by Rebecca Hannant
A website launched as part of the legacy of the Withernsea war memorial clock project is shining a new light on the social history surrounding St Nicholas Church.
In a bid to tell the stories of the Withernsea soldiers who fought and died in the Second World War, Friends of St Nicholas Church chairman Darrin Stevens and Darren England, president of the Withernsea branch of the Royal British Legion, have teamed up to launch the website.
It will follow the stories of all 67 individuals listed on the memorial plaque inside the church. Meanwhile, an interactive element will allow the families of those who died to contribute to the site and add to the stories.
Darren said: “People will be able to click on the names, and it’ll bring up a history of the individual – from where they were born, who the family members are, where they served and in what regiments, and where they were killed in action.
“I’ve spent probably 50 or 60 hours researching each of the individuals on there. I got a bit of a history on them, and maybe a photograph – or if we can’t find a photograph, something to do with the role they played such as the ship they died on or the tank they fought in.”
To find the records, Darren used information from Ancestry, Find My Past and old service records.
Darren added: “There is loads of information available. One of the gents named Barnfather was only 16 when he died.
“He was on one of the ships that sunk early into the Second World War. He joined as a boy sailor at the age of 14, and then worked his way up.
“There’s all sorts of information on there, it’s not just from the European war. We’re talking about Burma, Thailand, prisoners of war of the Japanese, and those who were on the death railways, with no mechanical help at all. A lot of them died during that process. There is lots of graphic stuff on there as well.”
Darrin Stevens added: “We’re now bringing the stories of those people who were just a name on a wooden plaque to life.
“I even found details of my grandfather who was killed in a minesweeping accident.
“My grandfather served in the British Army, and then he was discharged. Within six months he moved into the military police.
“Darren has worked with me, and we have managed to find his records, and for the first time I was able to see his medals.”
The project forms an extension to the major restoration of the church clock and the town’s commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year.
Darrin Stevens launched a fundraising appeal which garnered £50,000 of donations from businesses and residents across Withernsea in an attempt to repair the clock, which was installed in 1947.
After months of work, the clock was handed back to the town at a special service which saw a plaque also installed. Alongside this, a website – withernseamemorialclock.co.uk – was created to showcase the history of the clock and information about all those who donated to the original fundraiser in 1945.
People can visit the website to see how much members of their families donated, and they can also add to the history of those listed, including their addresses, occupations and more.
Now, Darren and Darrin hope to expand the site to capture more details of those who served and died and preserve their history for the future.
The pair also aim to secure an iPad and an internet connection in the church, which will allow visitors to access the history.
The website is expected to be fully launched later this month.
