In St Nicholas’ Church, there is a war memorial that commemorates 47 men from the parish who lost their lives in the war. On closer examination, it’s not entirely obvious on what basis they were deemed to be ‘men of the parish’. Some did indeed live locally, others were the children of local residents, but in some cases, it is difficult to determine the tenuous links which see them listed on our war memorial, and in fact, some are commemorated elsewhere as well as at Worth. Nevertheless, they all made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and deserve to be remembered, local men or not.
The Worth Church Bellringers have been commemorating the anniversary of death of each of these individuals, by ringing a half-muffled quarter peal for each of them on or as near as possible to the 100th anniversary of their death. Half-muffled ringing is the sign of mourning. We ring to commemorate, rather than celebrate, as we do every year on Remembrance Sunday. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 2018, we will be ringing at last in celebration of the hundred year anniversary of the end of the war.
A great site for information is http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Sussex/Worth.html
Those shown on our memorial are listed below:
1914 – 1918
- Corporal Percy H Abbot Queen Victoria Rifles
- Sapper Joseph Berry Royal Engineers
- Private A H Broadhurst Tank Corps
- Corporal Walter Charman Royal West Kent
- Corporal William Cheal Labour Battalion
- Private Charles A. Cook Royal Sussex
- Private Cecil Denman North Staffordshire
- Driver Albert A. Everest Royal Fleet Auxiliary
- Sergeant H. Evans Essex
- Sergeant Major George S. Feist Australian Imperial Force
- Captain A. Alec Geddes Royal Army Service Corps
- Captain W. Murray Geddes Wiltshire
- Corporal Alfred Goring Royal Warwick
- Gunner W Heasman Royal Fleet Auxiliary
- Private Albert Hole Royal Sussex
- Gunner Alfred Holman Royal Fleet Auxiliary
- Private Herbert Holman The Queen’s
- Private William Holman East Surrey
- Able Seaman Herbert G. Hopkins Royal Naval Reserve
- Sapper Arthur Howe Royal Engineers
- Corporal William E Humphrey Lancashire Fusiliers
- Sergeant J. Johnson East Yorkshire
- Private W Johnson East Yorkshire
- Private George W. Jupp Royal Sussex
- Private Alfred Lee Royal Sussex
- Private George I. Lee Royal West Kent
- Private Ernest E. Maynard Labour Corps
- Private Alfred G. Moore Royal Fusiliers
- Private Stanley T. Moore The Queen’s
- Private Alan Parsons London
- Private Douglas G Parsons East Surrey
- Private William P. Parsons Loyal North Lancashire
- Private W. Payne Royal Grenadier Guards
- Major The Honourable Francis G. Pearson Royal Army Service Corps
- Private Ralph Penfold Royal Sussex
- Private Frederick Ralph Post Office Rifles
- Second Lieutenant W. Godfrey Rapley Middlesex
- Private William J Stanford The Queen’s
- Sergeant W. V. Stanford King’s Royal Rifle Corps
- Sergeant John George Sumner Royal Sussex
- Private Harold Sumner Royal Sussex
- Private A. Thompsett South Wales Borderers
- Private Raymond Thompson Royal Sussex
1939-1945
- Able Seaman Kenneth George Constable Royal Navy
- Sergeant Gordon Ernest Heaysman Royal Air Force
- Private Leslie Baker South Wales Borderers
- Wing Commander Hugh Gordon Malcolm V.C. Royal Air Force
