East Leake Wesleyan Methodist Church

Roll of Honour

East Leake War Memorial
Roger Latham, 2012
East Leake Roll of Honour (click to enlarge)
Roger Latham, 2012

East Leake, in Nottinghamshire, remembers the First World War in two ways.

As in many villages there is a war memorial on the village green, next to the parish church. This lists the 22 men of the village who died during the conflict.

The East Leake War Memorial Committee also chose to set up a roll of honour, listing the 125 men who served, and in February 1920 they asked the Trustees of the Wesleyan Methodist Church if this could be erected on their chapel grounds, which face onto the Main Street of the village. The Trustees unanimously gave approval. Their successors, the current Church Council, have agreed to renovate the Roll of Honour during 2014.

The proportion of dead to survivors is consistent with the men having served on the Western Front.

Because of the location of the two memorials, the Baptists were the only denomination in East Leake to separately commemorate their war dead, as can be seen in the notes on dead which follow. One Wesleyan Methodist has, however, been identified. Private Herbert Whitby was baptised in the Wesleyan Methodist chapel, and was the son of one of the Trustees.

Born in 1894, Herbert Arthur Whitby was the son of Arthur and Eliza Ann Whitby. At the time of the 1911 Census he was living with his family in West Street, East Leake and employed as an office boy at the Empress Steel Works in Loughborough. He was apparently judged unfit for military service, but volunteered for the Royal Defence Corps, who were a predecessor of the Home Guard. He died at Greenwich on 29th June 1916 at the age of 22, presumably of an existing medical condition.

Details of Deaths – Great War 1914-18

Crowson, Walter L/Cpl 1st Bn Sherwood Foresters
Died 12/3/1915, remembered on the Le Touret Memorial
Note – Also on Anglican memorial. Probably wounded, died in hospital Nr Boulougne. Died at same time as Lewis Jackson – same Unit
Wrongly named on War Memorial – as QMS W Crowson
Affiliation – Baptist

Dring, Arthur Pte 10th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
Died 14/3/1916 age 21
Died of wounds when sent home
Buried East Leake (St Mary) Churchyard

Dring W H Pte 1st Bn Gloucestershire Regiment
Died 28/4/1916  
Buried St Patrick’s Cemetery, Loos

Doughty, George Gunner 9th Trench Bn, Royal Garrison Artillery
Died 16/7/1915 age 22, remembered on the Le Touret Memorial
Note – Probably wounded, died in hospital Nr Boulougne

Goodacre, Frederick L/Cpl 2nd Bn Leicestershire Regiment
Died 25/9/1915 age 25, remembered on the Loos Memorial
Note – Brother of Samuel

Goodacre, Samuel Pte 3rd Bn Genadier Guards
Died between 14/9 & 17/9/1916 age 34, remembered on the Thiepval Memorial
Note – Brother of Frederick. Somme

Goodman, Thomas Pte 8th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment
Died 10/7/1918 age 28, buried East Leake (St Mary) Churchyard
Note – Died of wounds when sent home

Hogg, Frank Pte 1st Bn Leicestershire Regiment
Died 14/4/1918, remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial
Note – “Kaiserschlacht”

Jackson E H Pte 15th Bn Sherwood Foresters
Died 13/7/1917 age 20, buried Villers-Faucon Cemetery.
Affiliation – Baptist
Note – Brother of Shardach & W

Jackson, Lewis 1st Bn Sherwood Foresters
Died 13/3/1915, remembered on the Le Touret Memorial
Note – Probably wounded, died in hospital Nr Boulougne
Died same time as Walter Crowson – same unit

Jackson, Shadrach Sapper 297th Railway Co Royal Engineers
Died 7/6/1919 age 24, buried Les Baraques Cemetery, Sangatte
Note – Brother of EH & W Jackson

Jackson W Cpl 1st Bn Leicestershire Regiment
Died 20/11/1917 age 26, buried Ribecourt Cemetery
Affiliation – Baptist
Note – Brother of Shadrach & EH

Lindon, Alfred Cpl 20th Bn London Regiment
Died 5/1/1916 age 23, buried Mazingarbe Cemetery

Mills, Mark Pte 15th Bn Sherwood Foresters
Died 19/8/1917 age 26, remembered on the Thiepval Memorial
Note – Wrongly named as W M Mills on Roll of Honour

Padgett H Pte 8th Bn Leicestershire Regiment
Died 22/3/1918, buried Roye New British Cemetery

Pepper, Sidney Pte 5th Bn Leicestershire Regiment
Died 30/9/1917 age 19, remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial
Note – 3rd Ypres

Pidcock, Frank Pte 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters
Died 4/4/1917 age 23, buried Vadencourt Cemetery
Affiliation – Baptist

Roadley, T S Lieutenant 8th Sq Royal Flying Corps
Died 17/8/1917, buried Harlebeke Cemetery
Note – Rank on Roll of Honour shown as Flight Commander 

Reid, Solomon L/Cpl 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards
Died 15/9/1916 age 28, remembered on the Thiepval Memorial
Affiliation – Baptist
Note – Somme 

Statham, William Pte 1st Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
Died 23/7/1916, remembered on the Thiepval Memorial
Affiliation – Baptist
Note – Somme 

Tutin, Guy Lieutenant 3rd Bn Sherwood Foresters
Died 27/1/1919 age 24, buried East Leake (St Mary) Churchyard
Note – Served Duration of War, died of wounds when sent home

Whitby, Herbert Pte Royal Defence Corps
Died 29/6/1916 age 22, buried Greenwich
Affiliation – Methodist
Note – Not medically fit to serve – RDC acted as “Home Guard” on UK duties

Comments about this page

  • Further research has revealed that three men baptised in the Wesleyan Chapel served, but returned. These were Walter Croson (born 1.3.1880 and baptised 23.10.1881) Thomas Baden Hardstaff (born 20.4.1900 , baptised 1.7.1900) and Albert Pidcock ( born 7.3.1881, baptised 10.4.1881).

    By Philip Thornborow (25/05/2018)

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