St Peter war memorial

St Peter parish war memorial

The Parish of St Peter memorial to those born or living in the parish at the outbreak of the Great War is in the Parish Church, which is in the heart of the village with the Parish Hall and school nearby.

Other memorials

As you enter the church, the memorial is to be found on the right hand side, and to the front of the church where the altar stands. It takes the form of a marble plaque, white with a black background. It is fixed to a granite pillar with the pulpit just to the right of it.

There are 38 names of men who died during the Great War and a further eight names of men killed during the Second World War.

The inscription reads: In Grateful Memory of Those From This Parish Who Gave Their Lives for King and Country in The War of 1914-1918 “Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out”.

Individual stories

Robert Charles Courcoux

On 2 August 1917 while taking part in the third Battle of Ypres, Robert Charles Courcoux was killed by a shell. He was a drummer serving with the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, the son of George and Mary Ann Courcoux and husband of Angelina (nee Beuchet). They lived at 13 Green Street, St Helier, and then later at 9 Francis Street, St Helier. He was 27 when he died. The Evening Post gave his rank as a Sergeant-Drummer. He is buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium.

Sydney William Ecobichon

Sydney Ecobichon was a farmer during the War, and he had remained exempt from service until 31 August 1918, after which he joined the Royal Jersey Garrison Battalion as a Private. His time in the Battalion was to be a short one, succumbing to disease less than two months after he had joined on 19 October 1918. He was 30, the son of Mathurin and Anne, and the husband of Lilla Marie Amy, of Chandos Granty, St Ouen. He is buried in St Ouen’s Churchyard against the south boundary.

John Cantell Falle

Another Jerseyman to die during the third Battle of Ypres was John Cantell Falle. He was killed on the first day that he entered the trenches, having only been in France for a short time. He was the eldest son of John and Susan Falle of Victoria Farm, Coin Varin, St Peter, and was just 25 when he was killed on 4 October 1917 while serving with the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.

He became one of thousands of men listed as missing in that battle and therefore is now remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing in Belgium.

George Moignard

George Moignard is buried in the Dar-Es-Salaam War Cemetery in Tanzania. He was the son of John and Sarah Moignard (nee Shackell), of St Peter, and was married to Clara (nee Le Rossignol), of Sandybrook, Beaumont, St Peter. He was a driver with the Army Service Corps MT Spare Parts Depot and died of dysentery on 23 December 1917 at the age of 36.

Le Seelleur brothers

Outside the church is a memorial to two brothers who died in the War. The first brother to die was Lieutenant John Le Seelleur, Royal Marines, on 31 May 1916 during the Battle of Jutland. He was 27 and serving on HMS Invincible. The second brother was Sub-Lieutenant Gordon Le Seelleur, serving with the Royal Naval Division. He was killed in action on 11 August 1917 in France at the age of 22.

The inscription below their names reads: Beloved Sons of Capt J M Le Seelleur, Haute Place, St Peter, Jersey “Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Whose Mind is Stayed On Thee Because He Trusted in Thee.” Deeply Mourned by Their Sorrowing father, mother, brother and sister.

Captain John Mauger Le Seelleur was the son of son of Thomas and Marie Mauger, and served as a Captain in the Merchant Marine during the war. He was married to Louisa, nee Jandron. The brother and sister mentioned in the inscription were Herbert and Violet.