Memorial details

Memorial type
Roll of honour or book of remembrance
District
Peterborough
Town
Peterborough
County
Cambridgeshire
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918), First World War - civilians
Ceremony
  • Placed
    Date: 14 June 1928
    Attended by: The casket containing the original WW1 Roll of Honour was placed in the Board Room of the newly-opened Peterborough War Memorial Hospital.
  • Placed
    Date: November 1994
    Attended by: The original WW1 Roll of Honour was removed from the casket and replaced by the revised version that now resides within the casket.
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
100806

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Current location

Access to the Roll is possible by making an appointment with the Hospital's Company Secretary.
Peterborough City Hospital
Bretton Gate
Peterborough
Peterborough
Cambridgeshire
PE3 9GZ
England

OS Grid Ref: TL 16674 99929
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • The Roll of Honour casket was in the Hospital's Boardroom
    Peterborough District Hospital (Memorial Wing)
    Midland Road
    Peterborough
    Peterborough
    Cambridgeshire
    PE3 6DD
    England

    OS Grid Ref: TL 18476 98718
    Denomination: Undefined
Description
WW1 Roll of Honour, compiled in 1994, comprising ribbon-bound typed sheets listing 1079 names. It is currently stored within a wooden casket, whose glazed outer panel contains a dedicatory inscription that states the Roll of Honour lists 1047 names. (The reason for the discrepancy re the number of names is that the casket was custom-made in 1928 to contain the City's original Roll of Honour that was compiled in 1921, which listed 1047 names; the inscription in the glazed panel is therefore part of that original Roll of Honour, to which our record WMR 101011 relates). N.B. The 1994 version of the Roll of Honour is known to include some anomalies, e.g. inaccurate dates/places of death etc; some dual entries (i.e. men recorded on it under their true surname and also under the alias as which they enlisted, or men recorded on one of the Roll's appendices as well as in its main section); the Roll also includes the names of some men who in fact survived their war service.
Inscription
Casket, small brass plaque: THIS CASE/ PRESENTED BY/ WATKINS & STAFFORD LTD/ PETERBOROUGH Casket, external glass-framed page (re 1921 Roll of Honour): IN SACRED AND LOVING MEMORY OF THE/ 1047 glorious men of PETERBOROUGH who laid down their/ lives in the Great War, 1914-1918, and whose names are recorded/ on this/ ROLL OF HONOUR/ and to whose/ undying fame Memorials have been erected and dedicated at the churches of St John, St Mark,/ St Paul, All Saints, St Augustine, & Barnabas, in the City of Peterborough and at the Parish churches/ of Stanground, Old Fletton, Newark & Werrington. In the Cathedral to the Collegians of St Peter's/ College, & to the Old Boys of King's School. In the Chapels of the United Methodists, at/ Boroughbury & Old Fletton, the Cobden Street Primitive Methodists, the Park Road Baptist/ Church, the Wentworth Street Wesleyans, and the Salvation Army Citadel. In the Deacon's School/ to the Old Boys of the School; outside the Guildhall to the Corporation Employees; outside the/ General Post Office to the Postal Officials, and outside the Head Office of the Co-operative/ Society to the Society's Employees. Casket contents, front page: ROLL OF HONOUR/ TO THE MEN OF PETERBOROUGH WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914-1918./ This Roll of Honour has been compiled to the best of our knowledge/ Peter W. Moffat/ Executive Manager/ 23 November 1994. Ensuing pages, section 1: (1013 names) Section 2: The following list contains limited information concerning men thought to be from Peterborough who were killed in action, but about whom little can be discovered regarding addresses, regiments, dates of death etc./ (24 names, including two who are also listed in Section 1) Section 3: The following is the record of names of the Collegians who were Students before the War at St Peter's College, Peterborough who fell in action. It has not been possible to obtain a complete record of their particulars./ (42 names, including one who is also listed in Section 1)
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Abbott, Albert Edward
Abbs, B E
Abrey, William
Adams, Arthur
Adams, Charles Ernest
Adams, Percy William
Afford, George
Afford, Sam
Alderman, Alfred
Allday, Frank
See details for all 1076 names
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 1078
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1078
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, forenames, decorations, address, service number, rank, military unit, manner/date/place of death, place of burial, additional
    Order of information: Alphabetically by surname in three sections, i.e. the main list; section2 (re those without address etc); section3 (re alumni of St Peter's College).
  • First World War - civilians
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Forenames, surname, address, date and nature of death
    Order of information: Listed within the main alphabetical section of the Roll.
Components
  • Casket / Box
    Measurements: depth 340mm, height 470mm, width 590mm
    Materials: Wood - Mahogany, Glass
  • Roll of honour
    Measurements: depth 10mm, height 300mm, width 440mm
