Drill Hall, Broadgate, Lincoln
In remembrance of Lincolnshire’s Forgotten Hero’s
30 June 2006
"A plaque naming nine men from a Lincolnshire Regiment, who fell in the Great War, will be rededicated at a special celebration at the Lincoln Drill Hall on Tuesday 4th July at 4pm.
The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Lincoln will be holding the official celebration, organised by the City of Lincoln Council and the Ruston Trust. The event is open to members of the press, and will give attendants an opportunity to gather in remembrance of the members of this regiment.
The Plaque was originally in the Abbey Room at the Lincoln Drill Hall and was taken down during the £2.6 million refurbishment. Now it will be displayed in the Armoury Café for all visitors to the Drill Hall to see.
Councillor Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Tourism said: “We are delighted to be putting this plaque back in its rightful place for the public to see and to remember the nine gentlemen named. The plaque is a part of the Drill Hall’s history and it will sit alongside the original stone plaque, which we managed to keep in place during the refurbishment.”
The Plaque names the nine gentlemen who served and fell in the 4th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment (TF) from 1914 – 1918. As part of the re-dedication of the plaque, Local military historian Mike Credland, has undertaken research into the regiment and relatives of the gentlemen named on the plaque have been asked to come forward with the stories of their ancestors.
The 4th battalion Lincolnshire Regiment comprised of civilian volunteers who trained for one or two evenings a week and sometimes at weekends at the Lincoln Drill Hall – this was their dedicated drilling headquarters. Official trained soldiers of the army drilled at the Sobraon Barracks on Burton Road.
Also to be displayed in the Drill Hall is a recently found “thank you” book given by the Mayor of Lincoln and the army ranks to Sir Joseph Ruston in 1896, who paid to furnish and dedicate the Drill Hall for army drilling use. The book has now been bought by the City Council so it can be put back in its rightful place where it was given all those years ago.
Richard Lucas, Chairman of the Lincoln Civic Trust, said the plaque is, “A good reminder of the original use of the building and the dedication of the men who trained there and gave their lives during the Great War”.
The nine gentleman named on the plaque are:
- Acting Regimental Sergeant Major William James Barford
- Company Sergeant Major Albert Edward Maplethorpe DCM
- Company Sergeant Major Charles Herbert Masters DCM
- Company Sergeant Major Fred Walker
- Acting Company Sergeant Major Harry Abbott
- Sergeant Regebert Harold Dickinson
- Sergeant George William Howson
- Sergeant Albert Joseph Preston
- Sergeant Harry Wood"
This article is reproduced with the kind permission of Tracey Beech, Project Management Assistant, City of Lincoln Council – 01522 873236 –
tracey.beech@lincoln.gov.uk
