…..A long way from home

I always think it is sad to come across a gravestone of someone who passed away many miles from home. I don’t mean those who are born in one Country and live and pass away in another, I mean those to whom death occurs and is unexpected and occurs away from home.

The point of headstones is that there is a marker to indicate that behind the name and perhaps a set of dates a person existed. It is a visual spot whereby loved ones can pay their respects and mourn.

I live in the coastal town of Teignmouth on the South Devon coast of England. I have no specific reason to visit the cemetery and no one that I know is buried there. After a few years we paid a visit to the cemetery and simply wandered around. Looking at the headstones that were erected with love and now simply a testament that someone had cared enough to place a stone, but perhaps there is no one left to visit and lay flowers.

One headstone was dedicated to a Russian mariner. Teignmouth has a working port and ships regularly dock here, both now and in the past, loading and unloading their cargo. Knowing this fact I was not surprised to see such a headstone, commemorating the passing of an individual who died many miles from home. On the few occasions I have seen the grave there are no flowers left and it suddenly occurs to me that this individual passed away 100 years ago. Perhaps there are no family left who remembers this man, perhaps his name is simply a question mark in someone’s ancestry – his existence is known, but the details surrounding his death and burial place is not.

In October 2011 my husband and I visited the Island of Jersey which lies in the seas of the British Isles and yet rather confusingly is governed completely independently of the United Kingdom. The Island lies 14 miles off the coast of France. I was looking at a map as we planned the following day’s activities. In the smallest of print I spotted the following words “W.W.2 War Graves”. The next day we headed off to our planned destination by way of a detour to the park which hosted the graves mentioned.

The board of interest indicated that the grounds were given to the people of Jersey in memory of a local land owner whose son had perished in the First World War. We then followed the path to the War Graves.

There, we felt overwhelmed. In front of us lay two groups of graves. The graves represent Servicemen who died during the Second World War. Some individuals were named, others were not. These were men whose bodies were recovered during the War and were buried within the confines of the park with the respect they deserved. They were cared for in death by the population of an Island that was inhabited from 1940 by the German Army. Yet, despite those tough times, the local population wanted those individuals to be remembered. 

As we walked along the rows of headstones, reading the names the grounds man was mowing the prestige lawn. The pattern created by the mower in uniformed strips. I stopped to talk to him and asked him about the headstones. He said rather sadly, very few people come here to see them. When I asked why, he said very simply “people forget they are here and time passes by…..”

He is right, time does pass by, but we should never forget this sacrifice. The majority of these men died many miles from home and now lie in a foreign land, some from within the UK and serving in the British Armed Services, others from the United States. Only one Grave represents Islander and that is the Grave of Maurice Jay Gould who had been born in England in 1924. His birthplace meant that he was deported from the Island at the start of the Occupation. He died in Germany aged just 19 in 1943. His body was returned to the Island in 1997 and buried in this special place.

On line Journal of Grave yard Rabbit

Guest Post at International Graveyard Rabbit

I have been invited to be an international guest poster at the on line journal of Graveyard Rabbits.

You can read my guest post HERE

Stained Glass in Wales Online

Press Release from The Church in Wales

Anyone interested in church history can now view and research more than 2,000 stained glass windows from hundreds of churches in Wales on line.  http://stainedglass.llgc.org.uk/

From medieval to modern, the windows have been photographed and catalogued in a project by the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. The website allows all the windows to be searched thematically by date, artist or location.

The project was initiated by the artist and photographer Martin Crampin. “Stained glass is part of the visual vocabulary of many of our churches, and a pictorial manifestation of the church’s faith and tradition,” he said. “Yet often little is known of the artists or studios that made them, and sometimes the meaning of the windows is unclear to those that worship in their midst today.”

The catalogue covers stained glass from medieval times up to the present day, including the fine collections of medieval glass, imported continental glass, work by the large Victorian firms and artists of the arts and crafts movement, as well as more recent windows by artists trained and based in Wales from the second half of the 20th century up to the present day.

Although the funding for the project has come to an end, long before a complete survey has been possible, it is hoped that the catalogue will continue to grow in the future. 

It is now possible to add further information and comments to the site. http://stainedglass.llgc.org.uk/

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Eleven

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Ten

The park is remarkably peaceful and quite pleasant to walk around. Throughout the Howard Davis Park there are seats with memorial plaques, along with a pond and a lovely rose garden.

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Nine

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Eight

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Seven

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Six

There are two plots of these graves. The plot on the left contains 31 graves plus this one that follows.

The reason this is slightly separate is that Maurice Jay Gould was born in England although living in Jersey at the time of the German Occupation. As a result of his birthplace he was deported to Germany where he died, just aged 19. His body was returned to Jersey in 1997 and is interned here.

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Five

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Four

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Three

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part Two

We followed the path along to the War Graves.  In front of us lay two groups of graves. The graves represent Servicemen who died during the Second World War. Some individuals were named, others were not. These were men whose bodies were recovered during the War and were buried within the confines of the park with the respect they deserved. They were cared for in death by the population of an Island that was inhabited from 1940 by the German Army. Yet, despite those tough times, the local population wanted those individuals to be remembered. Over the next few posts I will post photographs of all the graves represented here.

 

Howard Davis Park, Jersey, Channel Islands - Part One

Mentioned in small print on the tourist map of Jersey is the name Howard Davis Park.  Alongside the name of the park is the mention of "W.W.2 War Graves". It was seeing the mention of War Graves that made us visit the park in October 2011.

As you enter the park their is a building immediately on the left which provides some basic details and understanding on how the park came to be.

Inside there is a picture of Howard Leopold Davis and a framed frame of his medals and memorial plaque.