| The Rushden Echo, Friday 2 March 1917, transcribed by Nicky Bates
Street War Shrines for Rushden - Four More Dedicated Services by the Rector
Four more war shrines have now been erected in Rushden, one each in Roberts street, Harborough-road, Crabb-street and Denmark-road, and these were dedicated in their respective order by the Rector (Rev. P Robson) on Saturday afternoon. The services were short but impressive, being conducted in the same form as the services over the shrine in Cromwell-road, and there were a good number of people present at each dedication. All the shrines are similar in structure to the one in Cromwell-road, the first one erected in Rushden, and all four have two small Union Jacks crossed over them, and a golden cross painted on the top of the woodwork with the Union Jack painted on one side of it and the red cross of St George on the other. An appropriate prayer is printed at the bottom of each roll, underneath the names.
The Roll of Honour in Denmark-road, is erected outside a dwelling-house half-way up the street. As yet it has only one name; Jim Murdin on its list of dead, and 15 names on the active service list. White flowers on its base are prettily arranged with green foliage.
The Crabb street shrine is erected outside a dwelling house at the bottom of the street, facing Park road. The flowers, pink, white and yellow, are delicately arranged round the bottom of the roll, which bears the following names on the death list: Bert Hodson, Victor Marshall Moon, Frank Sheffield, Horace Sheffield, Sydney William Denton and Arthur Smith. Wm Sargent is a prisoner, and there are about 14 names on the active service list.
The shrine for Harborough-road, Park-place, and Dell-place is placed outside Mr Clayton's shop at the corner of Park road and Harborough-road, and is the largest yet erected. It was made and presented by Mr Clayton himself, and underneath the crossed flags is a beautiful laurel wreath, with two red, white and blue rosettes. The care shown in the arrangement of the white and yellow flowers is evidence of the pride taken in the shrine by the people whose sons the erection represents. The death list on the shrine contains the names: Thomas Dickens, Fredk A Clayton, Jack Snowden, Lewis W Scraxton, Arthur E Atkins, Thomas C Harley, John G A Scott; the 'prisoners of war' lists: Herbert Whiting, William Sargent, and there are between 140 and 150 names on the active service list.
All the street shrines have a box underneath for gifts of cigarettes and money, etc, and the response to these is, we understand, generous. Altogether the matter of street shrines is being taken up with great enthusiasm.
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Rushden Echo, 26th April 1918, transcribed by Kay Collins
The Denmark-Road Roll of Honour Committee have just issued their balance sheet, which shows the receipts from all sources to be £42 13s. 6½d. The expenditure, which includes the cost of money-box and registering all letters, amounts to £1 16s. 2d. The total amount sent to the soldiers, including a donation to the Prisoners of War Fund, amounts to £40 10s. 6d., leaving a balance in hand of 10s. 10½d. This is probably a record for a street with only 34 houses in it, but there are 26 names on the roll, of whom twelve have received the sum of £2 and over,. Four over £1 15s., and the rest £1 and under. The committee consists of Mrs. Packwood, Mrs. Green, Mrs. Benning, and Miss E. Dixon, with Mrs. E. Pashler as hon. secretary, and Mr. C. Bates as auditor. The latter congratulated the committee and secretary on the splendid results of the efforts for the lads in khaki. A typical letter received from one of the lads in thanking the committee for the money reads: “Dear old Rushden, good old Rushden; it is to me the one bright spot on God’s earth; the town where they are always thinking about us. One once of help is worth a ton of pity.”
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