Tag Archives: Sarsfield Memorials

Capt Frederic John ‘Johnnie’ Walker

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Frederic John Walker was born 3 June 1896 in Plymouth, Devon. He joined the Royal Navy at the young age of 13; and it’s fair to say that the sea was his life till the day he died. His early career saw mixed fortunes: he chose anti-submarine warfare as his specialist field, which was no longer regarded as cutting-edge in the interwar period. It was not until the Second World War that he really came into his own.

Hero of the Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic lasted for the entire duration of WWII, beginning in the early hours of the war on 3rd September 1939 when the SS Athenia became the first British ship to be sunk by Nazi Germany. It only ended with the defeat of Germany on 8th May 1945. During that time, the struggle to keep the supply lines from North America and the West Indies open was constant, in order to ensure that Britain received the vital imported goods essential to keep the war effort going.

Captain Johnnie Walker received his first command in October 1941, controlling the 36th Escort Group based in Liverpool. It was during this time that he began using the innovative methods which would prove so successful in subsequent encounters, detecting and attacking the U-boats by air and sea while continuing to protect the convoys they escorted.

DSO*** and Companion of the Order of Bath – “Outstanding leadership, skill and determination…”

Captain Johnnie Walker looking out to sea over the River Mersey

Captain Johnnie Walker looking out to sea over the River Mersey

In all, he sunk more U-boats than any other Allied commander and it was in no small part down to his tactics and actions that the Battle of the Atlantic was finally won. But the strains and exertions of this role had its toll. Captain Johnnie Walker died on 9th July 1944 in the Naval Hospital, Seaforth in Liverpool two days after a cerebral thrombosis, thought to be brought on by overwork and exhaustion. His funeral was held at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and he was buried at sea from the destroyer Hesperus.

Captain Johnnie Walker was commemorated with a statue in 1998 by Liverpool sculptor Tom Murphy. The figure, unveiled by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, stands proud at the Pierhead in Liverpool. Sarsfield Memorials Liverpool was honoured to be commissioned to supply the plinth which records his magnificent achievements.

Louise McTigue is a freelance writer and researcher, writing on behalf of Sarsfield Memorials.

George Edward Nurse – Victoria Cross Awardee

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George Edward Nurse (14 April 1873 – 25 November 1945) was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland but grew up in Guernsey where his father was a hotel keeper. Aged 18, he signed up with the Royal Artillery at Woolwich, having previously served in the Guernsey Militia. Promoted to Corporal, he was recalled for army service in 1899 as the Second Boer War broke out.

Victoria Cross Awarded

George won his Victoria Cross aged 26 at the Battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899. As a member of the 66th Battery, Royal Field Artillery of the British Army, he and three others made a dash across 500 yards of heavy bullet fire and shelling to replace dead, injured and fleeing comrades displaced from their guns. While Captain Walter Norris Congreve, Captain Harry Norton Schofield and Lieutenant Freddy Roberts helped harness a team of horses to a limber and line up one gun, George single-handedly limbered up a second gun. All four were awarded the VC for their bravery, Roberts posthumously. George escaped with only a minor wound to his hand.

Promoted to Sergeant for his efforts, his medal was presented on 4 March 1900 by Lieutenant-General Sir G Butler at Ladysmith in South Africa.

George went on to complete 22 years’ active service, ending in January 1914. But when the First World War broke out in August that same year, he quickly re-enlisted and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Successfully surviving the hostilities, he retired to Liverpool with his wife and family in 1919.

George Edward Nurse VC RA, Allerton Cemetery, Liverpool

George Edward Nurse VC RA, Allerton Cemetery, Liverpool

In recognition of the battle in which he won his VC, George gave his son the middle name Colenso. In later years, he worked in the Liverpool Customs House on the cleaning staff. He died in Liverpool in 1945 and is buried in Allerton Cemetery. For many years, there was only a simple grave with no headstone to mark it, but a commemorative memorial headstone was erected in 1989.

His Victoria Cross, along with other medals won during his distinguished military career, is on display at the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich, London.

 

Louise McTigue is a freelance writer and researcher, writing on behalf of Sarsfield Memorials.

 

Sarsfield Memorials

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Here at Sarsfield Memorials Liverpool, we’ve been working really hard behind the scenes for months now and at last, we’re delighted to announce that after years of faithful service, our old website is retiring and we’ve introduced a fresh new site. Whether you’re familiar with our work or have just come across us, welcome, and thank you for taking the time to look at our website.

So what’s new? As well as refreshing and updating the content, one new feature is this, our regular blog, in which we hope to share updates and interesting stories with you. As always, we welcome your feedback and thoughts.

Pulling together the content for this website has involved me looking back at the early days of Sarsfield Memorials. With a history going back almost seventy years, we’re proud of our local knowledge and reputation, but we didn’t quite expect it to have stretched across the Atlantic and beyond! To our surprise, we’ve had several enquiries recently from as far afield as Australia and America, from people doing genealogy research into their family trees and ancestry. As our customers know, our hours are flexible, so we’ve been conducting transatlantic phone calls late in the evening, revealing interesting snapshots of history.

We’re always happy to help with such requests in any way we can, but it’s especially pleasing when it results in new commissions for our work. One satisfied customer arrived from America only last week to see a memorial from the 1950s which we’d refurbished. It was quite fascinating to discover that the original memorial was supplied by this gentleman’s relative, a William Henry Patrick Wilcoxson, one of the many talented stonemasons who worked on Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral.

Of course, Liverpool Cathedral is the UK’s largest cathedral and the fifth largest in the world. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott at the tender age of 22, it took 74 long years, during which time there were two World Wars and five English monarchs, to construct this wonderful building, from the laying of its foundation stone by King Edward VII in 1904 to its completion and dedication in 1978, attended by Queen Elizabeth II.

All this history really brought home to me the importance of our own work in supplying lasting memorials. Our families all live the most amazing lives in their own way and some are privileged to be involved in huge and lasting undertakings like this staggering cathedral, which continues to touch the lives of millions. People are genuinely interested in their ancestors and some even travel thousands of miles to seek out their legacies.

As a family-run business with a legacy of our own that we’re immensely proud of, we truly understand the importance of your family and the impact it has when you lose a loved one.  From an enquiry from our American friend to the loving hand-preparation of a memorial, we’re honoured to be entrusted with providing the physical presence that preserves your family history and memories of your loved one, for now and for future generations.