Loss of War Memorials at Gateshead Grammar School
The webmaster of this website has changed a few words of a War History Online true report of a heartless criminal act to pretty much describe what happened to the Gateshead Grammar War Memorials ..only the culprits differ
Here is the account.
When Saltwell High was demolished it is believed that the War Memorial panelling was taken to Breckenbeds with the intention of installing it there. No suitable location was identified and after some time the panel pieces were taken to the Dryden Centre (formerly Girls Grammar School) where they languished at the bottom of the stairwell leading from the Gym to the changing rooms. That they were definitely there is attested by a former GGS pupil
It is believed that they were considered a fire hazard by the local Fire Officer, who said they should be moved from that position. The solution, as far as those education people at the Centre was concerned, was just to get rid of them, and they were taken away and scrapped without warning. It is supposed that they were an embarrassment to the officials in the Dryden Centre.
The fact that they were an important part of local history, not to mention the sensitivity of erasing a memorial to those giving their lives for the Country was obviously of no consequence to them.
The leader of that Council, said: ‘I am appalled by the theft of the panel. ‘I condemn the callous behaviour of whoever is responsible for ripping down this panel listing the names of the fallen."
The Webmaster is hoping that a journalist or member of the public or the North East War Memorials Project will pick up on this and seek from the Leader of Gateshead Council, who will have no knowledge whatsoever about this, what he now intends to do by way of replacing a public record of the names of those Gateshead lads who lost their lives and/or dealing with the Officials who took this action without reference to Council members.
We'll do our part to gather as much information as we can to assist in recreating the Memorials by Gateshead Council, at whose hands the originals were destroyed. It is very important to record the design and most importantly the names of the fallen for the benefit of genealogists of the future.
This is a clipping from The Journal dated Dec 16 1960 (kindly supplied by Tom Maddison) and says "Two features..are to be preserved. They are the two memorials which commemorate former pupils who were killed in two World Wars" (It says it was designed by a former pupil..elsewhere it is reported to have been by a teacher, Art Master Robert Rowell)
Here's some detail of the WWI war memorial seen at the back of a sports photograph, (submitted by TWM) a spot oft used for taking group pictures. It is of the Lawrence Binyon war poem on the right hand side
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
On the left hand side panel was this, also by Lawrence Binyon
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
The funding of the WWII Memorial is unknown currently
J. Adamson T.F. Mitchell
R.A. Appleton B. McCabe
W.E. Archbold C. Mudd
L. Arkle J.E. Newton
N. Arkle W. Nichols
J.W. Arkless R. Noble
J.G. Bamborough H. Olsen
H. Blades B.P. Ord
G.M. Blake R.W. Potter
H.A. Bowman J. Potter
R.W. Brewis J.H. Poulton
H.M. Brockett G. Punshon
J.A. Bruce H.F. Punshon
S. Cheverton W.G. Pretsell
F.A. Chipman S. Parkinson
T.J. Clark T.W. Rollo
F. Clark F. Russell
S. Clarke E. Russell
J.S. Copeland H.M. Ridley
P.H. Coxon J. Ridley
W. Craig G. Robertson
W. Cummings A. Simpson
J. Cummins E. Stott
J. Dick J. Stott
J. Dellow J.T. Sinclair
T. Dickinson E. Tragheim
F. Elliott F.H.L. Trotman
G. Ellis N.E. Turnbull
T. Ellison J. Truran
J.H. Fisher E.A. Walton
J. Forster G.N. Watkins
