Next to the parish church is a graveyard. There are servicemen buried there.
This is a copy and paste from DNW (Dix Noonan Webb) auctions:
Military
Cross, G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star (1337 Pte., R. Fus.); British War and
Victory Medals (Lieut., R.F.C.); Defence & War Medals, good very
fine (6) £1100-1300
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| View from the gate of the church graveyard extension. |
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| Looking down church lane away from the church |
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| Directly opposite the church. This path leads to the War Memorial |
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| FLIGHT LIEUTENANT P. T. CARDEN. M.C. ROYAL AIR FORCE 12TH FEBRUARY 1942 AGE 57 FIDE ET AMORE |
Description
A Royal Flying Corps M.C. group of six awarded to Lieutenant P. T. Carden, Royal Flying Corps, late Royal Fusiliers
Footnote
M.C. London Gazette 25 April 1918: ‘T/Lt. Percy Theodore Carden, Gen.
List and R.F.C. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When
acting as observer he made a successful wire reconnaissance along a
corps front at a height of 300 to 800 feet under heavy machine-gun and
rifle fire. On another occasion, while observing during a reconnoitring
patrol, he and his pilot had four encounters with enemy aeroplanes, in
one of which they were attacked at 800 feet by five enemy scouts. He
kept up a continuous fire, and drove off the enemy, and completed a
valuable reconnaissance. He showed the greatest keenness and
determination at his work.’Percy Theodore Carden was the son of Major-General G. Carden. He was educated at Wellington College, and Corpus Christi, Oxford, where he graduated with Honours in Law. He was called to the Bar in 1908, Lincoln’s Inn and Innner Temple, and joined the 18th (Public Schools) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, in 1914. He was commissioned in the Royal Flying Corps in February 1916 and joined No. 12 Squadron in France as an observer on 16 February. He was Brigade Intelligence Officer from December 1916 to February 1917, 12th Corps Wing H.Q. Posted to the Home Establishment for pilot training in December 1917, he qualified as a pilot in 1918 and served with Home Defence units until the end of the war. He was transferred to the Unemployed List in January 1919 and was recalled in 1939, as a Flight Lieutenant, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He died on active service on 12 February 1942 and is buried in Kirkham (St Michael) Churchyard Extension, Lancashire. Sold with full details of his operational flights in the Great War together with some combat reports, recommendation for M.C. and an original printed Xmas Menu from 1917.
Percy Theodore CARDEN (I9531)
| Name: Percy Theodore CARDEN |
Gender: Male | Birth: 14 December 1884 46  35 -- Home Lodge, Surbiton, SurreyDeath: 12 February 1942 (Age 57) -- RAF Station Hospital, Kirkham, Lancs | |||||||
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| 1326 AIRCRAFTMAN 2ND CLASS G.E. WADEY ROYAL AIR FORCE 14TH OCTOBER 1940 |
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| 1053620 CORPORAL J. D. JONES ROYAL AIR FORCE 27TH APRIL 1958 AGE 45 REST IN PEACE |
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| 621470 CORPORAL W. WILLIAMS ROYAL AIR FORCE 12TH AUGUST 1942 AGE 30 |
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| 1610759 AIRCRAFTMAN 2ND CLASS E. H. STRIPP ROYAL AIR FORCE 19TH AUGUST 1943 |
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| 1515382 LD? AIRCRAFTMAN A. L. G. BANNER ROYAL AIR FORCE 22ND NOVEMBER 1943 |
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| 4040676 AIRCRAFTMAN 2ND CLASS J.P. RISDON 6TH AUGUST 1950 AGE 21 IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR SON, JOHN TILL WE MEET AGAIN, MOTHER (Suspect that this is John P Risdon who was born in Marylebone, mother's maiden name was Raynham. Birth registered in final quart 1928) |
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| LIEUTENANT A.S. NUTTALL 6TH COUNTY OF LANCASTER BN. HOME GUARD 2ND MARCH 1942 |
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| 3817 PRIVATE G. PARKER LOYAL NORTH LANCS REGT. 23RD FEBRUARY 1915 AGE 49 BARBARA HALL "DAUGHTER" DIED 22ND APRIL 2007 "TILL WE MEET AGAIN" |
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| 174242926 H. SKILLEN ROYAL ARTILLERY 21ST APRIL 1943 AGE 35 |
Looking at the wartime RAF graves in Kirkham Parish Church, I can add some information. F/Lt P T Carden was officer commanding No.4 Wing of 10 School of Technical Training, RAF Kirkham. I suspect he died of illness in RAF Hospital Kirkham. AC.2 E H Stripp died of his injuries after falling off his pedal cycle on Kirkham by-pass. An inquest found that no other vehicle was involved. Not pictured here but in the same graveyard is LAC S V Aspin who died in the Lichfield Train Crash whilst returning to his unit on New Year's Day 1946. Lt Arthur Nuttall, a member of the Home Guard, is of interest to me in that whilst his headstone suggests he died 2 March 1942 I don't think this is correct. He probably died 24 February and certainly an inquest into his death was reported in the local newspaper on 27 February. Hope you find this of interest. petermoran777@gmail.com
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