Wilshaw is a small hamlet located mid-way between Meltham and Netherthong/Holmfirth with its postcode being HD9. In the first Ordnance Survey map, issued in 1854, both Upper and Lower Greave were in the Parish of Netherthong and Wilshaw was a moor-fringed sweep of pasture but, by the time the next map came out in 1888, Joseph Hirst had put Wilshaw firmly on the map and built the Church of St.Mary the Virgin in 1863. The History of Wilshaw , issued 1961, was written by Alfred Taylor as a prelude to the commemoration of the centenary of the Parish Church, 1863-1963.
This year, 2018, is the centenary of the end of World War 1 and a National Project, called Lives of the First World War, has been set up by the Imperial War Museum to record the life histories of those servicemen and women who served in that war. It works by setting up Communities which are formed by collating servicemen into groups defined by a common connection – eg. regiment, workplace, location etc. A community has been set up locally, on behalf of the Project , to cover all the Holme Valley Servicemen. My contribution, via my History of Netherthong website, has been to supply information relating to Netherthong and District of its soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice as well as those who fought and survived. Wilshaw does not fall under the Holme Valley area but, because it always had close connections to Netherthong, I have decided to give it a chapter of its own and add it to my website so that its heroes can be more fully recognised and remembered.
There are two plaques, ROH ( Roll of Honour ) inside the Church. The first one , on timber/board, lists 15 names of soldiers , associated with Wilshaw, who fought and survived. They are : Edward Phipps ; Harold Beaumont ; Fisher Spencer ; Charles Helliwell ; George Sharples ; Lawrence Taylor ; John W. Dowell ; Herbert Lockwood ; Harry Stead : Harry Taylor ; Alfred Senior ; Vincent F.Kaye ; Harold Pearson : John Crampton : John Addy. However the Holmfirth Express edition on October 23 1915 listed the following names from Wilshaw who had enlisted – they were Arthur Elliot, H.Turton, T. Thorpe, N.Thorpe and Edward Phipps. Of those names only Phipps appears on the list of survivors on the plaque.
The second one made of stone/marble has five names and is inscribed : ” In Honoured Memory of the Boys of the Parish who made the Supreme Sacrifice in the Great War, 1914-1918. Edwin Spencer ; Edgar H.Beaumont ; Rufus Crompton ; Leonard Manchester : Harold Schofield . Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ”
J.Margaret Stansfield was the inspiration behind the book ” Huddersfield Roll of Honour 1914-1922 ” but unfortunately died before she could publish it. It was edited by the Rev. Paul Wilcock BEM and published by the Unniversity of Huddersfield Press in 2014 – ISBN 978-1-86218-126-7. Her book meticulously detailed the details of 3,439 soldiers from the Huddersfield area who had fought and died in the Great War. The five Wilshaw heroes on the plaque are listed in the book and I give their details below.
Edwin Spencer.Private 13445, Y Co., 8th. Battalion, Duke of Wellington Regiment. Born in Leeds, son of Thomas Fisher Spencer and Sarah Agnes of Wilshaw. Employed at Meltham Mills. Enlisted at the end of August 1914 and went to the Dardenelles as part of 32nd. Brigade, 11th. Division, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. He died of wounds at sea, sustained in the Dardenelles fighting, on August 23, 1915 aged 22 years. There was no known grave and he was Commemorated at the Helles Memorial to the Missing. ROH ; Wilshaw Church ; St. Bartholemews, Meltham.
Rufus Crampton . Private 38589, 8th. Battalion, Yorkshire Lancaster Regiment. Born in Meltham and lived at 28 Mitre Street, Marsh. Killed in action on June 7, 1917. There was no known grave . Commemorated at the Menin Gate, Memorial to the Missing, ROH : Wilshaw Church : Marsh War Memorial : St. Bartholemews, Meltham.
