St Paul's Church War Memorial refurbished

The names on the St Paul’s Church, war memorial, New England, in Peterborough had all worn off since it was erected in January 1919. The local newspaper reported at the time that this was probably the first memorial to casualties of the First World War from the city to be erected in Peterborough after the end of the war.

Over the years the plaque on the front of memorial which carried the 84 names of the men from New England, Peterborough, who were killed in WWI, had worn completely smooth, and no names have been visible in living memory. Those at the church did know the names as they are recorded in a Book of Remembrance in the church itself, and they could see some of them on an old postcard which showed the top half of the memorial taken at its unveiling. David Gray, a local historian had done some research for a book he wrote about the Peterborough war dead back in 1992, and this was used to add another 25 names to the list.

The day finally came on Monday 3rd August 2026, when the war memorial was refurbished and all the names put back again. The church’s Reverend, Ron Watkinson, is retiring next year (2027) and it is something he had always wanted to see completed before he left.

A local stonemason was contacted, and a granite slab was ordered from China! This was cut to size, polished, and shipped to this country. The names were added by the local stonemason in Newborough and the day finally came when they arrived to install the new plaque.

This was a great day. 109 names, picked out in gold leaf, shone out from the polished granite. The guys did a wonderful job fixing it over the old one. This new plaque will now last for hundreds of years.

If you are traveling past St Paul’s Church in New England anytime, it is next to the traffic lights on the ‘Triangle’. Park up and take a look at the memorial. It sits between two trees close to the fence, facing out onto Lincoln Road. You don’t even have to go into the church grounds to get a really good look at it. I can’t wait until Remembrance Sunday when there will be a lovely service at the memorial with all the names shining out for the first time since 1919. Please come along to that service, when we can commemorate all of these men whose names can now be seen again and their sacrifice properly remembered.