Remembering Stokesley's Fallen

Below the memorial plaque on the south wall of the nave of St Peter and St Paul's Church is displayed, in a case, the Book of Remembrance, recording something of the lives of 54 men with connections to the Parish of Stokesley who died in the 1914-18 conflict.

We owe this beautiful tribute to the dedication and vision of Charles William Hall, a Stokesley man who lived for many years at Springfield in the town with his mother and his sister Marian.

Charles was himself a casualty of the war, being wounded on September 5th 1918, and losing his left leg above the knee. He and a group of friends researched the lives of the men from Stokesley who fell in the conflict, and wrote and decorated the book as a labour of love. Many who contributed time, skill or money had themselves lost loved ones.

Families gladly gave photos of their lost relatives, and the local school woodwork class constructed a memorial desk to house it. The school's headmaster, Mr Jackson, put on a concert to raise money for the only part of the Project which was commercially done: the lettering and binding (by Messrs Hale of Stockton).

The book was unveiled on Armistice Sunday, 13th November, 1927

Charles' own account of the book appears in a letter he wrote, which can be viewed below. Click on any page to see an enlarged view of it.

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