Service at Holy Martyrs to honour veterans

A special remembrance service is planned for Remembrance Day at Holy Martyrs Church, Port Union, to honour veterans from the Port Union area, particularly the Coaker Recruits.
The Coaker Recruits were among the hundreds of Newfoundland men who fought in the First World War.
By 1917, the war had taken a toll on the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Many had been killed in the battles at Beaumont Hamel and the Battle of the Somme.
The newly-formed National Government was facing the difficult decision of whether or not to implement conscription - mandatory enlistment - to reinforce the Regiment.
Sir William Ford Coaker, president of the Fishermen's Protective Union, was, by then, a member of government. He was well aware of the strong outport aversion to conscription, but he faced strong pressure within cabinet to support the measure.
He subsequently announced his support for the government's position on conscription, and took on the responsibility of finding 69 recruits for war services.
These young men, volunteers from the Fishermen's Protective Union, stepped forward to represent not only Newfoundland, but the FPU, in the war effort.
William Coaker Christian, nephew of Sir William, a mere lad of 18, was the first to enlist. He went overseas in January, 1918, and was killed on Oct. 26 of that year at Ooteghem-Inghem Ridge in Belgium.
By the end of 1918, 10 of the Coaker Recruits had been either killed in battle, or died of wounds in field hospitals or after repatriation to Newfoundland.
They were honoured with the building of the Church of the Holy Martyrs.
Plans for the church began following a meeting called by Sir William Coaker in August, 1918, and attended by 11 churchmen. Construction began the following summer and the church opened for Divine Worship on Sunday, Dec. 19, 1920. That service was officiated by Rev. Canon Lockyer and Rev. G.S. Chamberlain.
In its Aug. 27, 1921 edition, the Evening Advocate, forerunner of Coaker's newspaper The Fishermen's Advocate, described the church as so:
From all approaches to Port Union the new church is the first object to meet the eye. Built on a rock, indeed, and on a commanding eminence, and of a simplicity in architecture that is its charm, the Church of the Holy Martyrs is a fitting memorial to those who fell in the Great War and is a standing example of Mr. Coaker's energy in erecting a memorial without delay.
The stained glass windows which are to be dedicated to the memory of the brave "Coaker Recruits" who fell, will, when put in, add greatly to the appearance of the Church. The interior shows exquisite taste in the arrangements, the altar and reredos erected by Hon. W.F. Coaker to the memory of his father and mother being of dark oak and of chaste design. The pews are also of the same wood with a very convenient arrangement fixed to each pew for kneeling.
Port Union has reason to be proud of its Church, one of the prettiest in the Colony.
It was named the Church of the Holy Martyrs in honour of those soldiers who fell on the field of battle during the war as Coaker recruits, and each stained glass window in the building bore the name of a fallen hero and the date when he fell in battle, thus commemorating his sacrifice.
The original church was destroyed by fire in 1945, but Coaker and the people of Port Union wasted no time in building its replacement.
The second church, the one that stands on that prominent rock face today, overlooking Port Union harbour, also contains stained glass windows with the names of the Coaker Recruits who sacrificed their lives in battle.
The windows bear the names of the following:
Corp. W.J. Stratton, died of wounds, March 3rd, 1918, aged 22 years.
Pte. Albert E. Quinton, died at Jensen Camp, June 27th, 1917, aged 18 years.
Pte. Adolphus Locke, died at Pilley's Island, November 3rd, 1918, aged 21 years.
Pte. Dol. J. Stuckless, died of wounds, November 19th, 1918, aged 19 years.
Pte. Fred. J. White, killed in action, December 3rd, 1917, aged 24 years.
Pte. E. Froude, died of wounds, October 14th, 1919, aged 25 years.
Pte. Pierce Parsons, died of wounds, August 16th, 1918, aged 22 years.
Pte. Neville Samson, killed in action, December 3rd, 1917, aged 19 years.
Pte. H.H. Pittman, killed in action, December 3rd, 1917, aged 21 years.
Corp. William Coaker Christian, died of wounds, in Belgium, October 26th, 1918, aged 20 years.
The Remembrance Day service begins at 11:00 a.m.
Following the service, an afternoon tea and commemorative display will be held at the Coaker Factory. All members of the public, particularly veterans and Legion members, are invited to attend.