Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Bristol
Town
Portishead
County
Avon
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945), Second World War - civilians
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 10 February 1949
    Attended by: Bishop of Bath and Wells, Chief Constable and officers, relatives of the Fallen, dignitaries.
  • Dedicated
    Date: 10 February 1949
    Attended by: The Bishop of Bath and Wells performed the dedication
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
87639

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Current location

Main Conference Room
Avon & Somerset Police and Fire HQ
Valley Road
Portishead
Bristol
Avon
BS20 8JJ
England

OS Grid Ref: ST 44872 75575
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • In the hall
    on the first floor
    Somerset Constabulary HQ
    Shuttern
    Taunton
    Taunton Deane
    Somerset
    TA1 3QA
    England

    OS Grid Ref: ST 22406 24228
    Denomination: Undefined
Description
Rectangular oak board, with painted blue and gold chequered border. The gilt-painted names of the Fallen are beneath the Somerset Constabulary crest at top-centre.
Inscription
1939 1945/ SOMERSET CONSTABULARY/ ROLL OF HONOUR/ Killed while serving with H.M. Forces/ (8 NAMES)/ Killed on Civil Defence Duties/ (3 Names)
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Clarke, Ronald William
Duddridge, Jeffrey Alfred
Edwards, Charles Arthur
Etherington, Harry Mark
Fry, Arthur Frank
Mustoe, Frederick Charles
Smith, Alexander George
Snook, Kenneth Edwin
Stoate, Eric Lionel
Stockbridge, Basil Linton
See details for all 11 names
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 8
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 8
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Police rank and collar number, military rank and unit
    Order of information: Listed neither alphabetically by surname nor chronologically by date of death (according to their listing with CWGC).
  • Second World War - civilians
    Total names on memorial: 3
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 3
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Police rank and collar number, surname, forenames, place of death
    Order of information: Listed neither alphabetically by surname nor chronologically by date of death.
Components
  • Board
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Wood - Oak
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Reference
  • Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser 12/2/1949 (page 6) reported at length the ceremony at HQ in Taunton on Thursday 10th February, during which the Constabulary's WW1 and WW2 memorials were unveiled and dedicated, and the subsequent service that was held at St George's Church in Wilton. (The headline of the article read: "POLICE HOMAGE TO FALLEN COMRADES; BISHOP DEDICATES MEMORIALS AT COUNTY HEADQUARTERS; REMEMBRANCE SERVICE AT WILTON CHURCH"). Following the church service, about 100 members of the Constabulary had marched past Force Headquarters, where the Chief Constable took the salute.
  • "Lest Banwell Forgets", by Lynette Rice (published 2007, ISBN 9781901084580), pages 36 & 37, and 53 to 55, record the circumstances under which Constables Basil Linton Stockbridge and Ronald William Clark were both killed on duty on 4/9/1940, during an enemy air raid on Banwell. Both are named on the Somerset Constabulary WW2 memorial board as having died while engaged in Civil Defence Duties.
  • The Centenary of the Somerset Constabulary booklet (1857-1956) included details of events during both World Wars, including the fact that during WW2 some of its officers were loaned to the City Police forces in Bath and Bristol, which were targeted for air raids. (One such officer, P.C. Kenneth Edwin Snook, was killed on duty during an air raid on 26/4/1942, while on loan to Bath City Police. He was therefore named on the memorials of both Bath City Police and Somerset Constabulary). Extracts from the Centenary booklet can be viewed on www.asnarpo.org/letter/history.pdf

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.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

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© WMR-87639

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