Featured Acquisition October 2018

Sudbury’s war memorial

As preparations are being made to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice at the end of World War 1 we would like to draw attention to the section in the Sudbury Ephemera Archive relating to warfare. We have a catalogue section dedicated to military action and this is subdivided into World War 1, World War 2 and other military action. The autograph books from the Belle Vue Red Cross Hospital have been featured some months ago, but whilst cataloguing recently we came across some interesting photographs of the dedication of the Sudbury war memorial.

Sudbury’s war memorial has not been in the same place since it was erected in North Street in 1921 and the photographs show that originally the names were engraved on the stone base. The crowds gathered for this service as the war memorial was the only local focus for their grief. The government had decided that no bodies would be brought home, so the families had no graves to grieve by.

Last month we were fortunate enough to have responses to our plea for the names of people in the photographs that we displayed, it would be wonderful if you got in touch with us if you can name a relative who is in the crowd assembled by the Masonic Hall. As well as photographs we hold a copy of the service sheet used at this dedication, with names of the people who took part in the event.

The photographs also show The Row alongside the Masonic Hall that was demolished to make way for the buildings which are there today. It is also possible to see the door to the Masonic Hall that has now gone and the windows that are blocked up today.


Previous Featured Acquisitions

Donated Photographs part 2 (Featured Acquisition September 2018)
Donated photographs (Featured Acquisition July 2018)
Tickets (Featured Acquisition May 2018)
Eating Habits (Featured Acquisition April 2018)
Advertisements (Featured Acquisition March 2018)
Painters and Paintings (Featured Acquisition February 2018)
The Importance of Photographic Evidence (Featured Acquisition January 2018)
Timetables and Public Transport (Featured Acquisition November 2017)
Thornton’s Estate Agency Property Details (Featured Acquisition October 2017)
Local Adverts (Featured Acquisition August 2017)
The Sudbury Parish Recorder (Featured Acquisition July 2017)
The Sudbury Borough Surveyor (Featured Acquisition June 2017)
Elections (Featured Acquisition May 2017)
Trinity Congregational Chapel – Spite Chapel (Featured Acquisition March 2017)
Property Deeds (Featured Acquisition February 2017)
Town Events (Featured Acquisition January 2017
Clubs and Societies (Featured Acquisition December 2016)
Sudbury Grammar School (Featured Acquisition November 2016)
Retail (Featured Acquisition October 2016)
Fire! fire! (Featured Acquisition September 2016)
Carnivals, Regattas and Fetes (Featured Acquisition August 2016)
Autograph books from the Belle Vue Red Cross Hospital Sudbury (Featured Acquisition July 2016)
What can we find out from a receipt? (Featured Acquisition June 2016)
The indenture of Henry Brackett, 6th July 1844 (Featured Acquisition May 2016)
Nuisance Books or Inspectors’ Journals (Featured Acquisition April 2016)

For more details of all the items we hold, see our Ephemera Catalogue.


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