Leonard Manchester. Private 32158, 2/5 Battalion, Duke of Wellington Regiment. Born in Meltham, son of James and Hannah and husband of Hilda. Employed for five years at Wallace’s grocery store in Slaithwaite. Enlisted 1917 and embarked to France early 1918. Killed in action on 23 March 1918, aged 28 years. No known grave and he was Commemorated at the Arras Memorial to the Missing. ROH ; Wilshaw Church ; St. Bartholemews, Meltham. Huddersfield Drill Hall.
Harold Schofield. Private301954. 2nd. Battalion, Royal Scots ( Lothian Regiment ). Born in Meltham, son of Firth and Martha Scholfield. He was killed in action at Polygon Wood on September 26,1917 aged 20 years.There was no known grave and he was Commemorated at Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. ROH : Wilshaw Church ; St.Bartholemews Church, Meltham.
Edgar H.Beaumont. An Edgar Hamby Beaumont is listed as Private 235241 of the 2nd. battalion of the Duke of Wellington regiment. He was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Joe Beaumont of Wilshaw and was employed by Messrs. Josiah France Ltd. of Honley. He enlisted on October 1915 and was killed in action on March 28 1918 aged 22 years. There was no known grave and he was commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the Missing. ROH ;Wilshaw Church : St.Bartholemews Church, Meltham.
Harry Beaumont’s name appears on the timber plaque as a survivor. In the January 16th. 1915 edition of the Holmfirth Express, there is a report of the Annual tea and entertainment given by the church choir and the organist, Mr.H.Pearson. The Rev.T. Lawthwaite congratulated the young men of the village who had joined up and, out of a population of under 150, five were under training. The Vicar proposed a vote of thanks which was seconded by Private H.Beaumont. However there is a Harry Beaumont in the Huddersfield ROH . He was Private 21726 in the 2/5 Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment and was born in Meltham and enlisted in Huddersfield. He was killed in action on July 20 1918 near Rheims. There was no known grave and he was commemorated on Soissons Memorial to the Missing. ROH. St Bartholemews Church. Same person ??
One of the other chapters in this history is titled ‘Netherthong and its WW1 heroes’ and it gives details of those soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice. There were also many villagers who enlisted and served valiantly in the war and survived its horrors. In this centenary year of the end of that war, I am attempting to compile a list of their names as a starting point to begin to find out details about their lives before the war and their army service. ( Some of the information is also included in other chapters about WW1.)
The main source I have been able to find so far for compiling the initial list is the Holmfirth Express. In their issue of January 9th. 1915, they printed a R.O.H. ( Roll of Honour ) for the people from all the villages in the area serving in the Army , Territorials and Navy and there were 42 in that list from Netherthong, Deanhouse, Thongsbridge ( see note later on ) and Wilshaw. The information in these lists was supplied by local residents and the paper was always requesting their readers to write in to update the names. They printed another list in October 23rd. 1915 , which included some names not on the earlier list. They printed the list again the following week with some names omitted and a few new ones added. They also started on October 23 rd. to publish another column titled ‘This Weeks Additions ‘ and that week it had two names from Thongsbridge, John Booth and Joseph A. Barden plus three from Netherthong – E.Taylor, J.Webster and Arnold Wimpenny. ( Taylor and Webster did not survive the war and are on the ROH on the village memorial). The ‘Additions’ for November 6th. were H.Dufton, S.A.Wood and W.H.Eastwood ( SA ) all from the village. The Express also reported that there were 562 volunteers to date for the whole of the Holme Valley. There were two more ‘Additions’ lists for November and they included Richard Bottomley from the village, Arnold T.Lee and E.Smith, 19870, both from Thongsbridge and E.H.Beaumont from Wilshaw. They stopped publishing any more ‘Additions ‘ lists in 1916.
