CHURCH GRESLEY WAR MEMORIAL

World War 1 & 2 & Gulf War - Detailed Information
Copyright © Transcription Martin Edwards 2008

The Church Gresley memorial is located in Maurice Lea Memorial Park, which was named after Maurice Lea, who died at the age of 19 in France, in World War I. The memorial takes the form of a plain stone built obelisk, with a capstone, on a square plinth and a two-stepped base. The photograph below shows the unveiling of the memorial the view being from Market Street showing York Road running behind the memorial. Maurice Lea Park was completed in 1929 and opened in 1930. Its site was part of Gresley Common, which had become totally degraded by clay and coal extraction. It was paid for by Herbert Lea, a successful businessman and native of the area, in memory of his son Maurice who was killed in the first World War. The names included on the memorial cover World War 1, World War 2, Persian Gulf 1990-1 and Iraq.

From an old postcard

ERECTED
TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN
GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE MEN
FROM CHURCH GRESLEY WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES FOR US IN THE GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE
THIS MEMORIAL ALSO SERVES TO HONOUR BOTH
THE MEN WHO DIED DURING THE 1939 - 1945 WAR AND
CARL MOULT WHO DIED IN THE GULF CONFLICT 1990 - 1991
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

This memorial has still to be transcribed - offers welcomed

Private Carl Moult was a pupil at The Pingle School, Swadlincote, who joined the Army exactly a year before his death. He was in C Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Staffordshire Regiment and on the evening of the 26th February 1991 they rolled up to a small cluster of buildings defended by a battalion of Iraqi troops. After some assault the Iraqis threw up their hands in surrender but when Private Moult dismounted to round up the prisoners an RPG round blew through his chest, killing him and setting fire to his Warrior armourded car. He was aged 22, and was to have been married a few weeks later to his fiancee, Vicki Dolman, aged 18, of Swadlincote

Jason Hylton, was a pupil at The Pingle School, Swadlincote, in 1990 and joined the Royal Marines in 2003. Whilst serving with 539 Assault Squadron RM in Iraq, he was killed with three other service personnel on Sunday 12th November 2006 when his boat was hit by an IED on the Shatt al-Arab waterway. He was 33 years of age. His name is on a metal plaque on the Church Gresley war memorial inscribed "Marine J M Hylton Killed In Action Basra, 1st September 1973 - 12th November 2006".

Last updated 20 December, 2008