Lance Corporal James Stark Print Page

The marble plaque erected by Trooper F. W. Pymple of the 7th Light Horse commemorates his friend Lance Corporal James Stanley Varley Stark, who served in the 18th Battalion. 

On Sunday evening, August 4th, 1918, a very impressive service was held in the Malvern Hill Methodist Church in connection with the unveiling of a memorial tablet to the memory of one of the young men J. S. V. Stark who had been actively associated with the church and school before enlistment. The event was unique inasmuch that the tablet was the gift of a colleague (Trooper F. W. Pymble, of the 7th L.H.), who is still actively engaged in the war-zone in Palestine. When Trooper Pymble heard of his "chum's" death he wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Stark, parents of his late colleague, a very touching letter of sympathy, and begged of them permission to erect a tablet in the church with which his friend had been so intimately associated, as a loving tribute of gratitude for all that his chum had meant to him, significantly saying in his last letter written fittingly from that little town of Bethlehem, that "Stan had kept him many, many times from falling," and in previous letters to his own parents, he had repeatedly told them of the value of the friendship existing between them, saying, among many other things, "he was the best friend a man could have, and for whom he prayed every night."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Pymble have been deeply moved and touched by the evident influence for good exercised over their son by his friend, and it was fittingly arranged that Mrs. Pymble should unveil the memorial erected by her son to his friend, and in the presence of a large and sympathetic congregation, this was done, the congregation standing whilst the anthem, 'Who are These? " was sung by the choir. The Rev. G. Laverty's Message, immediately following, was with power and blessing, and the evening's worship was brought to a fitting close by the celebration of the Lord`s Supper. The tablet is of a simple and neat design of black marble, faced with a white marble slab. The inscription in gold lettering is as follows: — "In loving memory of James Stanley Varley Stark, 18th Batt., A.I.F., killed at Pozieres, 5/8/16. Erected by his friend, Trooper F. W. Pymble, 7th L.H., A.I.F. Phil. 1:3."
Methodist (Sydney, NSW ), 24 August 1918.

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