There are inconsistencies in exactly how many of the village lads enlisted as reports differ in the numbers. At the meeting of the Patriotic Committee in January 1915, it was reported that 30 of the men, at present and formerly associated with the village, were serving their country and had received gifts of a camp knife and three khaki pocket handerchiefs. But … the 3rd. annual report of the Netherthong Patriotic Society in 1917 said that, based on Netherthong and Oldfield, 140 villagers had enlisted, 19 were discharged, three were listed as POWs, 17 were killed leaving 101 still on active duty. But….. at the unveiling of the Working Men’s Club Memorial, Captain Floyd said that about 130 men had enlisted, 21 were killed, at least seven had been wounded and a further four had been wounded and taken prisoner. These variations in the number of villagers who enlisted is the first obstacle to overcome. The next is to find their personal details such as date and place of birth, where they lived, went to school and worked etc. The third and by far the biggest difficulty will be to find details of their service record, as I have found out from the Forces War Records web site that 70% of the service records of soldiers from WW1 were destroyed from a direct hit on the Arnside ( London ) repository on the second day of the Blitz in WW2, and the damage was compounded during the extinguishing of the raging fires. The book of the Huddersfield ROH gives details of the 3,439 soldiers who died, 1,304 (38%) of whom served in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. The figure I have for Netherthong for the same Regiment is 36%, so it’s a reasonable assumption that the same percentage would apply to those from the village who enlisted and survived. But .. the archives for the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in Halifax do not have records of the soldiers who served in the Regiment.
Thongsbridge was included in the Parish of Netherthong and the names of their lads who made the supreme sacrifice are listed on the War Memorial in the village and Plaque 5 at Holmfirth Hospital which is titled Netherthong and Thongsbridge. However I’m not sure how far Netherthong’s involvement in Thongsbridge extended during that period as the Express always listed soldiers from Muslin Hall as being part of Thongsbridge. Those that died from Muslin Hall are listed on other R.O.H.s An example is Lieut. Arnold Lee, RGA, son of Mr.Job Lee of Muslin Hall, who was killed in action and his name is on the Wooldale R.O.H. I shall not include any that died but will add to the list below any who served and survived. Better to duplicate than omit.
I have listed the names in alphabetical order and add information as and when I find it. As of 17/06/2018, there are 121 names below.
The following four soldiers from the village were decorated for their bravery .
Signaller Charles Albert Hudson was decorated with the Military Medal which he won in August 1916 for carrying dispatches under heavy fire in Delville Wood. He was delivering messages continuously for three days and of the 16 runners only 4 survived. He had enrolled on October 17 1914 with the first batch of young fellows from the district and went to France on July 15 1915. In the 1901 Census he was eleven years old, his parents were William and Ellen Hobson and they lived in Outlane. He had been associated with Netherthong since birth , was involved with the Parish Church and Sunday School as well as being a member of the choir. He was one of the scouts who had the privilege of taking part in the Scouts Rally at the Coronation Festivities in London. He was employed at Deanhouse Mills. He had been on active service since he went to France and came through the war without a scratch.
Corporal Sam Schofield : Mrs.John Scholfield was notified in May 1918 that her son, Sam, had been awarded the Military Medal. Later that year in October, the Express reported that he had been wounded and was in hospital making a satisfactory recovery. In the 1901 Census he was 11 years old and his parents were John and Jane Scholfield of Outlane .His older brother, Abel, was killed whilst on active service in Gallipoli in 1915. As his brother enlisted with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment it is more than likely that Sam would have followed suit.
Corporal Norman Smith, 21 years old, was awarded the Military Medal and ribbon for gallantly rescuing a comrade on the battlefield under shell fire. Until he was 15, he had lived all his life in Netherthong before he moved to Longwood.. He joined the West Riding Regiment In December 1914 and went to France in June 1915. The Golcar District Heroes’ Fund recognized his meritorious conduct by presenting him with a solid gold ten- guinea English made watch.
