St Ouen's Parish Memorial is to be found outside the
Parish Hall on the main road leading up from St Peter's.
The memorial has a central stone with the names of the
dead from the Great War inscribed on it with steps leading
up to it. On either side there is arm each with a panel,
one with the names of the men who died in the Second
World War, the other with the name of a civilian. From
the front the arms either side seem to have the effect
of some how protecting the memorial and the men remembered
on it, and hence the memorial gives the feeling of been
solid and strong.
The memorial is unique in a very special way, in so
far as it is the only Parish memorial to list a civilian
among its names. Louisa Mary Gould died in Ravensbruck
Concentration camp in 1945 and I have decided to write
a brief account about her tragic fate in this article.
The memorial also records the names of some thirty-seven
men who died in the Great War and six names of men who
died during the Second World War.
William George Risbridger
was the son of Henry and Elvina Celestine Risbridger,
of Romsley Villa, St. Ouen. He was formerly a gardener
for Mr Watkins of The Poplars, Milbrook, and one of
the first boys to join the St Ouens Boys Brigade before
the war. William's father was an old soldier and had
three sons who served during the Great War. Before the
war William lived at Mossigiel, Les Landes. He had joined
the 7th Bn, Royal Irish Rifles serving as a Rifleman
and was killed in action at Third Ypres on 16th August
1917. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the
missing.
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The son of ex-Centenier and Mrs Hamon of Portinfer, St
Ouen, Frank Hamon
had left Jersey for Canada in the spring of 1914 in search
of a new life. Whilst in Canada he had joined the Canadian
Garrison Artillery becoming a Gunner. Unfortunately for
Frank he was never to leave Canada again, succumbing to
influenza on 20th December 1918. He is buried in Paspebiac
(St Peter's) Cemetery, New Brunswick.
Arthur John Syvret*
is remembered on the memorial even though technically
he could have been an Australian. The son of Captain John
and Louisa Syvret of Yeo Street, Semaphore, South Australia,
it is reported that the family had left the Island some
thirty years before Arthur's death on the 25th December
1916 at the age of twenty eight. Therefore it is possible
he was born in Australia but this not recorded, either
way he is remembered as a Jersey man who died in the war.
The family had previously lived at Maison Neuve, St Ouen.
Arthur was a Lance Corporal with the Australian Pioneers
he had previously served in the Gallipoli campaign and
died in Northern France after a shell blew his left leg
away. He is buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery.
*Research by Australian CIGWSG member Syd Pattison
has since confirmed that Arthur Syvret was born in Exeter,
South Australia on 6th February 1890.
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