Commonwealth War Graves at St John’s Cemetery, Elswick
Written and researched by Susan McGarry – Stories of the Stones volunteer
Elswick Cemetery, (St. Johns), Newcastle is a Commonwealth War Graves site with 289 casualties from the two World Wars. Of these, 180 are First World War casualties and 109 from the Second World War. I counted five women on the list. One of the young women commemorated there is Private Ivy Everard. Ivy was only nineteen when she died and I decided to find out about her life and in what circumstances she had died.
Ivy Lilian Janet Everard was born on 17th June 1922 at 5 Winships Yard, Gallowgate. At the time of her birth, Ivy’s father, Arthur Everard, who was from Blyth, was a Fireman on a steamship. Before marriage to Minnie Gibson, Arthur had served in the Navy during World War 1. Arthur and Minnie had six children and lived at Winships Yard, Gallowgate from 1922 until 1931 when they moved to Sycamore Street in Scotswood. From 1933-45, the Everard family lived in Elswick in Water Street, Wharncliffe Street, and Rye Hill. Ivy’s youngest sibling, Arthur, died aged one and is buried at Elswick (St. John’s) Cemetery. Ivy was fourteen years old at this time.
The war separated Ivy’s family. At the start of the war, Ivy was a children’s nurse living at The Palms, Quarry Woods, Morpeth. This was the home of her maternal grandmother Elizabeth Jane (Janet) Ferguson and Ivy’s aunt Joyce. Joyce Brown had a couple of young children, two-year-old Ivan, and baby Valerie who Ivy was helping with. Ivy’s brother, Alfred joined the Pioneer Corps as a private and saw active service in Europe. Ivy’s father and brother Thomas were contributing to the War effort working at the colliery and living in Pegswood, Morpeth. Thomas joined the Navy when he was eighteen and was a Stoker aboard the HMS Kepple.
From 1941, it became compulsory for women aged 18-60 to register for war work. Ivy joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Initially there were five main trades: Cook, Clerk, Orderly, Storewoman and Driver but later technical tasks dealing with equipment, clothing and ammunition though women were not permitted to fire weapons. It is unclear what Ivy’s role was in her short time as a Private.
Three tragedies befell the family. Aged 19, Ivy died on 15th January 1942 at the City Hospital for Infectious Diseases; her death attributed to Pulmonary Tuberculosis. She is buried at Elswick, St. John’s Cemetery next to her baby brother Arthur. Her inscription reads SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS. Three weeks later, Ivy’s aunt, Joyce Brown, died at Newgate Street, Morpeth of the same disease. Joyce’s two young children survived. Ivy’s brother, Alfred Everard, was accidentally killed in the Western Europe Campaign on 4th February 1945 aged 25. The Personal Inscription reads FOR KING AND COUNTRY HE DID HIS BEST MAY GOD GRANT HIM ETERNAL REST.
Anyone serving during the First or Second World War who died, in whatever circumstance, were afforded a Commonwealth War grave. From this family, one Commonwealth War Grave lies in Elswick Cemetery, Newcastle; the other in Schoonselhof Cemetery in Belgium.
Poem inspired by Ivy’s story, written in a Stories of the Stones creative writing workshop:
On Elswick Graves by Susan McGarry
On Elswick graves from long ago
White rectangles in each row
They served, they died
Their families cried
And memories grow.
Died so young, few years or so
Nursing cousins, while below
father hewed coal, army and navy brothers served with pride
while flowers waved on Elswick graves.
An accident or felled by foe
With some disease dealt the blow
Never a bride
Her mother sighed
And time ticks slow
On Elswick graves.
And Ivy Grew
Born in Gallowgate in twenty two
Playing with older brother
Laughing with mother
And Ivy grew.
Raised in Scotswood in thirty two
Nursing cousins and visiting gran
Joining the ATS, do what you can
And Ivy grew.
Buried in Elswick in forty two
Dying of Tuberculosis
“Safe in the arms of Jesus”
And Ivy grew.