Lance-Corporal Joseph Edward Hobson: He was the oldest son of Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Hobson of Netherthong and died in Ottowa aged 67. He was well known in the village and , as a boy, was in the Parish Church choir. He had served for 8 years in the Army Medical Corps and, on his discharge, he obtained an important post in Canada and moved there 4 years later , married a Canadian lady and had two sons. At the outbreak of war, he re-enlisted in the Canadian Force, came over and was attached to A Section 22nd.Field Ambulance 7th. Division of the British Expeditionary Force and served in France. He was awarded the DCM for gallantry and devotion on the field by carrying in the wounded under fire. On the expiry of his service he returned to Canada and his wife and family. The photograph below is printed courtesy of the Holmfirth Express of February 6 1915
J.E.Hobson who received the DCM
Joseph A.Barden- Thongsbridge.Express October 30 1915- ‘Additions’ list.
Irvine Alsop. The Express in July 1916 reported that Irvine was serving at the Royal Naval Hospital and had written to the Patriotic Society thanking them for the gift of a camp knife and adding that it was being very useful and showed that he and the rest of the lads had not been forgotten.
N.Armitage – Listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Lawton Arthur – Fern Grange Thongsbridge: In June 1915, the Express listed his name in a ROH for local lads from around the Holme Valley who had recently enlisted in the Huddersfield Battery.
E.Battye – listed as a Scout/ex- Scout – of the Netherthong Troop- serving in the front.
H.Battye ( Deanhouse ):His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
J.Battye – the name Battye features in many chapters throughout the history of Netherthong but is not shown in the 1901 Census. He was a member of the NT Scout troop., Joseph was the older brother of Alec Battye who survived .There was a report in the Holmfirth Express that a Joseph Battye, a private with the 2/5 Battalion of the Duke of Wellinton’s regiment went over the top at Bullecourt in May 1917, just 10 miles from where his brother was serving, and was never seen again.
Private Harpin Battye. In May 1918 the Express reported that relations of Pr. Harpin Battye, Machine Gun Corps, of Deanhouse, had received an intelligence card from him saying he was in enemy hands. He was taken prisoner at Bullencourt on March 21 and the card was dated March 27. He stated that he was quite well. His last letter from the front was dated the same day he had been taken prisoner.
Private D.Barrowclough : He was born on 9/5/1896 , baptised on 6/10/1897 and was listed as four years old in the 1901 Census. His parents were John William and Christiana from Lower Hagg ( in Census ) but Oldfield on baptismal certificate.. One of his brothers, Irvin, is listed in the ROH in the village centre.
Private William Barrowclough: He was born on 16/12/1891 and baptised on 9/2/1992 and listed as 9 years old in the 1901 Census and was the eldest of the three brothers who enlisted. The Patriotic Committee received a letter from Willie thanking them for the gifts. He was in the 6th. Company, 3rd. Battalion, West Riding Regiment.
H.Beaumont – Wilshaw. Listed in the ROH in the January 4, 1915 issue of the Holmfirth Express. The list of ‘Additions ‘ in the November 27th. edition of the Express included the name E.H.Beaumont.
John Booth Thongsbridge – Express October 30 1915- ‘Additions’ list.
Richard Bottomley – Express November 20 1915 – ‘Additions’ list.
J.Bowman – Miry Lane Thongsbridge :In June 1915, the Express listed his name in a ROH for local lads from around the Holme Valley who had recently enlisted in the Huddersfield Battery.
John Bray : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Private Tom Bretton : In the 1901 Census he was 12 years old , was born in Thongsbridge and lived in Miry Lane Bottom. His parents were Reuben and Alice. A report in the local paper said that he lived in Giles Street and had been wounded.
Fitter Hubert Brook. Muslin Hall, Thongsbridge. His father, Mr.S.Brook, received a field card from France in August stating that his son, Hubert, was in a base hospital and wounded. The following month he was transferred to a hospital in Warrington where he had been visited by his parents. The Express added that his brother, Irvin, had died in hospital in England after having been interned in Germany for several months.
J.Brook : In the 1901 Census, he was born in the village and lived in Lower Hagg. He was 25 years old, married and working as a grocers assistant.
