ARMED FORCES DAY 2025 - More details will follow in due course.
Picture below shows the Memorial Flagstone for Lt J H Collin VC, located by the City Memorial.
On Saturday 23rd June 2018, after the raising of the Armed Forces Week Flag the Assembly gathered at the City War Memorial for the unveiling and dedication of the Flagstone to mark the Centenary of the Award of the Victoria Cross to Lt J H Collin VC.
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Memorials Project - See "WW1 Heroes Walks of Honour" further down the website menu.
CARLISLE’S FIRST WORLD WAR MEMORIALS PROJECT
As the Royal British Legion’s contribution to Carlisle City Council’s initiative to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, the local Carlisle and Stanwix Branch undertook to identify the War Memorials commemorating the First World War within Carlisle City Council’s administrative area. With the intention of creating a series of “walking routes” between the Memorials, the project was named “World War One Heroes Walks of Honour” and designated an area of our Branch Website accordingly. However, little did we realise the immensity of the task!
Within the City Boundary there are at least 72 locations containing one or more First World War Memorials, discounting Rolls of Honour unless they appear alongside Memorials. Although we have recently uncovered additional locations, we have limited ourselves to 72 locations in this first phase.
Using Carlisle City Council’s record of all monuments and memorials, we recovered details of the First World War memorials from the listing; however we found memorials that the City Council had not recorded and found that a few “memorials” listed, were not memorials but “Rolls of Honour”!
A small plaque was provided for each location and with the cooperation of each Church and memorial custodian the plaques are now on display. Each is uniquely numbered and has a QR Code in the centre. Then came the task to photograph each Memorial and the best photograph of each location were loaded onto the website.
It would have been almost impossible for our team of 3 to undertake the research and produce narratives for every Memorial location. If we found that information already existed, we sought permission to use it. The production of narratives is an on-going aspect of the task and it will take some months yet to complete this aspect of the task.
There are for example, over 80 names on the Memorial at Our Lady and St Joseph’s Church in Warwick Road. We understand that an extensive dossier with a write-up of everyone listed is located in the County Archives. It will be necessary to scan the document, produce a pdf or readable version and load it onto the website. The task to upload information and photographs then took place and can be seen at - Carlisle and Stanwix Branch -
Having loaded the Carlisle and Stanwix Branch website with an enormous amount of information and links to other sites, we were advised by the RBL National Website Administrator that an interactive database or mapping system could operate within the constraints of the Branch Website Template. In mid 2014 we turned to the Business Interaction Centre at the University of Cumbria for assistance and in September 2014, four students in their final year of their Computer Studies took on the task and produced a 21st Century solution with an interactive mapping system for use with Smartphones and other portable technology.
Originally funded by the County and City Council Grants, 1000 copies of a corresponding Booklet were produced. They summarise the entries on the RBL Website, so that those who wish can undertake a tour or pilgrimage to the 72 locations without as Smart phone! Before they start or when they get home, they can look up the location and read information that has been loaded onto the website. The booklet was reprinted in autumn 2016 and copies are available from the Tourist Information Office, Civic Centre, Tullie House, the Military Museum and many of the memorial locations. Copies are available by post from the Branch Secretary (tony@parrini.co.uk) in return for a donation of at least £2.50 the "Poppy Appeal", to cover postage and packing. We hope readers will take copies to encourage people to take up the challenge to visit the memorial Locations during the Centenary years and beyond.
There are a number of “SPIN-OFFS”. The Number 1 reason for the project is to meet one of the priorities of the Royal British Legion to keep alive the memories of all those lost during the First World War. But, we believe that with the assistance of the Cumbria Tourist Board and Carlisle’s Tourist Information Office, although it is unlikely that anyone will visit all 72 locations in one visit, visitors to the area might be encouraged to return a few times to complete the full tour!
The project is also an educational and research tool which schools, relatives and many other people interested in Cumbria’s Military History could tap into. We have produced a permanent record that should be available to generations to come. The 4 young students from the University of Cumbria have gained considerably by their involvement.
A somewhat surprising benefit – if one searches for a Church in Carlisle and the church has a World War One memorial, the first page of a Google Search includes reference to the RBL Website.
Finally, how much has all this cost? Discounting the hundreds of voluntary hours and the mileage to visit the locations, the cost has just exceeded the 2 grants (£1000 from Cumbria County Council and £700 from Carlisle City Council, plus RBL Members funds. We are very grateful for the funding and hope that you agree that this has been a worthwhile project and given very good value for money.
