Memorial Title

LCpl J W Tatam

Summary

Derbyshire War Memorials: A description of a WW1 war memorial to LCpl Joseph Tatam on a gravestone in St Paul's Churchyard, Little Eaton, Derbyshire.

Images

Locations

Last known location:
St Paul's Churchyard
Vicarage La
Little Eaton
Derbyshire

Nearest postcode:
DE21 5EA

NGR:
SK 36105 41508 ±5m

Location details:
To the left of the path from the lychgate to the church door.

Type

Overall type: Vase.

Overall condition: Poor. The memorial is obscured and some lettering is missing from the inscription.

Description:

A recumbent tablet on the surface of a family grave. The grave bears a tall granite headstone with a shallow arch top, decorartive swirls at the head and an incised inscription in upright capital block lettering. It surmounts an oblong granite base with bevelled top. The limestone tablet is in the style of an unfurled scroll, has an inlaid inscription in mixed styles of upright lettering and surmounts an oblong limestone base. The grave is surrounded by oblong limestone kerbs.

Components:

Component	Material	Height	Width	Depth	Condition
Headstone	Granite	1220	675	130	Fair
Base	Granite	170	850	330	Fair
Tablet	Limestone	260	455	735	Poor
Base	Limestone	50	530	810	Fair
Kerbs	Limestone	170	1840	2370	Fair
Dimensions in millimetres ±5mm unless stated otherwise.

Inscription

Headstone:

Conflicts and people named:
Conflict	First World War (1914-1919)
Number died	1
Number served and returned	0
Total names	1

IN MEMORY OF
JOSEPH TATAM,
BORN JANUARY 23RD. 1813;
DIED DECEMBER 3RD. 1884.
"WHOM THE LORD LOVETH
HE CHASTENETH"
ALSO OF
MARY, HIS WIFE,
BORN APRIL 16. 1821,
DIED JANY. 3. 1894.
"LET ME GO, FOR THE DAY BREAKETH."
ALSO OF WILLIAM JOHN, THEIR SON,
BORN JANY. 15. 1852
DIED JANY. 17. 1898.
ALSO OF ELIZABETH, THEIR DAUGHTER,
BORN SEPT. 21. 1849,
DIED MAY 23. 1913.

Tablet:

[To the loved memory] of
[L.CPL. JOSE]PH W. TATAM,
[Born Jany. 20. 1882,
WHO GAVE HIS] LIFE TO HI[S COU]NTRY
A[UGT. 1.] 1915, AT ST. ELOI.
[THIS SCROLL IS ERECTED BY HIS FAMILY
AND PERSONAL FRIENDS AS SOME TOKEN
OF THE LOVE IN WHICH HE WAS HELD.
"THERE IS BUT] ONE TASK [FOR] ALL,
[FOR EACH] ONE LIFE [TO GIVE,
WHO STANDS IF] FREEDOM FALL,
WHO [DIES] IF ENGLAND [LIVES."]

[Some letters are missing, most are damaged.]

Administration

Custodian: Presumed to be the Tatam family.

Local authorities:
From WW2: Little Eaton Parish Council; Shardlow Rural District Council; Derbyshire County Council.
From 1974: Little Eaton Parish Council; Erewash Borough Council; Derbyshire County Council.

History

Unknown date: The memorial lies within the Little Eaton Conservation Area.

24th September 2015: The memorial was surveyed by Roy Branson and Alan Willmot. It was in poor condition: the grave was obscured by overhanging branches of coniferous trees and a carpet of ivy, and the inscription on the tablet was very poor, with some letters missing and most of the remainder damaged.

References

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Comments

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