The Scottish War Memorials Project

spoons · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 3:27 pm Post subject: Eaglesfield (Bowling Club)

This is listed by UKNIWM as Eaglesfield Bowling Club and originally appeared on the forum list as such. I have listed it under civic memorials as it seems from the text that this is the civic memorial for the area. There is certainly no other civic memorial in the village although it is possible that there are unlisted memorial(s) inside the church (there are none outside).

UKNIWM 44121.

The memorial is inside the bowling club which is down an unmarked track off the B722, the turning is a few yards from the church on the opposite side of the road towards the M74. When I visited, the bowling club was shut but I managed to get this photo through the window.

OS Map Ref: NY 232 744

spoons · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 3:54 pm Post subject:

WW1 Names

ROBERT ARMSTRONG
R LOUIS I ARNOTT
GEORGE BELL
ALEXANDER P BELL
ROBERT CARLYLE
THOMAS J CARLYLE
WILLIAM R CHALMERS
JAMES COCHRANE
ROBERT CRAIK
JOHN DAVIDSON
ARCHIE DOWNIE
JAMES GRAHAM
WALTER GRAHAM
GEORGE HINSELWOOD
ALAN IRVING
JAMES M KERR
WILLIAM LAIDLAW
GEORGE LAWSON
JAMES C LOCKERBIE
WILLAIM MARTINDALE
GEORGE H J MIDDLEMISS
JAMES MITCHELL
THOMAS MORRIN
JOHN MUNDLE
PETER MURDOCH
WALTER MURDOCH
WILLIAM MURDOCH
WILLIAM E McKINNELL
THOMAS McLELLAN
ANDREW McCRACKEN
JAMES NELSON
ROBERT PALMER
DAVID G PATTERSON
WILLIAM B PORTEOUS
ROBERT PORTEOUS
ROBERT RAE
JAMES RILEY
SAMUEL C ROGERSON
JAMES SHANNON
WILLIAM J SINCLAIR
JOHN TEASDALE
JOHN THOMSON
GORDON THOMSON
ROBERT C WALLACE
CHARLES WAUGH
ANDREW G WILSON

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: Eaglesfield (Bowling Club)

dhubthaigh · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:01 pm Post subject:

There must be a story of some kind here.
If I'm 'googling' correctly it suggests Eaglesfield is in Middlebie Parish?

The Middlebie Paish Memorial is in Middlebie Parish Church (UKNIWM 44202).

I see this one has been raised specifically be the Ex-Servicemen. Would it have been originally located elsewhere and moved to the bowling club or did the bowling club exist as something else previously (Ex-Servicemens club)?

Its a handsome memorial and hats off to spoons for the pic.

I also see a variation in the spelling of John Mundle;

Name: MUNDELL, JOHN
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: King's Own Scottish Borderers
Unit Text: 7th/8th Bn.
Age: 32
Date of Death: 09/04/1917
Service No: 40225
Additional information: Son of Mrs. G. White, of Eaglesfield, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Bay 6.
Memorial: ARRAS MEMORIAL

spoons · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:42 pm Post subject:

Well there is actually a church in Eaglesfield, but perhaps it used to be an Episcopal church or somesuch. I have not 'collected' Middlebie church yet but UKNIWM describes the memorials there as Parish memorials, so perhaps many of those listed here did not worship in the Church of Scotland? In any case, there is no religious reference on this memorial at all so perhaps the locals thought their comrades would not be properly commemorated in a village where they did not live and in a church where they did not worship? Perhaps I will find more when I get to Middlebie.

dhubthaigh · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:09 pm Post subject:

Aye, agreed I know there were many different ideas on how best to raise memorials in commemoration.

I have found that sometimes a particular church would erect the actual parish memorial (not a reference to a church parish and everyone regardless of religious denomination would be recorded).

I noticed a piece in an old newspaper only recently where a man had taken the war memorial committee to court for the return of his money. Initially he had been told the war memorial would be tablets within the church only finding out kater that it was to be a public monument and if that was the case he didi not want his sons name on it. I think the minister actuall resigned from the committee over the situation.

I do still think thie Eaglesfield Memorial was somewhere else originally though.

dhubthaigh · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:16 pm Post subject:

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:12 am Post subject:

dhubthaigh · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:54 am Post subject:

Perhaps a member of the bowling club could shed light on this.

spoons · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:24 pm Post subject:

I found a phone number on the web, will try and make a call later in the week

spoons · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:53 pm Post subject:

I have just received a couple of emails from the current Minister of Eaglesfield church and his explanations go someway to understanding why this memorial was placed in the bowling club, which was the only public building in Eaglesfield at the time.

"I should point out that the war memorial for Eaglesfield is in the Bowling Club there being no church there at the time to receive it."

I then asked why they did not simply add the names to the church in Middlebie and got the following reply..........

"Further to your comments about the names etc.on the memorial in the bowling club. There always was a mission church in Eaglesfield and there has always been a certain amount of polarisation between the two villages over matters such as this."

So, I reckon that the locals had a problem. Split the comrades who died with some names in the Eaglesfield and others in Middlebie depending on their religions, or keep them together in a compromise location in Eaglesfield.

spoons · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:56 pm Post subject:

Most of these names appear on either the Middlebie or Kirtle church memorials.