Photo of Soldier

What is the Northallerton Memorials Project?

The aim of this project is to create a permanent record of the life and death of each of the men whose names are recorded on the War Memorials of Northallerton, and its satellite villages of Romanby and Brompton. 		Photo of Soldier
Sgt. W.G. Naylor (Northallerton) Pte. M. Whittaker (Brompton)

The Inspiration For This Project:

Lance Corporal Sidney Metcalfe (1896 - 1986)

Who served from 1914 to 1918 with the Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards) and the East Kent Regiment (The Buffs). He was wounded three times, but survived to inspire his grandson's interest in the War in which he, like so many others, fought and suffered.

And A Poem By Siegfried Sassoon: 

".......Crudely renewed, the Salient hold it's own,
	Paid are its dim defenders by this pomp,
	Paid, with a pile of peace complacent stone,
	The armies who endured that sullen swamp.

........'Their name liveth forever,' the Gateway claims,
	Was ever an immolation so belied
	As these intolerably nameless names?
	Well might the Dead who struggled in the slime,
	Rise and deride this sepulchre of crime."

				Siegfried Sassoon
			On Passing The New Menin Gate

These men can never be paid, but perhaps now they will be a little less 'nameless'.

Choose which Memorial you would like to visit:

Northallerton Memorial NORTHALLERTON
Brompton Memorial BROMPTON
Romanby Memorial ROMANBY

If you have any comments about this site, if you know anything about the men listed here, or if you are working on a similar project, I'd be delighted to hear from you!!

Please e-mail me


Welcome to what is, I believe, the first online war memorial site to be placed on the Internet. The site is dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives from the County town of Northallerton, North Yorkshire and its satellite villages of Romanby and Brompton. I began researching the First World War casualties in 1994 and first developed this website in 1996. Since that time the site has grown as more information has become available. I cannot, however, claim all the credit. All the research work relating to the Second World War casualties has been done by my friend and colleague, Tony Eaton. Tony has done a fantastic job, for which I am extremely grateful.

The blue background on the Second World War pages has been chosen to commemorate the sacrifice of the No. 6 (Canadian) Bomber Group who operated from several airfields around Northallerton during WW2. There is an inscription dedicated to No. 6 Group on the Northallerton Memorial.

I hope you find this site both interesting and moving and if it inspires you to do your own research into your local Memorial or into members of your own family please let me know. I'll be happy to pass on what advice I can about where to find information etc. I can assure you that you will be embarking on a highly rewarding (and highly addictive) project.

Steve Metcalfe.

If you are interested in the First World War, why not join the Western Front Association?

The Association has branches throughout the U.K. and in Europe, Canada and the United States. It organises guided tours of the Battlefields and can be a great way to meet others with the same interest. Further details can be found at the Association's Homepage: 		WFA Link
Copyright © 1996 Steve Metcalfe
This Home Page was created on 13th October 1996