Major James Wightman DSC and John Wightman

Wightman Flooring - Taken by Stuart Nicholson 24 Mar 2014

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Location View, bottom left, from the opposite side of the Vestry - Taken by Stuart Nicholson 27 May 2021

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The north east corner of the tiled floor- the only part that would normally be shown to an enquired the pattern repeats the full width and depth of the vestry - Taken by Stuart Nicholson 27 May 2021

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The plaque- square on view - Taken by Stuart Nicholson 27 May 2021

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The plaque- slightly angled view to try to beat the glare through the adjacent window - Taken by Stuart Nicholson 27 May 2021

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Reference WMO/168340

Address:

St James' Church

High Street

Whitehaven

CA28 7PY

England

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Status: On original site

Type: Non freestanding

Location: Internal

Setting: Inside a building - public/private

Description: Composite

Materials:

Metal Brass
Other Other

Lettering: Inscribed on a plaque

Conflicts:

First World War (1914-1918)

About the memorial: Tiled Choir Vestry Floor with Brass Dedication Plaque attached to the east end of the south wall of the Vestry. The tilled floor has brown tiles regularly spaced with red diamonds. It is usually carpeted, so is not visible. The carpet is only lifted by special request, and then only in the north east corner. This is for reasons both of practicality and conservation. This Vestry is in the south west corner of the nave, and was the Baptistry at the time the floor was laid. Since then the Baptistry has moved to the North East corner of the nave (previously the Choir Vestry). If visiting the Church this is not really a public area, for health and safety reasons, so advance notice should ideally be given. Note that the size and positioning of the plaque means that it's legibility can be surprisingly varied. I cleaned it in bright sunlight on 27 May 2021 in the afternoon, and it looked wonderful. I went back to check on a very minor issue on an overcast morning on 29 May 2021, and at first glance it was barely legible, but was perfectly good at close quarters. Just for good measure it was cleaned again. Both the Parish Archivist and the Verger have stated similar.

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Comments:

JAMES WIGHTMAN
James was a son of the late James and Sarah Jane Wightman of the Hope Inn, Harras Moor and brother of John He had attended Moresby Parks School, then Whitehaven County Secondary School, and became a Pupil Teacher at St James Boys School from 1st August 1908 for two years (Minute 433 of the Borough Elementary Education Sub Committee 21/9/1908 refers). He then trained at Carmarthen College, where he excelled, and had gone to teach in South Wales. He played in the Moresby Football Teams (and held 4 medals for school footballing), and had played in several well known Welsh teams. 
He married an Eleanor G Morris in the September quarter of 1915 (in the Carmarthen area, at the time of his death she was living at 2 Tabernacle Terrace), but had no children.
At the outbreak of war he became a Private (no service number because he was an Officer) in the Irish Guards, and later received a Commission in the East Surreys. He gained rapid promotion there. He was injured in July 1916, when they were resting in an old German trench. There is a long account of the incident in the Daily Telegraph of 12th July 1916 and there is a photograph of him on page 7 of the Whitehaven News dated 27th July 1916.  He died on 9th April 1918 at the age of 25 as a Major and an Acting Lieut. Colonel. 
He is buried in Grave G12 of the Picquigny British Cemetery, 13km NW of Amiens where 138 men are buried, 126 of whom died in April 1918. 
His father (James) had died at 41 on 25th May 1904, but his mother, Sarah Jane, died in 1941, aged 78.
He is also on the Grammar School Memorial in the South Gallery. The tiled floor of the Choir Vestry is tiled in the memory of the two Wightman brothers- with a plaque in the SE corner of the Vestry (this area was formerly the Baptistry).

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John Wightman	
Like his two brothers (see James), John was educated at Moresby School (and belonged to their football team and to the village team in turn). He also played for the Squadron football team. He apprenticed as a linotype operator at the Whitehaven News, and then moved to London for his career. He enlisted there to the 4th Royal Irish Dragoons at the outbreak of war, but was then drafted to the 2nd squadron of the Machine Gun Corps (number 41292). There is a photograph of him on page 8 of the “News” dated 17th June 1915. He was hit on the head by a German shell, while manning a gun and died instantly on 4th April 1918, aged 23. He was buried by his gun in Vaire Wood, and a rough cross was erected, before the attack recommenced.  
He is commemorated on Panels 93 and 94 of the Pozieres Memorial, 6km NE of Albert, where 14,699 soldiers without known graves are remembered.
Their elder brother, Sam (playing for Luton Town), was killed as a result of an injury sustained in a football  match against Brighton & Hove Albion on 8th April 1912, but he died at Bute Hospital (Luton) on 10th April 1912, aged 24.
Sam was buried at Whitehaven Cemetery (in grave 1U119) on Sunday 14th April. On the previous day at the end of the match, the Luton Red Cross Band had played Chopin’s Funeral March on the pitch at Luton as a mark of respect and esteem. All three brothers are remembered on that gravestone. John and James had two other brothers- Tom (who died in 1960 aged 70) and Harry (who died in 1900 aged 10 weeks). 
The floor of the Choir Vestry is tiled in the memory of the two Wightman brothers- with a plaque in the SE corner of the Vestry (this area was formerly the Baptistry).

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Inscription:

+ TO THE GLORY OF GOD+/AND IN MEMORY OF HER TWO SONS/MAJOR JAMES WIGHTMAN D.S.C. M.C./E. SURREY REGT/JOHN WIGHTMAN M.G.C. /WHO FELL IN THE WAR/THIS TILED FLOOR WAS PRESENTED BY/SARAH JANE WIGHTMAN OF HARRAS

Names:

JAMES WIGHTMAN/JOHN WIGHTMAN

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