T.L.M. Buchanan ( Netherthong ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. ( but not in Oct.23 list )
J.R.M. Buchanan ( Netherthong ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. ( but not in Oct.23 list).
Pr. Arthur Cartwright. Mr. & Mrs. Cartwright of Fearnought Gardens, Thongsbridge, received a letter from their son in July 1918. He had been reported missing on May 28. In his letter, dated May 3 but which was not delivered until July 24, he said that he had been wounded and was in hospital and being treated very well.
Corporal Sam Charlesworth : He had been in the army for 11 years and came to the front with the Indian Expeditionary force and transferred to the 1st. Battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Regiment . He was shot in the left thigh and hand and , after recovering , was made a prisoner in No. F Block at Doeberity and spent more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war in Germany. The Express in January 1916 reported that Sam had written to Mr.W.Dyson to acknowledge the receipt of a Christmas parcel sent to him on behalf of the Netherthong people. In May the Express added that Sam had been ‘adopted’ by the Misses Rosetti, two ladies of Regent Street,London, and they sent him a parcel every fortnight.
N.Coldwell : He was a scout in the NT troop.
E.Crookes: He was a scout in the NT troop. and was listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Frank Dickenson : He was born in Netherthong on 29/4/1882 , baptised on 04/06/1882 and his parents were William and Mary Ann. Although he moved away, he always retained fond memories of the village. He was a well known basso profundo and in July 1919 he visited his birthplace after he was demobilised from D.L.I. He had been in the army for three and a half years, seven months of which was spent in the Ypres section before being drafted into a concert party which visited many camps in France and Belgium.
Private H.Dufton. There was a H.Dufton in the 1901 Census aged 21 years employed as a fuller. His parents were William and Ruth Dufton. If it is the same person he would have been about 36 years old when he enlisted. He was listed in the Express ‘Additions’ for November 7 1915.
Private Lewis Dyson : He was a Netherthong lad who was wounded in the war and sent to a base hospital in France.
B.Earnshaw – A S. Earnshaw was listed in the Express for December 1915 as a Scout/ ex-scout in Netherthong Troop serving abroad
J.E.Eastwood. In the 1901 Census Ben and Ellen Eastwood ( Brush manufacturer from Netherthong ) are recorded as having two sons, James aged 12 years and John aged 17 years. However in the baptismal records for the Parish Church the youngest son, born on 23/4/1888 and baptised 27/5/1888, was christened James Edmund. His older brother was christened John Broadhurst. He was listed in 9 January 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
F.Eastwood – listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH
Arthur Elliot – Wilshaw – listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
F.A.Falles – Thongbridge – listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Thomas.W.Fieldsend – Albert Place Thongbridge .In June 1915, the Express listed his name in a ROH for local lads from around the Holme Valley who had recently enlisted in the Huddersfield Battery. He was also listed in the October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH
2nd. Lieutenant C.S.Floyd : Charles Sykes Floyd was born on 9/9/1885 and baptised on 17/10/1886. His parents were John Peel Floyd Esq. J.P. and Ellen Gaskell of Roseleigh . He was in the 1/5 West Riding Regiment and was wounded for the second time on August 4 by a shell splinter above the knee. Although the wound was not serious he was at No.24 Casualty Clearing Station. In November 1915 the Express reported that he had attended the 15th. Red Cross Tea that month.
Eric Gaskell Floyd : He was born on 13/9/86 and baptised on 17/10/86. He was the younger brother of Charles Sykes Floyd. The Express reported in December 1917 that Quarter Master and Hon. Lieut. E.G.Floyd had been promoted to the rank of Hon. Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps.
T.Foster ( Thongsbridge ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Private L.Green. MGC. He was the son of Mr.& Mrs. A.Green, Muslin Hall, Thongsbridge. He was wounded in Mesopotamia. Prior to enlisting two years earlier, he had been the organist at Wooldale Wesleyan Chapel.
