St Andrews Church, Tangmere
Encyclopedia
St Andrew's Church is a Church of England
church, located in Tangmere
, West Sussex
. It lies within the Diocese of Chichester
.
The Saxon
village lies a mile south of the Roman
road of Stane Street, linking Londinium
with Noviomagus Reginorum
, now known as Chichester
. The church however was built after the Norman conquest.
Originally built of timber, the Saxon church was replaced in the 12th century by a stone and timber building with windows on the north and south sides. The bell turret is carried on a timber frame inside the nave
. The chancel
and chancel arch date from the 13th century, the arch having scalloped imposts similar to Oving
church. A crude and badly weathered Saxon fragment, which may represent a beheading, forms the top of one of the Norman nave windows. There is a plain tub font. The size of the yew tree
by the present door suggests an ancient sacred site.
In 1341, King Edward II granted the new Archbishop of Canterbury
the right to hold a fair at Tangmere on St Andrew's Day. The event is still held by the church every autumn.
Having survived Luftwaffe
bombing during World War II
of the nearby RAF Tangmere
, in October 2003 a freak lightning
strike ripped the spire, damaged the roof and caused devastation inside the church. Still under repair, a limited-edition print Spirit of Tangmere showing a Supermarine Spitfire
turning over the church to land was issued in 2003.
base, extended into a Royal Air Force
aerodrome
. In 1939, in preparation for World War II
, the airfield was enlarged to defend the south coast against the Luftwaffe. The base remained open until 1966.
Its close proximity to the RAF base meant that service personnel killed on or near the base were regularly buried within the church's cemetery
. There are thirty nine Commonwealth burials of the 1939-1945 War, all airmen, one of whom is unidentified. There are thirteen German Air Force burials here, one of whom is unidentified. The majority of these airmen were killed during the Battle of Britain
. Today, all of these graves are tended to by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
, with the Commonwealth war graves grouped in three rows on the western side of the church, and beside them the German graves.
Also buried within the cemetery is the grave of Air Commodore
Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson
CB CBE DSO AFC* LoM (February 12, 1912 - June, 1992). An RAF World War II Ace, he was the holder of the Flight airspeed record, set in a Gloster Meteor
in 1946 which took off and landed from RAF Tangmere.
The new window in the St. Andrew's Church is dedicated to the memory of all men and women who gave their lives in service to their country.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church, located in Tangmere
Tangmere
Tangmere is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles north east of Chichester it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France....
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It lies within the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
.
The Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
village lies a mile south of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
road of Stane Street, linking Londinium
Londinium
The city of London was established by the Romans around AD 43. It served as a major imperial commercial centre until its abandonment during the 5th century.-Origins and language:...
with Noviomagus Reginorum
Noviomagus Reginorum
Noviomagus Reginorum was the Roman town which is today called Chichester, situated in the modern English county of West Sussex. Alternative versions of the name include Noviomagus Regnorum, Regnentium and Regentium..-Development:...
, now known as Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
. The church however was built after the Norman conquest.
Originally built of timber, the Saxon church was replaced in the 12th century by a stone and timber building with windows on the north and south sides. The bell turret is carried on a timber frame inside the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and chancel arch date from the 13th century, the arch having scalloped imposts similar to Oving
Oving, West Sussex
Oving is a civil parish in West Sussex, lying on the coastal plain immediately to the east of Chichester. It is bounded on the north and west sides by the A27 trunk road. The A259 Chichester-Bognor road traverses the southern part of the parish....
church. A crude and badly weathered Saxon fragment, which may represent a beheading, forms the top of one of the Norman nave windows. There is a plain tub font. The size of the yew tree
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
by the present door suggests an ancient sacred site.
In 1341, King Edward II granted the new Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
the right to hold a fair at Tangmere on St Andrew's Day. The event is still held by the church every autumn.
Having survived Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
of the nearby RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, located at Tangmere village about 3 miles east of Chichester in West Sussex, England. American RAF pilot Billy Fiske died at Tangmere and was the first American aviator to die during World War II...
, in October 2003 a freak lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strike ripped the spire, damaged the roof and caused devastation inside the church. Still under repair, a limited-edition print Spirit of Tangmere showing a Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
turning over the church to land was issued in 2003.
Tangmere war graves
From 1917, a field directly adjacent to the church was the basis for a Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
base, extended into a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
. In 1939, in preparation for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the airfield was enlarged to defend the south coast against the Luftwaffe. The base remained open until 1966.
Its close proximity to the RAF base meant that service personnel killed on or near the base were regularly buried within the church's cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. There are thirty nine Commonwealth burials of the 1939-1945 War, all airmen, one of whom is unidentified. There are thirteen German Air Force burials here, one of whom is unidentified. The majority of these airmen were killed during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Today, all of these graves are tended to by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
, with the Commonwealth war graves grouped in three rows on the western side of the church, and beside them the German graves.
Also buried within the cemetery is the grave of Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson
Edward Mortlock Donaldson
Air Commodore Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson CB, CBE, DSO, AFC & Bar was an RAF Second World War Flying ace, and former holder of the airspeed World Record.-Biography:...
CB CBE DSO AFC* LoM (February 12, 1912 - June, 1992). An RAF World War II Ace, he was the holder of the Flight airspeed record, set in a Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
in 1946 which took off and landed from RAF Tangmere.
The new window in the St. Andrew's Church is dedicated to the memory of all men and women who gave their lives in service to their country.