St John's Church, Ravenhead - History: War Memorials

War Memorials: The First and Second World Wars

St John's Church, Ravenhead, St Helens

The First World War

Plans for a parish hall for St John's Church had been in the mind of our second vicar, the Rev. Harry Bolton, for a number of years. The Church had all but settled on purchasing land for such a building on the corner of Lacey Street and Thatto Heath Road.

The aftermath of the First World War, and the incredible toll it had taken on communities across the country changed these plans considerably. Now, the parish hall would become a Memorial Hall, built on the same site as the Church, to house a permanent tablet to house the names of those who had not returned from war.

The Church had played its part throughout the years of the conflict, organising daily outdoor services of intercession attended by hundreds, and on occasion, thousands of people who wished to remember those who had signed up for duty.

Ravenhead World War 1 Memorial Tablet

In total, some 152 names are listed on the memorial, and those names are reproduced here.

The Ravenhead World War I Memorial at St John's Church

Wilfred ALLMAN
Arthur AMOS
William Edward APPLETON
John ASHCROFT
Thomas ASHTON
Thomas Percy ATHERTON
Thomas BALL
Edward BALMER
Albert BARNETT
Gerald BARON
George BARRON
Thomas BARRON
William BARRON
Peter BENNETT
Walter BENWICK
William BLAKE
Thomas BIRCHALL
Arthur BOARDMAN
Charles BORROW
James BOWES
Val. Henry BOYES
Harry BRADBURY
Benjamin BRIAN
Joseph BRIDGE
Edward BURGESS
Thomas BURGESS
W. P. BURGESS
Frank BURNS
Albert BUTLER
Cornelius BUTLER
Jonathan CALLON
Norman CHEETHAM
James CLARK
James COLE
Anthony CROSS
Edward CULLEY
James A. CUTTLER
James DAVIES
Henry DEACLE
Evan DENTON
Wilfred DINGSDALE
John F. DIXON-NUTTALL
Thomas E. EATON
John EGERTON
George H. EMERY
James FENNEY
W. Crosby FIDLER
William FILLINGHAM
James FITZHENRY
William James FOOTE
William FORBER William FORBER
George FORBER
William Henry FORREST
Harry FORSHAW
Peter FORSYTH
James FRANCE
Ernest FRIAR
George FRIPP
Joseph H. FRIPP
James GARNETT
John HANKS
David HAYES
Robert HEATON
Harry HERRINGSHAW
James HESLIP
Frederick HEWITT
Edward HEYES
Albert HILL
Samuel HODGETTS
Henry HILL
Peter HOUGHTON
William HUGHES
Joseph HULME
Joseph HUNTER
Frank ILLIDGE
Charles IRELAND
Caleb JACKSON
Walter JACKSON
William JACKSON
George JOHNSON
Peter KAY
Thomas KEARNEY
Daniel LARGE
James LARGE
Joshua LAWRENSON
William LAWRENSON
Norman LAYCOCK
Harry LEA
James LEICESTER
Thomas LETHBRIDGE
Hugh LEWIS
William LIGHTFOOT
John LOMAX
George LUND
Peter LYON
Charles MARTINDALE
James MARTINDALE
William MARTINDALE
William MARTINDALE
Harold MASON
Thomas E. MATTHEWS
James MCLOUGHLIN
Charles MERCER
Edward MERCER
John MERCER
William MILBURN
William Henry MILLER
John MITCHELL
Joseph NAYLOR
John William NIXON
William H. NORCROSS
Joseph O'NEIL
John OWEN
Thomas OWEN
Alfred PENNINGTON
Harry PENNINGTON
William PENNINGTON
J. W. POWNALL
Benjamin PRICE
James PYE
Harry RAINFORD
William ROBERSON
John ROBERTS
Robert ROBINSON
Richard ROSCOE
John SAUNDERS
James SEED
William F. SHEFFIELD
Albert SMITH
Thomas SMITH
James STOTT
Thomas SWIFT
Harry TABERN
Herbert TAGGART
John Thomas TAYLOR
Hugh THOMAS
Robert William THOMAS
Albert TICKLE
Walter TICKLE
William TILLEY
Thomas TIPTON
William TITTERINGTON
Thomas TOPPING
James TRAVIS
John TRAVIS
Frederick J. TYSON
Thomas WAINE
Charles WEBSTER
Harry WEBSTER
Theodore WEST
Ernest J. WINSTANLEY
James WINSTANLEY
Charles WORSLEY

Walter JACKSON
William JACKSON
George JOHNSON
Peter KAY
Thomas KEARNEY
Daniel LARGE
James LARGE
Joshua LAWRENSON
William LAWRENSON
Norman LAYCOCK
Harry LEA
James LEICESTER
Thomas LETHBRIDGE
Hugh LEWIS
William LIGHTFOOT
John LOMAX
George LUND
Peter LYON
Charles MARTINDALE
James MARTINDALE
William MARTINDALE
William MARTINDALE
Harold MASON
Thomas E. MATTHEWS
James MCLOUGHLIN
Charles MERCER
Edward MERCER
John MERCER
William MILBURN
William Henry MILLER
John MITCHELL
Joseph NAYLOR
John William NIXON
William H. NORCROSS
Joseph O'NEIL
John OWEN
Thomas OWEN
Alfred PENNINGTON
Harry PENNINGTON
William PENNINGTON
J. W. POWNALL
Benjamin PRICE
James PYE
Harry RAINFORD
William ROBERSON
John ROBERTS
Robert ROBINSON
Richard ROSCOE
John SAUNDERS
James SEED
William F. SHEFFIELD
Albert SMITH
Thomas SMITH
James STOTT
Thomas SWIFT
Harry TABERN
Herbert TAGGART
John Thomas TAYLOR
Hugh THOMAS
Robert William THOMAS
Albert TICKLE
Walter TICKLE
William TILLEY
Thomas TIPTON
William TITTERINGTON
Thomas TOPPING
James TRAVIS
John TRAVIS
Frederick J. TYSON
Thomas WAINE
Charles WEBSTER
Harry WEBSTER
Theodore WEST
Ernest J. WINSTANLEY
James WINSTANLEY
Charles WORSLEY

In addition, a memorial to Capt. Robert Heaton is in the nave of St John's Church.

Ravenhead Capt. Robert Heaton WW1 Memorial

The Second World War & The Memorial Chapel

St John's Church is not home to a permanent memorial to the Second World War, but that is not to say that the congregation of the time did not wish to mark those they had lost.

After the end of the Second World War, the congregation at St John's chose to rededicate the Side Chapel (or the Lady Chapel) at St John's as a Memorial Chapel. Inscribed on a wooden tablet are the words, 'To the glory of God and in glad remembrance of those who have stood by us, helped & cheered us by their sympathy and strengthened us by their example'.

Memorial Chapel tablet

This rededication of the chapel extends beyond those who fell in the Second World War. Here is a place in the holy tranquily of the Church that one can sit, contemplate and remember.

Those of Ravenhead who lost their lives in the Second World War are not named in the Church, but rather remembered amongst the souls of all those who have departed this life. They are no less appreciated than those who fell in the First World War, and, as the timing of the dedication of the Memorial Chapel shows, they are remembered.