The following memorials used to be at St James the Great Church, Newport Road, Cardiff  but are now at St John’s church in central Cardiff. :-

Great War memorial

In addition to the WWI plaques pictured above there also used to be an individual plaque dedicated to Sergeant Henry Davies Jones.  It used to be on the left hand wall of the nave of St James. It is not certain if this plaque was transferred to St John’s with the others or remains at St James the Great.

This Tablet is erected

As a token of the affectionate esteem in which the late
Sergeant Henry Davies Jones
Was held by the Officers Non-Commissioned Officers
And Men of the Mechanical Transport
RASC and Members of the QMAAC
Bulford Camp
Salisbury Plain
Died Oct 31st 1918
At Fargo Military Hospital
“To die for one’s Country is Sweet and Seemly”
“Give God the Glory”

Names on the memorials:

THOMAS WALTER MANNING BILLINGHAM

Driver, 98th Sanitary Section, Royal Army Medical Corps   (Service Number: T2/9733)

Thomas Walter Manning Billingham was born in Machen, Monmouthshire in Summer 1890 to Edward Thomas Halton Manning Billingham, an engineer, originally from Flore, Northamptonshire and Eleanor Billingham nee Thomas,  originally from Pontaddulais,  Swansea.  In 1901 the Thomas family lived in Hartshill, Warwickshire.  In 1911 with his father having passed away in 1904, Thomas was living with his elder brother Christopher and his family in Newport and working as an ironmongers mechanic.  They move to Cardiff sometime later and Thomas works as a fitter for Cardiff Railway.  We don’t know where Thomas lived in Cardiff, possibly with his brother at 13 Heath Park Avenue.  He joined up in Cardiff and served  as a driver with the 98th Sanitary Section of the Royal Army Medical Corps.  He died on 20 Nov 1917 aged 27 in Salonika, Greece and is buried at the Lembet Road Military Cemetery in Salonika (grave 1282).  He is remembered on the Cardiff Railway war memorial and on the St James the Great war memorial (now at St John’s). Commonwealth War Graves Commission record.

HENRY DAVIES JONES

Sergeant, M.T. Mob. and Embarkation Area, Army Service Corps (Service Number: DM2/155516)

Henry ‘Harry’ Davies Jones was born in Ealing, London on 2 Oct 1892 to Thomas Davies Jones, a draper, originally from Llanidlois, Montgomeryshire and Helena Susanna Jones nee Cole originally from Chawleigh, Devon. The family moved to Roath when Harry was young, living at 4 Morlais Street, Roath Park.  Harry attended Marlborough Road School before going on to Howard Gardens school.   After leaving school he worked in a solicitor’s office and the Jones family lived at 222 Mackintosh Place.  He was a Sergeant in the Army Service Corps.  Harry died of pneumonia on 31 Oct 1918, aged 26, at Fargo Military Hospital, Salisbury Plain. He is buried in the family grave at Cathays Cemetery (plot L 2222).  He is remembered on the Howard Gardens school memorial plaque and the WWI memorial plaque that used to be at St James the Great church, now at St John’s church.  He was also remembered at a personalised plaque at St James the Great church which read that it was ‘given as a token of the affectionate esteem in which the late Sergeant Henry Davies Jones was held by the Officers Non-Commissioned Officers And Men of the Mechanical Transport Royal Army Service Corps and Members of the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps,  Bulford Camp, Salisbury Plain’.   Commonwealth War Graves Commission record.

THOMAS STANLEY SILBY

Lieutenant, 10th Battalion, South Wales Borderers

Thomas Stanley Silby was born in Cardiff on 11 Jan 1895 to John William Silby, a coal trimmer originally from Trowbridge, Wiltshire and Elizabeth Ann Silby nee Jenkins originally from St Mellons, Monmouthshire. In 1901 the Silby family were living at 8 Hinton Street, Splott. He attended Moorland Road Elementary School before going on to Howard Gardens School in 1905.  He left in 1908 and began work as a clerk in the City Treasurer’s Department.  In 1911 Thomas and the Silby family had moved to 19 Cressy Road. In WWI he initially enlisted in the Welsh Regiment in Sep 1915 as Private and was then Corporal in the Cheshire Regiment before becoming a Lieutenant with the Welsh Borderers. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1917 for his actions on 19 Sep 1917 at L’Epinette: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a hostile raid on an advanced post. Hearing that the commander of his post had been killed, he went forward from the support line under a heavy barrage and took command. He rallied the men at a critical moment and drove off the enemy. He showed great courage, coolness and initiative.’  He married Ethelinda ‘Linda’ Harriet Hudson, who lived at 138 Richmond Road, in St James the Great church, Cardiff on 14 Aug 1918.  He then returned to the Western Front and was sadly killed in action less than a month later on 12 Sep 1918 aged 23.  He is buried at the Gouzeaucourt New British Cemetery in France (grave II. B. 13). He was remembered on the memorial plaque believed to have been at Clifton Street Welsh Methodist church.  He was also remembered on the plaque at St James the Great Church (now in St John’s church) and the memorial plaque at Howard Gardens school (now at Howardian Primary).  Commonwealth War Graves Commission record.

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ROLL OF HONOUR

1939 – 1945

This Chapel is a Memorial

to the Men of this Church

who gave their lives in the

World War 1939 – 1945

EDWARD BARGERY

GEORGE HAYES

THOMAS DAVID HAYMAN

WILFRED JEANS

WALTER JAMES MOSS

WILLIAM PETRATOS

HAROLD RICE

ARNOLD STRONG

IAN BARRIE SMITH

HOWARD WESTON

ANGUS JOHN WINSLADE

The memorial was consecrated by the Bishop of Llandaff on St Marks day 25th April 1966

The memorial chapel was created by George Pace who was considered by many to be  the most influential post War Ecclesiastical architect in the country.

In between the chancel and the nave is a carved wooden perpendicular screen made from selected wainscot oak carved on both sides.  It commemorates the worshippers of St James who made the supreme sacrifice whilst on active service during the Great War and also as a thanksgiving for those whose lives had been spared. The dedication the original screen and a bronze tablet which bears the names of the fallen took place during a special service held on Sunday 8th October 1922.