W. Goddard E. Watson
S.T. Goldthorp F. Welch
H.F. Gibson W. Wilson
C. Iley J. Warden
G. Kirk E. Waud
R. Lawson J. Young
W. Lowery E.C. Hadden
W.J. Luke F. Heslop
J.W. Lamb D. Morrison
B. Maddison J.M. Lightfoot
R. Mason J.E. Snee
T.C. Mason G.W. Wearmouth
Details of WWII Memorial
1923 Gavin Edgar Taylor
1923 Harry Tyreman
1924 Edgar Bailey
1924 William James Sharp
1925 Basil Mann
1926 Robert Bernard Bowran
1926 George Howard Emmerson
1926 Robert Egdell
1927 Edgar Tong Briggs
1927 John Maurice Tallentire
1928 Roland Moorin
1928 Harry Redfern Elliot
1929 Thomas Megorin
1929 John Butler
1929 Murray Donaldson
1929 Leslie White Mackinlay
1929 Arthur Marshall
1929 Harry Matson
1929 James Summers
1930 Thomas Armstrong
1930 Alan Bowman
1930 Colin Brown
1930 Stuart Gilfillan
1930 William Moody
1930 William Ridealgh
1930 Neal Warden
1930 Roger Drummond Wilkinson
1931 John A Nicholson
1931 Turner Crankshaw
1931 Leslie Garbutt
1931 James Robert Hutchison
1931 D. E. Coyle
1931 John Francis Waed
1932 Stuart Bell
1932 Marion Donaldson
1932 Angus Eades
1932 George M Inness
1932 Harry Jobling
1932 Norman Law
1932 George Mercer Mackinlay
1932 Philip Henry Peel
1932 George Jewitt Rix
1932 Joseph Spraggon
1932 Robert Henry Welsh
1933 James Conway Burns
1933 Ronald Albert Freestone
1933 Henry Oswald Pennington
1933 Alan Ross
1933 John Aylwin Williamson
1934 Stuart Ferguson
1934 John Birkett Langley
1934 Charles Lockwood
1934 James Walker
1934 Harry Robinson
Appeal for Information about the Ross Brothers, listed above
I'm an historical aviation researcher ( hobby, not job ) and I live in Lodi, North West Italy, near Milano.
I'm sending you this e-mail about an Gateshead aviator Alan Ross who during ww2 died near my city. He is listed above.
Further Details of Alan Ross
Rank: Sergeant (Air bomber)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 40 Sqdn
Date of Death:11/07/1944
Age:22
Service n°: 1494140
Additional Information: Son of Percy and Mary Jane Ross, of Gateshead, Co. Durham.
Alan Ross, died in july 11, 1944. He crashed in northern Italy, near Milano with his aircraft: WELLINGTON X MF399, 40° SQDN RAF, 205 GROUP. Airport of departure: Regina, Italy.
Crew: Flight Sergeant (Pilot) WALTERS, NORMAN (RAF); Flight Sergeant (Air Gnr.) ELWORTHY, ARTHUR JAMES (RAF); Flight Sergeant (Nav) MABEY, ALBERT HORACE (RAF); Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) McKENZIE, ANDREW (RAF); Flight Sergeant (Air Bomber) ROSS, ALAN (RAF).
They are all buried in a collective grave (Yet, see Photo of Alan Ross Headstone) in Milan War Cemetery. You can see his entry on the web site of CWGC.
Alan Ross was born in 1921, he had a brother, John, was born in 1918 and he also listed above
Alan Ross also had two sisters: Mary was born in 1916. and Kathleen was born in 1924.
Kathleen married in 1945 Jon L. Murray and had two children: Carol was born 1948 and Colin R. was born 1955.
When I discovered these episodes of the history of my city I became, and have remained, impressed. A man so young.
These episodes have been completely forgotten. At the place of crash there is no headstone to the memory of these episodes.
I would like to find:
-any documents about Alan Ross and his crew.
- any Photos of Alan Ross and his crew.
-any articles in newspaper.
-some of his relatives living.
Please can you help me?
Your Sincerely
Sergio Inzoli
If you have information Contact
Webmaster adds
From this, knowing the name of parents Percy and Mary Jane Ross, of Gateshead, Co. Durham. John Ross, Age 25, Pilot Officer RAF was killed on 9 May 1944 In Malta (Malta Memorial Panel 13 Column 2)
More Detail of GGS Memorial
pro patria...for one's country
The whole expression "it is sweet and right to die for one's country"