    Materials: Paper
Listing information
Condition
History
In 1928 the casket was custom-made to contain the original WW1 Roll of Honour that had been compiled in 1921, listing 1047 names (the inscription page of which was placed in the glazed outer panel); the casket was installed in the Board Room of the newly-built Peterborough War Memorial Hospital in Midland Road/Thorpe Road, Peterborough. (Collectively, that original Roll of Honour and the Hospital itself formed the City of Peterborough's primary WW1 Memorial).// In 1994 the pages of the original Roll of Honour listing the casualties' details were removed from the casket, and replaced by a revised version of the Roll. (The later version omitted/amended some of the original names/data, and included names and details that had not appeared on the original version of the Roll).// In 2010, following the closure of the Hospital in Thorpe Road/Midland Road, the casket containing the revised Roll of Honour was removed to temporary storage in the Nurses' Home, for safekeeping; it was subsequently transferred to its current location, i.e. the Peterborough City Hospital at Bretton Gate.//
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
Reference
  • This Roll of Honour is mentioned (regarding its inclusion of Sidney Green of Fletton Avenue) on our following Blog ukniwm.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/memorials-to-the-missing-of-fromelles/?msclkid=dadf33ceb49711ecb7a24bb16345d7a5
  • War Memorials Online's record of this 1994 version of the Roll of Honour can be found at www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/290617/
  • On Saturday 19/11/1921 the Peterborough Standard reported on the Armistice Day commemoration that had been held in the Market Square on 11th November, during which the WW1 Roll of Honour was ceremonially presented to the Mayor. After details re the Remembrance service and wreath-laying, the report continued: 'Then Mr. E. A. Spires stepped forward. He has been at work for some months on the compilation of the City Roll of Honour. With this beautifully bound and exquisitely illuminated album in his hands, he stood in front of the Mayor and asked him to accept it as a record of the city's fallen. The Mayor formally accepted the roll, and on behalf of the Mayor and Corporation promised to preserve it. It would be placed, he said, in safe custody until they had considered a suitable place for its keeping. The Mayor then read the inscription on the roll, which contained the names of 1,047 Peterborough lads who fell. It was as follows:— In sacred and loving memory of the 1,047 glorious men of Peterborough who laid down their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918, and whose names are recorded on this ROLL OF HONOUR, and to whose undying fame memorials have been erected and dedicated at the Churches of St John, St Mark, St Paul, All Saints', St Augustine, and St Barnabas, in the city of Peterborough, and at the Parish Churches of Stanground, Old Fletton, Newark and Werrington. In the Cathedral to the Collegians of St Peter's College, and to the Old Boys of King's School; in the Chapels of the United Methodists at Boroughbury and Old Fletton, the Cobden-Street Primitive Methodists, the Park-road Baptist Church, the Wentworth-street Wesleyans, and the Salvation Army Citadel. In the Deacon's School, to the Old Boys of the School; outside the Guildhall to the Corporation Employees, outside the General Post Office to the Postal officials, and outside the Head Office of the Co-operative Society to the Society's employees. Then follows the names in alphabetic order, typewritten, with regimental particulars and the date and place of death. The National Anthem was then sung, and the proceedings ended'. www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/19211119/105/0008
  • On Saturday 21/2/1920 the Peterborough Standard's reported on a public meeting that had been held at the Hippodrome on Sunday 15th February, during which the following mention was made of the City's commemoration of its war casualties: 'PETERBOROUGH'S ROLL OF HONOUR. Mr. Spires, in seconding the vote of thanks, outlined his scheme for preparing Peterborough's roll of honour, a compilation which would contain, as far as lay in his power, and that of these who were going to assist him, the names of every man and woman from Peterborough who had paid the supreme sacrifice. The ex-Service men had answered his call for help and had told him they would do everything they could, and leave no stone unturned until the record was complete. He was very busy with the work at present, but at a later date a meeting of citizens would be convened for them to decide as to what form the roll of honour should take. Many suggestions had reached him already. but it was too early yet to decide on the exact form. There was one thing, however, and that was that many would have a shock when they knew how many had fallen. He was hoping to have an office in the centre of town, where the names would be shown. He concluded by saying that he did not want an incomplete record, and inviting all to assist him in gathering the details'. www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/19200221/071/0006

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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© WMR-100806

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