Driver N.Haigh ; The only reference I could find in the 1901 Census was of a N.Haigh, a 14 year old piercer, who had been born in Wooldale and was the grandson of Mary Seddon from Cawthorne. A Norman Haigh ( Netherthong ) appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
William Haigh : Played football for the village team. There are 75 Haighs in the All Saint’s Index of Baptisms and just one Willie, born 09/11/1883, baptised 06/07/1884 whose parents were Walter and Laura from Honley Moor.
H.Hebblewaite – He was a scout in the NT troop
L.Hellawell – Deanhouse. Both the ROH lists from the Express for January 9th. 1915 and October 23rd.1915 included a L.Hellawell. But in the list for October 30th. he was still there but the paper had added a Luther Hellawell. Luther died in the war and was listed on the War memorial in the centre of the village. Were they one and the same ?
Gunner Robert Hinchliffe R.F.A. He was the son of Councillor W.Hinchliffe, Wells Green Netherthong, and the Express reported in October 1917 that he had been wounded in the legs and arm.
Albert Hirst ( Thongsbridge ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Corporal Hubert Hobson.In the 1901 Census there is a Hubert Hobson, aged 11, son of Jonas and Eliza Hobson. There is also a reference in the Holmfirth Express about him sending a letter from the front which was read out at one of the Patriotic meetings.
Private Charles Albert Hobson : In the 1901 Census he was 11 years old and the son of William and Ellen Hobson from Outlane. He was a scout in the NT troop and involved in the United Methodist Church.. As a Private hejoined the 2/5 Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment in March 1916, and in July the Express reported that he was training in the South of England and had sent a letter to the Patriotic Society thanking them for the gift of a camp knife which reminded him of the village and all the friends he had left behind.He went to France in 1917 and was reported missing on May 3 1917 but later wrote that he was a POW and was in hospital suffering from slight wounds in his head and back. He was in hospital for four months and left to work in an iron foundry in Hamelin before he was released. He had to walk 100 miles to Holland. He was one of the leaders of the Peace Celebrations march through the village.
J.Hobson :In the 1901 Census there is a J.Hobson, aged 20 years employed as a finisher, born in Honley and the son of William and Sarah from the village. In the same Census there is another J.Hobson, a 15 year old wool feeder born in Holmfirth but living in Outlane. Parents were William and Ellen Hobson. A J.E.Hobson appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
A.Hollingsworth ( Thongsbridge ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Harry Horncastle. The Express reported in July 1916 that the Patriotic Society had received a letter from Harry thanking them for the gift of a camp knife.There was a Harry born on 16 April 1888 and baptised in the Parish Church on 3 June 1888. His parents were James Henry and Ann from the village and his father was a joiner.
Private Charles Albert Hudson : He was born on 10/11/1894and was baptised on 06/01/1895 and his parents were John Henry and Ann who lived in the village .He was a scout in the NT troop.His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Signaller Charles Albert Hudson : It is highly possible that Albert , also called Charles, is the same person as Private Charles Albert Hobson above . The difference in army ranks could be due to a promotion.
H.Horner :He was a scout in the NT troop. The Express for December 1915 referred to him as R.Horner.
G.Hoyle – Scout/ ex-scout in Netherthong Troop serving abroad.
George Kirwin – Thongsbridge – listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Harry Lawrence: He was born on 1/9/1890 and baptised on 13/10/1895. His parents were Richard and Hannah Elizabeth who lived at Bridge Mill and his father was a Coach-Man. Harry was a scout in the NT troop.
Corporal H.Lawrence. The Express in July 1918 supplied the information that Corp. H.Lawrence RGA, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence,Fern Grove, Thongsbridge had been awarded the Military Medal. Before joining up in November 1915, he was employed at Huddersfield P.O. and was the first of the British Troops to go to Italy.
A.Lawton – Thongsbridge – listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
R.Lee. Scout/ ex-scout in Netherthong Troop serving abroad.
Arnold T.Lee – Thongsbridge – His name appeared in the Express ‘Additions’ list in November 20th. 1915.
