The Church of St. John the Evangelist, Stoke Next Guildford
Memorial Window in Memory of Sir George Pomeroy Colley
Within the Church mention should be made of a Memorial Window at the east of the chancel, the gift of his brother officers to the memory of Sir George Pomeroy Colley, Major-General of the 2nd Queen’s Royals. The association with Stoke Church would be due to the fact that before Emmanuel Church was built and Stoughton constituted a separate parish, soldiers quartered at Stoughton Barracks attended Stoke Church, the Rector being appointed Chaplain.
On the erection of the Barracks in 1875. Sir George Colley, an able administrator and accomplished officer, was appointed in 1880 to succeed Sir Garnet (afterwards Lord) Wolseley as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Natal. Difficulties which had arisen with the Boers reached a critical state that year, and Colley was compelled to take measures for the relief of various besieged garrisons of British troops. In February he led a force of a few hundred men up Mujaba Hill, which, however, the next morning was suddenly carried by a rush of the Boers and Sir George Colley was amongst those that fell.
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