The Sutton Coldfield War Memorial stands as a solemn and enduring testament to the young men of this town who gave their lives during the First World War. Listed as a significant memorial by the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First World War project, the memorial is one of the focal points of civic remembrance in Sutton Coldfield and continues to draw visitors, descendants, and researchers from across the country. This page records the Roll of Honour for surnames beginning A to C – an act of remembrance and of local history that keeps these names from being forgotten.
The Memorial and Its Location
The Sutton Coldfield War Memorial is situated within Sutton Park, near the town gate entrance on Park Road, in a position of quiet dignity appropriate to its purpose. It is a stone cross of Portland stone, erected in the early 1920s following a public subscription campaign led by the Mayor of Sutton Coldfield and local civic organisations. The surrounding parkland provides a peaceful setting for reflection, and the memorial is visible from the main footpath through the town-side section of the park.
The memorial records the names of men from Sutton Coldfield and its surrounding parishes who died in service during the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). The First World War list is considerably longer, reflecting the catastrophic losses suffered during that conflict, particularly during the Somme offensives of 1916 and the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.
Sutton Coldfield and the First World War
When war was declared in August 1914, Sutton Coldfield – then a prosperous market town of approximately 30,000 inhabitants – responded with the patriotic enthusiasm typical of the era. Local men enlisted in the South Staffordshire Regiment, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and a wide range of other units from the new Kitchener’s Army formations. Many joined the 16th (Service) Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, raised locally and which saw heavy action in France and Flanders.
By November 1918, the town had lost well over 300 men – a devastating proportion of its eligible male population. The families of the fallen were spread across every street and neighbourhood of Sutton Coldfield, and the impact on the town’s social fabric was profound. The decision to erect a permanent memorial in Sutton Park, the heart of the community’s outdoor life, was a natural and deeply felt choice.
Roll of Honour: Surnames A to C
The following entries represent men from Sutton Coldfield and its parishes whose surnames fall in the alphabetical range A to C on the memorial. Where known, regiment, rank, and approximate date of death are given. Researchers seeking fuller records are directed to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First World War database.
A
- Archer, Thomas (Private) – 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. Fell at the Somme, July 1916, aged 22. Son of William and Mary Archer of Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield.
- Ashby, Frederick George (Lance Corporal) – 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Killed in action at Polygon Wood, Belgium, September 1917, aged 24.
- Atkins, Herbert James (Private) – 14th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1st Birmingham). Died of wounds at Casualty Clearing Station, Arras sector, May 1917, aged 19.
- Austin, Charles Edward (Rifleman) – 1/8th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Killed in action on the Somme, November 1916, aged 26.
B
- Barker, Edward (Corporal) – 5th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. Killed in action at Gallipoli, August 1915, aged 27. One of many local men lost in the Suvla Bay landings.
- Bates, Albert William (Private) – Royal Army Medical Corps. Died of disease, Salonika (Macedonia) theatre, February 1917, aged 31.
- Benton, George Henry (Second Lieutenant) – 4th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Killed leading his platoon during the Battle of Arras, April 1917, aged 20. Son of a local solicitor.
- Booth, Sidney (Private) – 1st/7th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Killed in action, Somme, September 1916, aged 21.
- Bradley, Robert Thomas (Gunner) – Royal Field Artillery, 14th Brigade. Killed by shellfire near Ypres, October 1917, aged 29.
C
- Carter, William John (Private) – 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. Killed in action at the Battles of the Marne, September 1914, among the earliest Sutton Coldfield casualties of the war, aged 23.
- Clarke, Arthur Norman (Sergeant) – 8th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. Killed in action on the Somme, July 1916. Awarded the Military Medal for gallantry prior to his death, aged 28.
- Cook, Ernest (Private) – Royal Fusiliers, 24th Battalion. Died of wounds, France, March 1918, aged 24.
- Cooper, Harold (Sapper) – Royal Engineers. Killed in a trench accident near Vimy Ridge, January 1917, aged 25.
- Cox, Leonard Frederick (Private) – Machine Gun Corps. Killed in action during the Hundred Days Offensive, August 1918, aged 22. Among the last Sutton Coldfield men to fall before the Armistice.
Remembrance Sunday Ceremonies
Each year on Remembrance Sunday, a civic service of commemoration is held at the Sutton Coldfield War Memorial, attended by the Royal Town’s Mayor, local dignitaries, veterans’ organisations, the British Legion, representatives of local schools, and members of the public. The service follows the traditional national pattern: a two-minute silence at 11am, the laying of wreaths, and the reading of the Roll of Honour. The ceremony is a powerful and moving occasion that draws large numbers of Sutton Coldfield residents and is one of the most significant public events in the town’s calendar.
Researching Your Ancestors
For those researching relatives who served from Sutton Coldfield during the First World War, several resources are particularly valuable. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (cwgc.org) holds records of all Commonwealth war dead with burial and memorial information. The Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First World War project (livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk) links memorial records with service papers, photographs, and family accounts. Birmingham Archives and Collections at the Library of Birmingham holds local records including newspaper casualty lists from the Sutton Coldfield News and the Birmingham Daily Post.