The plaque remembers 11 men lost in the 1914-1918 War
Thomas Moody
203574 Thomas Moody was a private in the 9th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment and was killed on 11th August 1917. He had been born in Leeds and enlisted in Harrogate whilst living in Knaresborough but his connection with Scriven is unknown; possibly that Knaresborough address related to New Scriven. He is buried in the New Irish Farm Cemetery, north-east of Ypres in Belgium, grave ref. 11.J.9. Private Moody's age at death is unrecorded but he must have been young because of the tribute made by one of his friends, Private F. J. Parkyn of Knaresborough who wrote to the Harrogate Herald 'I see T Moody has gone West. I did like that boy, for that is all he was. I was in training with him at Clipstone Camp. It is very sad to know of so many Harrogate boys going under'. Clipstone Camp near Mansfield was one of many built to train the men of Kitchener's New Army. It consisted of a huge number of wooden huts and could accommodate 30,000 men. It opened in May 1915.
George Nesbit Newbigin
Note: spelled 'Newbegan' on the church memorial.
George Newbigin was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Durham Fortress Company of the Royal Engineers and, before the war, worked as an estate clerk for a coal company. He was the son of Mr and Mrs Newbegin of Ryton-on-Tyne and, married his wife Sarah in Gateshead in January 1907; they lived at 22 Grosvenor Road in Whitley Bay. However, other records show another (previous?) home address of ' Tyneholme', Scriven which explains his connection with the village and, not withstanding the Whitley Bay address, the Electoral Register for 1918 shows Sarah Newbiggin resident in Park Grove. The property of 'Tyneholme' is now no. 21 Park Grove, just a few yards from the church which displays his memorial. Given his family links with the Tyne valley, it is possible that it was George Newbigin who initially named the property. He was made a Second Lieutenant in the East Riding (Fortress) Engineers on 29 December 1915. He died on s" April 1916 at West Hartlepool and was buried with full military honours in Ryton Cemetery. He is also commemorated on the Knaresborough (spelled 'Newbiggin') and Ryton war memorials and in Ryton Holy Cross Church (ref. 51). On his death, his estate of £202 Os 3d was left to his widow.
Harry Smith
Private Harry Smith was a carpenter who served with the 5th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. His regimental number was 5/1101. He died on 1 July 1917 aged 32 and is buried in Achiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension (grave ref. 1. N.3) near Bapaume in northern France. He was the son of Mrs Hannah Smith of Old Scriven and the 1901 census records Harry Smith aged 14 living at no. 32 The Village (5 Pleasant Row) with his parents James Smith, a groom, aged 62, and Hannah Smith, 57. Harry Smith is also remembered on the plaque in New Scriven, see below, but not on the Knaresborough war memorial.
Thomas Stott
Tom Stott was the son of Tom and Emily Stott of no. 4, Victoria Avenue, his father being a greengrocer by trade. He served as 23928 Private Stott in the 18th battalion (the Bradford Pals) of the West Yorkshire Regiment and died at home on 27 May 1917 of wounds sustained on 2 May 1917, aged 21. He is buried in Knaresborough cemetery and is commemorated on the Knaresborough cenotaph. At his funeral, the coffin was covered in a Union Jack and conveyed on a gun carriage from Victoria Avenue to the cemetery where a guard of honour and a firing party from the Royal Field Artillery awaited. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. J A Hubbard and concluded with three volleys being fired over the grave. His brother George was also in the army. A photograph of Tom Stott was published in the 1917 edition of Ackrill's Annuals.
Richard W. Winn
13247 Private Richard Winn served with the 10th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment(ref. 87) and was the son of Richard W. and Annie Winn of Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge; his connection with Scriven is unknown and his name is not on the Knaresborough memorial. He died, aged 22, on the 1st of July 1916, the first day of the battle of the Somme, and is buried in Fricourt New Military Cemetery, grave ref. 0.2. Most of the graves in this cemetery are of men from the West Yorkshires who attacked the German-held village of Fricourt on 1st July with heavy casualties, the village being taken the following day.
Britton Wilkinson
22740 Private Britton Wilkinson was the son of Jonas Brooke and Mary Ellen Wilkinson of 'Whitwell House' 5 Victoria Avenue, Scriven and lived with his wife Louie at 'lnnisfallen' on nearby Boroughbridge Road. Britton Wilkinson was born at Cross Gates in East Leeds and enlisted in Harrogate (ref.4). He fought with the 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards and died of his wounds on 13 April 1918 at the age of 41. He is buried in Ebblihghem Military Cemetery, in France, grave ref. I.A.6. The cemetery holds many casualties of the German offensive of March-April 1918. His name also appears on the Knaresborough war memorial.