

Thomas LOVE William LYDIARD Benjamin MILLER Cecil MALPASS Gordon H. MALPASS Herbert MALPASS Ivor Ewart MALPASS Percival MALPASS Percival T.W. MALPASS Reginald MALPASS Stephen MALPASS Victor MALPASS George MARTIN Francis W. MASON Martin MORGAN Victor MUNDY Edward G. NEALE John NICHOLLS Charles F. POWELL Herbert G. ROBINSON Thomas ROBINSON Charles SAVAGE Edgar SAVAGE Herbert G. SAVAGE John A. SIBLEY George SIMS Edward JOHN SMART Edward J. SMART (Jun) O'Decimus SMART Arthur SMITH Cecil SMITH Charles F. SMITH F. Montague SMITH George W. SMITH Harold G. SMITH Frank SMITH (RIP) Albert H SPARROW Frederick SPARROW Lionel SPARROW Leonard J. STEEL Lionel R. STEEL Jack SPENCER STIFF Jim SUGDEN Charles SUMMERS James SUMMERS Charles SYMONDS Edward SYMONDS James SYMONDS Thomas SYMONDS Henry THOMAS Alfred THORNHILL Ernest THORNHILL Morris THORNHILL Wallace THORNHILL Fred TIPPER Charles TOCKNELL George TOCKNELL James VAISEY Herbert H. VAISEY Raymond VAISEY Frederick WALKLEY Thomas WHITE John WHITING Charles WHITMORE Gerald WHITTARD William G. WILKINS John WORKMAN Lloyd WORKMAN Percy WORKMAN Charles R. WORTHINGTON

Kathryn

PS. If you would like to know more about any of the above soldiers please don't hesitate to get in contact, or if you have any further knowledge on the memorials in Cam.