Christ Church, Alfriston memorials

South African memorial plaque

On 17 June 1900, a memorial service was held in Christ Church Anglican Church, Alfriston, in honour of a local man, Trooper James Jenks, who had died of fever while serving in the South African war. The framed brass plaque unveiled on the day reads: “In memory / of Trooper / James Jenks, aged 27 / who gave his life for / the Empire / - / at Rondesbosch, S.A. / on March, 21, 1900. Erected by his / Comrades of the No. 2 / Division / Auckland Mounted / Rifles.”

Memorial font and memorial roll

In October 1949 a war memorial baptismal font was also dedicated in the church.  This was accompanied by a framed roll of honour bearing the names of 29 First World War servicemen from the district, eight of whom had given their lives, and 44 Second World War servicemen, four of whom had given their lives. The font now stands outside the church, but the roll of honour still hangs inside, on the southern wall of the nave.

Sources: 'Parochial Intelligence', Church Gazette, vol. 30, no. 7, July 1900, pp. 132-3; Lorna W. Wilson, The Vintage Years: A Record of Alfriston-Brookby Since the 1850s, Alfriston, 1974, p. 21; Dinah Wilson, Gathered Talents: Christ Church, Alfriston, Manukau, 1977, pp. 9-10.