Tynemouth WW1 Commemoration Project

Memorial Garden – project appeals for your support

Despite the atrocious weather of the preceding few days the members of the Tynemouth Venture Scouts were on hand all day on Saturday 29th March, to work with volunteers from the project to plant out the hundreds of shrubs, roses and other plants generously donated by Brambledown Nurseries and now awaiting some warm spring days to flourish and provide the backdrop for the planned memorial wall  which we intend will contain the details of the more than 1700 men of the Tynemouth Borough who died as a result of the Great War, to be recorded street-by-street to form the town’s only public memorial naming the victims of the war.

We hope the garden- with a large paved area - will be provided with memorial bench seats and other furniture, bird boxes etc. It will become a haven of peace and a space for quiet reflection for visiting family relatives of those named on the wall or anyone interested to see the details of the loss suffered by the community 100 years ago. However, the creation of the garden and wall is only possible if we have the support of the population today just as in the early 1920s when the Jubilee Infirmary extension and memorial in Hawkeys Lane was funded by public donations (see News Guardian story 27th March).

The funding we received from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2012 for the many activities we have carried out did not provide for this more recent proposal. Therefore we must raise the money for this development before we can complete the full memorial project.    
 
The full programme of commemorative events we have planned for this summer, will provide the fitting culmination of the three years of dedicated work by over 70 local volunteers and our many supporters in the community, including North Tyneside Council and its staff; the news media (particularly the News Guardian and The Journal); and many local businesses and individuals who have generously donated their time and resources, as the project has developed into possibly the largest WW1 commemorative programme in the country.

Now we are appealing to the public today to help us by donations, however great or small to support our programme of commemoration including the memorial garden and wall.
The Borough of Tynemouth suffered twice the national average loss of life in the Great War which our nationally commended ‘casualty map’ has demonstrated to great effect. We hope that relatives of the casualties as well as those with no direct connection to the local victims of the war will wish to help us to establish a lasting memorial and reminder today of the terrible events of 100 years ago which had profound consequences for the town and its families.

Individual donations will be recorded in an on-line Book of Remembrance, at the discretion of donors, which can be made in respect of a family relative or merely as a mark of thanks today for the sacrifice and hardships endured by hundreds of men, women and children of the community as a result of the war.


Donations can be made in person (10am to 4pm) or sent by cheque to the project, at the Administration address at: Essell Accountants, 29 Howard Street, North Shields, NE30 1AR. Donations can be accepted by debit/ credit card in person or by telephone (subject to a small merchant fee) – Tel: (0191) 259 2743 Please do not send cash donations by post. Cheques should be made payable to: ‘Tynemouth World War One Commemoration Project’.
If you wish to make a donation in memory of a particular person please include details of the casualty and his date of death and home address at the time (if known). Our volunteers at the Linskill Community Centre may be able to assist you in this but they cannot accept cash donations.
Anyone who might wish to make a special donation to provide for an item of garden furniture or other special cost can contact the Administration office and a member of the project will get in touch to discuss this further with you.