Memorial to the Carlton Colville Sea Scouts and Lance-Corporal Stanley Wood

Summary

Grave of the Carlton Colville Sea Scouts, d1914, and memorial to Lance-Corporal Stanley Wood, d1916.

Reasons for Designation

The memorial to the Carlton Colville Sea Scouts and Lance-Corporal Stanley Wood, which stands in the New Cemetery, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of events on this local community, including the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Architectural interest: a tall and dignified Celtic cross memorial.

History

The memorial, by mason Mr James E Proudfoot, was erected over the grave of the Scoutmaster and Sea Scouts who died in a sailing accident on the River Waveney on 1 June 1914. After his death in France on 19 July 1916 a dedication to Stanley Wood, the sole survivor of the accident, was added to the memorial.

The 1st Carlton (St Mark’s) Sea Scouts Troop had spent Whitsun Week 1914 under canvas at Somerleyton. Heading home, the Troop struck camp and set sail for Oulton Broad at c8.30am on the morning of 1 June. On board were Scoutmaster Thornton Lory (34), Assistant Scoutmaster Sydney Searle (18), Naval Instructor James Lewington (30) and Scouts Reginald Middleton (14), Arthur Beare (14), Sydney Thrower (16) and Stanley Wood (17).

The crew rowed under Somerleyton rail bridge and hoisted the sail. The wind caught the sail and capsized the boat, trapping all but Stanley Wood who swam to the shore: he was the only survivor. The funeral of his six friends was held at St Mark’s church on 5 June; hundreds of mourners were reported to have attended, including 300 East Anglian scouts. Two hundred wreaths were laid at the grave.

Stanley Wood joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. A Lance-Corporal in the 2nd/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, he died on 19 July 1916 aged 19 during the Somme campaign, in the Battle of Fromelles. His Battalion experienced withering machine-gun fire during the first day of the attack on a section of German lines known as Sugar Loaf; of 642 soldiers, 322 were killed or wounded. Wood’s body was not found. His name was commemorated along with his friends at their grave, dedicated on 29 September 1918 by the Bishop of Norwich.

Details

The grave is sited in the New Cemetery on St Peter’s Road, Carlton Colville. It comprises a square kerbed enclosure in granite with six low headstones commemorating by name and age each drowned Scout. In the centre of the enclosure is a tall Celtic cross, standing on a tapering plinth.

On the front face of the plinth the principal dedicatory inscription reads BE PREPARED/ TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND/ IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF/ THORNTON WROTTESLEY PENDARVES LORY,/ (SCOUT MASTER AND DISTRICT SECRETARY)/ AND FIVE MEMBERS OF THE 1ST CARLTON ST MARKS./ PATROL OF SEA SCOUTS (BADEN POWELLS.)/ CALLED TO HIGHER SERVICE THROUGH A BOAT ACCIDENT/ ON JUNE 1ST 1914./ “TAKE YE HEED WATCH AND PRAY/ FOR YE KNOW NOT WHEN THE TIME IS.” ST MARK XVI V 33

Below this the additional inscription reads STANLEY WOOD/ PATROL LEADER/ SAVED TO SERVE/ DIED FOR ENGLAND/ AT THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME, JULY 1916/ AGED 19.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 13 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 24/02/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/11501
Broadland Memories online archive, accessed 24/02/2016 from http://www.broadlandmemories.co.uk/blog/2014/05/the-1914-sea-scout-tragedy-at-somerleyton/
War Memorials Online, accessed 13 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/231043

Other
“One grave for dead Sea Scouts”, Daily Mirror, 6 June 1914, p4

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