WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

Today, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we come together to remember those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

On 11 November 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front as the Armistice brought an end to the fighting of the First World War. Remembrance Day honours those who served in both World Wars and subsequent conflicts, including those who never returned home.

Here in Brampton, the names engraved on our war memorials are a lasting reminder of the sacrifices made by generations before us. Each name represents a life lost, a family left grieving and a place in our community that could never be filled. Today, we remember them alongside the countless others, from Cumbria and across the country, who served and sacrificed so much.

At eleven o'clock, as we observe the two-minute silence, we remember them with gratitude and respect.

From Laurence Binyon's For the Fallen (1914):

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

Lest we forget.

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REMEMBERING THE ANIMALS WHO SERVED

As we remember those who served and sacrificed their lives during the First and Second World Wars, and other conflicts, we also remember the countless animals who played their part.

Horses and mules carried soldiers, supplies and heavy equipment, often through terrible conditions. Dogs worked as messengers, searched for the wounded and stood guard, while pigeons carried vital messages when other means of communication failed.

These animals endured the noise, fear, exhaustion and dangers of war, with many never returning home. They had no understanding of the conflicts around them, yet their contribution was invaluable.

We honour not only the men and women who served, but also the animals whose courage, loyalty and suffering deserve to be remembered.

We will remember them.

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Credit: Imperial War Museums / Wikimedia Commons.

FALLEN MEN OF BRAMPTON – REMEMBRANCE 2026

Private John Sproat

Brampton born Private John Sproat was the son of John and Sarah Jane Sproat, of Gelt Road, and had one brother and one sister. He enlisted in Brampton and served with C Company, 8th Battalion, Border Regiment. He had already experienced the dangers of the front line before the fighting that would eventually claim his life.

On 30 October 1915, John suffered a head wound and was taken to a casualty clearing station before being transferred to the 75th Field Ambulance in the Nieppe area. He was later invalided home and, following his recovery, returned to the front, where he took part in the fighting during the great push of July 1916. John was killed in action on 5 July, aged 22.

His father subsequently received unofficial notification of his death, which was reported in the Cumberland News on 9 December 1916. John is buried at Serre Road Cemetery No. 1, on the Somme in France, in grave V. G. 24. His name is also commemorated on the memorial plaques at Brampton War Memorial Hospital and St Martin’s Church.

We will remember them.

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FALLEN MEN OF BRAMPTON – REMEMBRANCE 2026
Company Sergeant Major Hamilton Valentine Harding &
Lance Corporal James Campbell

Two men born in Brampton served with the Border Regiment during the First World War. Hamilton Harding was closely involved in the town's community life, while James Campbell's service was marked by shell shock.

Company Sergeant Major Hamilton Valentine Harding – Border Regiment

Hamilton lived on Front Street and married Isabella Armstrong in 1908; they had a daughter. Before enlisting, he managed the drapery department of the Carlisle South End Co-operative Society's Brampton branch. He joined the Lonsdale Battalion as a private in January 1915, helped recruit men locally and rose through the ranks to Company Sergeant Major.

A cornet player with the Rifle Volunteer Band, Hamilton also belonged to the parish church choir and St Martin's Musical Society. He was secretary of Brampton Liberal Club, a parish councillor and a member of Brampton Bowling Club, and rowed in a Talkin Tarn crew that won the William Milburn Challenge Cup. Wounded by a bomb at the entrance to a dugout, he died in hospital in August 1917, aged 34. He is buried at Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3 in Belgium and commemorated at St Martin's Church and Brampton War Memorial Hospital.

Lance Corporal James Campbell – 11th Battalion, Border Regiment (The Lonsdales)

James was the son of Joseph and Mary Campbell of Old Chapel Lane, Brampton, and grew up with four brothers and four sisters. He enlisted on 12 June 1915, aged 19, but in July 1916 the Cumberland News reported that he had written to his parents explaining that, although unwounded, he was suffering from shell shock and was now much better.

On 18 December 1917, James was honourably discharged as no longer physically fit for war service. He died on 31 October 1918, aged 21, and is buried in Brampton's Old Churchyard, with his name recorded on the memorial at St Martin's Church.

We will remember them.

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FALLEN MEN OF BRAMPTON – REMEMBRANCE 2026

Captain James Thornburn Mitchell

Captain James Thornburn Mitchell was just 28 years old when he died on 16 March 1917, while serving with the Leicestershire Regiment during WWI.

The son of Thomas and Mary Mitchell, of Lees Hill, Low Row, Brampton, James had risen to the rank of Captain. He served with the 7th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, and his death was reported in the Cumberland News on 24 March 1917.

Captain Mitchell is buried at Béthune Town Cemetery in northern France. His grave, numbered III. K. 52, is marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone bearing the badge of the Leicestershire Regiment.

The photograph accompanying this post shows his grave, a lasting record of a young officer from Low Row, Brampton whose life ended during WWI.

We will remember them.

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BRAMPTON REMEMBERS

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row”
— John McCrae, 1915

Today, Brampton joins communities across the country in remembering those who gave their lives in the service of others. We honour the men and women who served during two World Wars and in conflicts since, and reflect on the sacrifices made by generations of families.

For Brampton, remembrance is deeply personal. The names of those who served and those who never returned are woven into our town's history. Behind each was a family, a home and a life that mattered, while their loss was felt throughout the community.

We invite you to join us in Brampton this Remembrance Sunday, to stand together in quiet reflection and pay tribute to all those who served and sacrificed.

The afternoon's commemorations begin with a wreath-laying ceremony at Brampton War Memorial Hospital. The Remembrance Parade then assembles in the Market Place before marching along Front Street to St Martin's Church for the Remembrance Service. Following the service, the parade returns to the Market Place, where it halts by the Moot Hall and is formally dismissed by the Parade Commander.

We will remember them.

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FALLEN MEN OF BRAMPTON – REMEMBRANCE 2026

Sergeant Thomas Ruddick and Surgeon Major Dr William Symington

Two men from Brampton’s First World War history followed very different paths: one worked for the railways before joining the artillery, while the other was a qualified doctor with many years of military service.

Sergeant Thomas Ruddick – 279th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
Born into a Brampton family, Thomas was the son of Joseph and Margaret Ruddick and worked for the North Eastern Railway before the war. He served as a Sergeant with the 279th Siege Battery, whose heavy guns supported troops on the Western Front. He died on 17 November 1917, aged 30, leaving behind his wife and family.

Thomas is buried at Wimereux Communal Cemetery near Boulogne, France. During the war, Wimereux was an important centre for military hospitals, receiving wounded and sick servicemen from the fighting. Also buried there is Major John McCrae, the Canadian military doctor who wrote In Flanders Fields in 1915, inspired by the death of a fellow soldier. His poem became one of the most recognised works of the First World War and helped establish the poppy's association with remembrance.

Surgeon Major Dr William Symington – Royal Army Medical Corps
William was born in Penicuik, Scotland, the son of Mr and Mrs Henry Symington. He studied medicine at Edinburgh Institution, qualifying M.B., C.M. in 1886, and became Surgeon-Major with the 4th Border Regiment in July 1891.

In 1892, he married Emily Ethel Lee in Brampton, and the couple had two daughters. Census records place William at Leafield, Brampton, from 1901 onwards. He was mobilised in August 1914 following the outbreak of war and died on 3 September 1916, aged 51. William is buried in Brampton's Old Churchyard, and his name is commemorated on plaques at St Martin's Church and Brampton War Memorial Hospital.

We will remember them.

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