War Memorials, - Elsewhere
Brignall (Co. Durham),
The Church of St. Mary

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The War Memorial outside St. Mary's Church, Brignall (Photo : Edward Nicholl)
The War Memorial outside St. Mary's Church, Brignall
Photo : Edward Nicholl

Brignall used to be in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but boundary changes in the 1970s now place Brignall in County Durham.

The Brignall Memorial is dedicated as follows;-

ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO
AT THE CALL OF THE KING AND THE COUNTRY,
LEFT ALL THAT WAS DEAR TO THEM
ENDURED HARDNESS, FACED DANGER,
AND FINALLY PASSED OUT OF THE SIGHT OF
MEN BY THE PATH OF DUTY AND SELF SACRIFICE
GIVING UP THEIR OWN LIVES THAT OTHERS
MIGHT LIVE IN FREEDOM 1914 - 1918

G E S SEWART
J T BAINBRIDGE
F ERRINGTON
I KIRK
C WARD

Richard Roberts (<richard.nsw@googlemail.com>)has provided additional information on two of the names that appear on this memorial.
J T BAINBRIDGE. The 1891 and the 1901 Census records for Brignall show a John Thomas Bainbridge living there, born 1890, the son of Levi and Annie Bainbridge. The Commonwealth War Grave Commission record for J T Bainbridge, son of Levi and Annie Bainbridge, shows that he was a Lance Corporal serving with the 49th Battalion Australian Infantry who was killed on 9 June 1917 aged 27. The CWGC record shows the Bainbridges then farming in Grosmont.

I KIRK. The 1891, 1901 and 1911 Census records show an Innes Kirk living in Brignall, born 1887, the grandson of William and Maria Kirk. However, there is no Registration for his birth (in fact no Kirk with Innes as a first name has ever been registered) but an Innes Kirk married a Florence Moss in the Dec Qtr 1912 and a Hannah H Kirk was born a year later to mother, nee Moss. There is no record of a John Kirk having been born or lived in Brignall during this period. I suspect that when Innes KIrk enlisted he gave his name as John, for reasons we shall never know, and the soldier identified from the Yorkshire Regiment is one and the same man.


Private Innes (John) Kirk. 28143. 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 14 August 1917.
Born Brignall (Yorks), Enlisted Barnard Castle, Resided Greta Bridge (Barnard Castle).
Commemorated Panel 33, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

Although all military records (CWGC, SDGW etc) refer to this soldier as "John Kirk", he was registered as "Innes Kirk" in the Register of Births. He was registered as Innes Kirk born June 1887 in Teesdale (10a 257).


The War Memorial outside St. Mary's Church, Brignall (Photo : Edward Nicholl) The War Memorial outside St. Mary's Church, Brignall
Photo : Edward Nicholl

St. Mary's Church, Brignall (Photo : Edward Nicholl)
St. Mary's Church, Brignall
Photo : Edward Nicholl

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