A local history researcher is calling on an Epsom church to respect its war dead by putting its rolls of honour back on display.

Fifty four men who worshipped at St Barnabas Church in Temple Road died in the First World War.

Their names were inscribed on an ornamental scroll along with a quote from Psalms: "Precious shall their blood be in his sight".

But not only is the scroll, and another one covering its dead from WWII, no longer displayed at the church but it would appear that all memory of them has been lost.

Clive Gilbert, a volunteer researcher at Epsom & Ewell Local and Family History Centre, discovered the scrolls had been handed over to the Surrey History Centre in Woking at some point where they languish unseen in the vaults.

With the centenary of the start of WWI next year he wrote to the minister, Revd Michael Preston in April enclosing photographs of the scrolls of honour and suggesting that "now might be a good time to restore them to their rightful place in St Barnabas church, so that current and future congregations would then know that members of their church did fall."

Your Local Guardian:

Ernest Coleman, of Church Road, is remembered on the scroll

He made clear that the history centre would be happy to return them and even suggested that Chris Grayling MP might be able to help find funding if necessary.

But since then he has heard nothing from the church and has been unable to speak to Revd Preston.

Aware that the Epsom Guardian helped get a war memorial reinstated at Epsom Methodist Church two years ago he finally contacted this newspaper.

He said: "I’ve sent pictures and letters to the vicar but have had no response.

"Back in 2012 one of our researchers went into the church and was told ‘we’ve never had a war memorial in here’. It’s disgraceful and a re-writing of history.

"Most churches love their war memorials, they look after them and they protect them, but this church disregards it.

"It’s a distortion of history and disrespects those that died.

"Another generation has come along and said ‘we don’t like war’, well, neither do I."

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Stoker George Adams who drowned in 1914 when his ship HMS Good Hope sank

But Reverend Sue Bull, chairman of charity Love Me Love My Mind based at the church, said as far as they are aware there has never been a memorial in St Barnabas Church.

She encouraged anyone who remembers it to come to the church's remembrance service at 10.15am on Sunday and speak to the vicar.

She said: "We would be really interested if anyone in the community has any knowledge or remembrance about this.

"We have no recollection whatsoever but if people in the community know something then it would be great to hear from them."

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A tree is removed from the church roof on Monday as part of the storm clean-up 

  • Those remembered on the scroll include Stoker George Adams of Lower Court Road, Epsom, who drowned on November 1, 1914 when his ship HMS Good Hope was sunk off the coast of Chile by German battleships during the Battle of Coronel. He has no grave but the sea.
  • Ernest Coleman of Church Road, was in the Machine Gun Corps and is believed to have been killed by an enemy sniper at Arras on April 28, 1917. His perfomance at the front was so impressive that he was made an acting sergeant after turning down the offer of a commission. The last entry in his diary read: "Within a few weeks I hope to be on leave & leave this diary in safety."

To find out more about the fallen of St Barnabas Church click here. 

Do you remember the scrolls? Should the church display them? 

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