Oldfield Park Junior School (Bath) WW1 Memorial Project | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manvers Street Baptist Church (Bath)WW1 Memorials | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This distinctive church has survived its own brush with war, after it took a direct hit in the Bath Blitz of 1942. Its main WW1 memorial is on the wall at the rear of the church and there was also a memorial raised by the Sunday School, see below. Manvers Street Baptist Church Memorial From Bath Chronicle & Weekly Gazette, Saturday 13th November 1920: MANVERS STREET WAR MEMORIAL Sunday's Dedication Ceremony REV. T. HAYWARD ON ENGLAND'S NATIONAL PERIL On Sunday evening, in the presence of a large congregation,
including representatives of all the church organisations, among them the Boy
Scouts and Girl Guides, the bronze memorial tablet which has been erected in
the Manvers Street Baptist Church to commemorate the 26 members of the church
and institute who perished in the war was unveiled. The opening hymn was "O
God our help in ages past." Mr. J. Ellis George then read Revelation ch.
vii., verses 9 to 17; and Stainer's anthem, "What are these?" was
sung by the choir. Prayer was then offered by the Rev. T. Hayward, and "O
rest in the Lord" was played during the offertory. The hymn “For all the
saints" was followed by the reading of the Roll of Honour by Alderman S W.
Bush. GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE The Rev. T. Hayward said the atmosphere which they breathed
that evening was redolent with memories — memories which were proud and
grateful, and memories which were fond and tender. There was pride in their
hearts which they all must feel in the remembrance of those men who in the
Empire's need loved not their lives unto the death. He realised that there were
some present that night who could never forget those who had fallen; they
needed no memorial of bronze because all their hearts were memorial tablets
which were inscribed with the names of those dear and gallant lads. We
recognised that the parents who surrendered those lads had a share in the sacrifice
they had made, and from which we had preserved our liberties. Such mourners
might echo the words of the poet:— I take my cross; and if my heart be bowed
The parent mourns; the patriot is proud. For those who recollected the fallen that meeting was marked
by the spirit of gratitude. By their sacrifice our fallen brothers had
maintained for us those liberties in which we rejoiced. "They left all
that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out
of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving their own lives
that others might live in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their
names be not forgotten." DUTY OF THE SURVIVORS What should be our response? If we desired to make a
response which should be worthy of the men who laid down their lives in the
Great War, it must be a response which should awaken a noble patriotism in the
hearts of our young men and women. These men were called on to endure hardships
and perils which could never adequately described by any human tongue. If these
men had been asked their conception of their duty, they would probably have
replied in language similar to that of Rudyard Kipling:— No easy hope or lies
Can bring us to our goal . . . Who stands if Freedom fall Who dies if England live? ENGLAND'S NATIONAL PERIL He saw no encouragement at the present time as he considered
the deterioration which was taking place in morale and in spirit throughout our
beloved land. When we remembered the wonderful spirit shown by our young men in
the days of war, we recognised the peril to national welfare, national hopes, and
national destiny in the deep tragedy of the deterioration that was manifested
to-day in our public life and our national life. We all must realise that
industrial strikes, class suspicions, the profanation of the marriage tie, and
the selfishness of the profiteer, were symptoms of one malady. What was that malady?
Surely it was the sin of Godlessness. We recognise, said the preacher, that
England is in danger of forgetting God, and finally rejecting the appeal of God's
Son. One could not fail to be impressed with the heroism, devotion and
sacrifice of these wonderful men whom they were commemorating. If only these
capacities of which they had given proof were to-day, in the hearts of those
who survived, stimulated to finer issues in the power of Jesus Christ, what
achievements might not work for the glory of our country? He appealed to the
young men and women of that church to unite in such loyal service as should be
fittingly inspired by the memory of those men whom they desired to honour that
evening ENGLAND'S PRESENT PROBLEM "Tire Great War," said the preacher, "is
over, but the age-long war between good and evil still goes on. I am here to
say with intense conviction that England in the final result will not be gloriously
the victor until she has achieved the conquest of herself.” As in the symbolical
language the Book of the Revelation, which described the armies in heaven
clothed in fine linen, white and clean, and riding on white horses, God called
to-day for "white men" in His service. Surely the appeal of the young
men whom they commemorated that evening's service was that we should trust the
Master Whom they had trusted. THE MEMORIAL UNVEILED After the hymn "Ten thousand times ten thousand"
had been sung. Mr. W. J. Barber unveiled the memorial. Before doing so he
remarked that as we considered the unrest and the seemingly unpatriotic spirit
which existed to-day, it was good to reflect on the inspiration of the
patriotic deeds of the days of war. He added: "I unveil this tablet to the
glory of God, and in honour of those whose names are inscribed thereon, who
gave their lives that we who follow may enjoy the fruit of their sacrifice. May
their unselfish patriotism be a lesson for us who follow at this time." The "Last Post" was sounded and the concluding
hymn was "Praise we our God." The service ended with the Reveille and
the Benediction; as the congregation dispersed Mendelssohn's "Funeral
March" was played. The buglers at the service
were Bugle-Major Wiltshire, Bugler H. Wiltshire, and Bugler S. Harper Inscription: In
sacred memory of the young men of this church and institute who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918 in defence of the liberties of nations.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" Manvers Street Baptist Sunday School Photographed
in situ at Manvers Street Baptist Church in August 2014, at which time
there was mention of this memorial being sent to Baptist Union HQ,
which would be a sad and unnecessary loss of a city memorial to a place
where it means little or nothing to anyone. Can a church really not
find wall space for a memorial of this nature, in order to perpetuate
its original purpose? This memorial commemorates those who served, as well as those who died. Inscription: For God, King and Country 1914-18 In Honour of...
who served with the colours. And in revered memory of
who made the supreme sacrifice. All the above were members of this class. |