St Michael’s Church remembers the Battle of the Somme

100 years ago, at 7.30 am on 1st July 1916, the Battle of the Somme started. British casualties were some 20,000 men killed in action. It remains the most costly day in Britain’s military history. That day, 5 of the 33 men on St Michael’s Roll of Honour were killed in the diversionary attack on the hamlet of Gommecourt, London Regiments being prominent in that attack.

At the Holy Communion Service on Sunday 26th June 2016, the congregation remembered these men and a special Somme wreath composed of the traditional red poppies interspersed with four cornflowers, was laid at the altar during the service and thereafter by the Roll of Honour inside the Church.

Remembering the men who lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme

During the Holy Communion Service at 10 am on Sunday 26th June 2016, we shall specifically remember nine of the 33 men listed on the carved memorial in St Michael’s Church, Elmwood Road. These men lost their lives in a two month period between the 30th May and 28th July 1916. All but one perished in France before or during the Battle of the Somme in which five died on the first day of the battle in the diversionary assault on Gommecourt. The men were:

Geoffrey Damarel Gidley, 9th County of London Battalion (Queen Victoria’s Rifles)

died of wounds, 30th May 1916, Douleens*, Somme

Philip Walpole Coverley, 8th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force     

killed in action, 14th June 1916, Menin Gate, Ypres*, Belgium

Ivor Reginald Pogose, 5th Battalion London Regiment (The London Rifles)         

died of wounds, 1st July 1916, Gommecourt, Somme

           

Richard Arnold Sully, 9th County of London Battalion (Kensington Rifles)           

killed in action, 1st July 1916, Gommecourt, Somme

Frank Maurice Coombs, 5th Battalion London Regiment (The London Rifles)       

missing, presumed dead, 1st July 1916, Gommecourt, Somme

Herman Morton Curths, 9th County of London Battalion (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) 

missing, presumed dead, 1st July 1916, Gommecourt, Somme

John Paterson Malcolm, 1st/16th London Regiment, (Queen’s Westminster Rifles

missing, presumed dead, 1st July 1916, Gommecourt, Somme

Leslie Howard Coombs, 10th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (The Stockbrokers’ Battalion)

died of wounds, 14th July 1916, La Boiselle, Somme

Frank William Keen, 22nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)     

killed in action, 28th July 1916, Delville Wood, Somme

More can be read about these men in the Heroes of Chiswick booklet ‘Commemorating St Michael’s Church’s WW1 Soldiers’ with their stories being told on pages 4 to 7. A pdf of the booklet and more information can be found on the Heroes of Chiswick this website.

Note: * Indicates place of burial/memorial where listed

Remembering the first fatality in 1916 from St Michael's WW1 Roll of Honour

During the 10 am Holy Communion Service on Sunday 29th May 2016, the congregation at St Michael’s Church will be remembering the first man on the Roll of Honour to lose his life, 100 years ago this year, in 1916.

Geoffrey Damarel Gidley was born on 9th May 1896 the son of George Gidley, a tailor, and Annie Maud Gidley (nee Sharp). By 1913, Geoffrey, then 16, was living with his family at 10 Burnaby Gardens, having moved from Shepherd’s Bush. George Gidley was a sidesman at St Michael’s.

Geoffrey enlisted with Queen Victoria’s Rifles (QVR) in September 1914 and rose to the rank of Corporal. He entered France on 17 August 1915, but owing to his skill in training men was kept at base until about a week before his death. In fact he had only been in the firing line a few hours when a shell struck his rough dug-out, injuring him very severely. He was able to be moved to a clearing station, but died of his wounds the same day. Geoffrey is buried in Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No 1.

To read Geoffrey Gidley's biography and those of the other 33 men on the memorial inside St Michael's Church, click here



Heroes of Chiswick Memorial regilding and remembrance service on 8th November 2015

Since this time last year we have been fundraising in order to have the names of the 33 men on the memorial in church regilded, since with the passage of time they had become faded and dull.

We are delighted that thanks to the generosity of various individuals we have raised sufficient funds to allow the necessary work to be undertaken.  The results can be seen in the photograph on the right hand side of the home page.

Needless to say, the accompanying memorial panel on the opposit pillar now looks rather shabby so our next efforts will be to raise funds in order to have it regilded too - hopefully by 2018 in time for the centenary of the cessation of hostilities in 1918.

Meanwhile, we are especially pleased that it has been possible to have the regilding of the men's names completed in time for the Remembrance Day service this year which will be held at 10.55 am on Sunday 8th November. 

Remembering the fourth fatality from St Michael's WW1 Roll of Honour

During the 10 am Holy Communion Service on Sunday 25th October 2015, the congregation at St Michael’s Church remembered the fourth man on the memorial to lose his life in WW1. Frank Leonard Cunningham died of wounds at the Australian Hospital, Wimereux, Near Boulogne on 1st October 1915, 100 years ago this month.



Frank Cunningham was the only child of Joseph Cunningham, an academic and Fellow of the Zoological Society, and his wife Sophia. A reservist with the Northumberland Hussars Yeomanry since 1909, at the outbreak of war he was called up, leaving his job at the Glasgow branch of the Vacuum Oil Company.


His parents moved to Chiswick around the time of the Great War living first at 63 St Mary’s Grove, then 35 Wavenden Avenue where they lived until their deaths in the second half of the 1930s. After his son's death, Joseph Cunningham, edited and published his son’s diaries and letters. 


To read Frank Cunningham's biography and those of the other 33 men on the memorial inside St Michael's Church, click here


To read contents of the Frank Cunningham's diaries and letters click here

New search application – known Chiswick WW1 memorials

During the past year we received emails asking if we knew whether a particular person was on any memorial in Chiswick. After some research, including referencing lists from Chiswick Library local studies section and the development of a search mechanism on the website, we now have a suitable search app on our website. To try it out click here.

Do try the app out in the first instance by putting in all or part of a surname in the ‘Last Name’ box and clicking the ‘Search’ button. Please let us know of any way you think it might be developed. We anticipate adding further lists from relevant memorials in the area that we don’t yet know of or have information on.