A.Lockwood – Scout/ ex-scout in Netherthong Troop serving abroad.
Harry McHugh ( Thongsbridge ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. There is an article in the Express for May 22 1915 that reported he was back home on a short leave and had described to the paper some of his experiences after being wounded. He had enlisted in the 2nd. West Ridings Regiment on August 6, 1914, and, after four months training, he was fit for the front. He was wounded in his left thigh and although his wound was much better the bullet/shrapnel was still embedded.
Wm.Hy.McHugh ( Thongsbridge ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. Possibly brother to Harry.
V. McNish : A F.McNish ( Netherthong ) appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. Maybe same person !! The Express in February 1915 published a letter from Private McNish. ( no christian name ).
Corporal Harry McQue : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Private James Henry Marsden : He was born on 19/4/1895 and baptised on 2/6/1895 and in the 1901 census was listed as 5 years old, the son of George Henry and Rhoda Mary Marsden living in the village ( in the Census ) but Oldfield on the baptismal certificate. His father was a cloth finisher. He was a scout in the Netherthong troop. For five years he attended Holmfirth Secondary School before proceeding to Sheffield University in 1912. On the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the Sheffield University Battalion of the York & Lancashire Regiment and saw service in Egypt and France and received a promotion to Corporal during the war. He was listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH. In July 1916, the Express reported that he had been wounded in the recent offensive and had been admitted to hospital in Birmingham suffering from a bullet wound in his right arm and shrapnel wounds in his left leg. In September they added that he was making steady progress and had been transferred from Birmingham to Royds Hall and had been able to visit Netherthong to see his friends. He was discharged from the army at the end of July 1917 and returned to University and obtained his B.A. with Honours in Modern Languages. He marched in the Peace Celebrations in the village.
Lieut. Harold Matthews was born in Holmfirth but joined the Netherthong Scout Troop in March 1910. He was the first scout in the Huddersfield area to obtain a commission and the first to make the supreme sacrifice. There was a report in the April 3 1915 edition of the Holmfirth Express that the Netherthong Scouts had congratulated their old brother scout, Harold, on being the first scout in the Huddersfield area to obtain a commission.
Rifleman Ben Moorhouse : He was baptised on 30/5/1892 to John and Mary from Oldfield ( Dean Brook ) and his father was a weaver. Ben was in the King’s Royal Rifles and was wounded twice.
Vincent Mosley : He was a scout in the NT troop. Listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Private T.Newall :He was on the staff at the Deanhouse Institute and, after he had enlisted, he sent a letter to the Patriotic Society to say that he was on the headquarters staff at the 4th. Cavalry Brigade. The Minutes of the Deanhouse Institution Committee for February 1916 showed that Newell ( sp?) would be returning to his duties at the Institution as his term of service in the Army was about to expire.
Sergeant Herbert Noble, RFA : He was the son of Mr. Noble the Thongs Bridge station master.The Express for August 1915 reported that Gunner Noble had been promoted to NCO and had recently been the victim of German gas, although only slightly. In April 1917 his parents received a letter in which was enclosed a certificate of merit which read : To Sergeant Fitter H.Noble, 246th.W & R Brigade, RFA. Your Commanding Officer and Brigade Commander have informed me that you distinguished yourself in the field on the 14th. April 1917. I have read their report with much pleasure. It was signed Major General R.M. Percival.
Corporal Norman North. In the December 15 1916 issue of the Express there was a report that a long list of awards to officers, NCOs and men for service had been published in the London Gazette. One of the names was Corporal Norman North ( 21 years ), the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur North, Longwood, and formerly of Netherthong.
E.Phipps – Wilshaw – listed in October 23 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH. His name is also on the 1914-1919 Timber Board ROH in the church of St.Mary the Virgin in Wilshaw.
Private Preston of Deanhouse. The Express reported in June 1918 that Pt. Preston was in a hospital in Lancashire suffering from severe wounds. He went to the colours in mid 1916.
