Calvary Church of God in Christ War Memorial

The following men are commemorated on the War Memorial at the Calvary Church of God in Christ (formerly the Baptist Church) in Oxford Road.

Private Wilfred Roy Bartley  – Wilfred made a full recovery from Trench Foot contracted on the Somme from serving eleven days in water-logged trenches, but was subsequently killed at  Passchendaele in July 1917.

Able Seaman Leonard Gwynne Coslett  – Leonard was an Able Seaman serving aboard the HMS Cornwallis during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, when it was tasked with landing troops from the South Wales Borderers on S Beach.  Leonard was one of the seamen chosen to accompany the troops as they landed and was one of the 16 men from HMS Cornwallis who were killed there.

Private Sydney Herbert Dawson and Private Eric Laurence Dawson –  The two brothers lived at 89 Trafalgar Road, before emigrating to Canada to take up farming. When WW1 was declared they volunteered together for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and after training at Shorncliffe, England served in France but in different battalions albeit in the same region. They were killed within four days of each other in the final days of the Battle of the Somme in November 1916.

Lance Corporal Edward Elwy Jones  – Edward was killed in September 1916 in action on the Somme.

Leslie Norton Rolason  was the grandson of William Rolason who set up a family jewellery business at 81 Vyse Street. He was killed in action on 26th September 1917 in the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres.  His sister lived at 43 Russell Road, Moseley which accounts for his name appearing on the memorial at the former Baptist Church.  The article also provides an interesting account of the Rolason Brothers’ jewellery business.

 

Five other men commemorated on the war memorial in the Calvary Church of God in Christ are also commemorated on the St Mary’s war memorial and articles about them can be found there. They are:

Private Harold Ostin Doody  – killed in 1917

Private William Anthony Machin – killed in 1916

Lieutenant Thomas Ewart Mitton – killed in 1917

Second Lieutenant Frank Neville Cowper  – killed in 1916

 

 

Return to World War I Project page.