B.Radcliffe ( Thongsbridge ) :His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
A.Rhodes ( Thongsbridge ) :His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Corporal Charlie Ricketts : In In the Index of baptisms for All Saints’Church, a Charlie Ricketts was baptised on 25/12/1870 and his parents, Godfrey and Jane, were from Deanhouse with his father being a Clothier. However in the 1901 census, there was a Charlie Ricketts, listed as 25 years old and married, who lit the bonfire at Wolfstone Heights at the end of the Peace Celebrations. An anomaly somewhere?
Albert Roberts. The Holmfirth Express in its May 1915 reported on the very sad death of Albert Roberts of Norridge Bottom. He had been found hanging in the police cells where he had been taken on the charge of being absent from his regiment. After a lengthy inquest, the jury returned a verdict that the deceased had committed suicide by hanging and it was agreed that there was no blame attached to the police. He had been a private in 2/5 (Territorial ) Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. He was 37 years old and had enlisted in 1914. Prior to that he had been a mason’s labourer and a good worker. He was married with four children.
H.Robinson – Could he be H. Rollinson below ??
Harry Rollinson – Thongsbridge – Listed in 23 October 1915 Express ROH.
Joe A Rollinson : Thongsbridge. in the 1901 Census, he was four years old and the son of George and Lucy Rollinson from Mount Pleasant. In June 1915, the Express listed his name in a ROH for local lads from around the Holme Valley who had enlisted in the Huddersfield Battery. He was also listed in the October 23 1915 Express ROH. ( in this list there is a J.A.Rolinson and a J.A.Rollinson – typo error ? ).
Captain J. Rogers :The only reference I could find was for a J.Rogers who was born in 1866 at Torphichen. He was married to Isabella for 20 years , was residing in Netherthong in 1911 and was the manager of a woolen spinning company. Although he would have been in his late forties when war started , if he did enlist it might explain why he was a captain. His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. In October 23 1915 Express ROH he is listed as Major and from Thongbridge.
Private Lewis Russell. The Express in August 1916 reported that Lewis, a motor driver in the Army Service Corps, had sent an interesting letter to the Patriotic Society all about his journeys. In October the Working Men’s Club reported that they had appointed Mr.J.T.Jackson as their representative on the Patriotic Society in place of Lewis Russell who was serving abroad.
Private Herman Sanderson. He was 8 years old in the 1901 census and his parents were Arthur and Jane who lived at Lower Hagg. He was wounded in the war and sent to a base hospital in France. He had three older brothers, Herbert 22, Brook 19, who died in the war and is on the village ROH, and Harold 13.
G.Scholfield ( Thongsbridge ): His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. His parents were George and Jane from Deanhouse.
H.Senior ( Thongsbridge ): His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. There is a Harry Lindley Senior in the baptismal records of the Parish Church who was born on 4/5/1889 and baptised on 7/7/1889. His parents were George and Jane from Deanhouse and his father was a Dyer.
Gunner Senior. The Express reported in July 1916 that a Gunner Senior of 135th. Siege battery had written to the Patriotic Society thanking them for the gift of a camp knife , saying that it was doing its duty and had opened lots of tins. I am not sure how he relates to the names above.
Private Arthur Sewell : He was a former Deanhouse resident and was reported wounded and missing. He was the son of Mrs. A. Sewell, formerly of the Cricketer’s Arms Public House in Deanhouse.
Private Wm.Sewell of the West Riding Regiment was the brother of Arthur Sewell . The Express reported in August 1917 that he had been wounded twice and, after treatment, had again gone back to France.
J.Shaw.In the 1901 Census there was a Joe Shaw, aged 15, working as a piercer. He was born in Meltham to John and Lydia Shaw who lived in Netherthong.
Private John Shore . The Express in April 1918 started a new column titled ” Echoes of the Battlefield ” . In April 20 it reported that a Private John Shore from the village had been wounded and was in a hospital abroad. It added that he had only been at the front for a few weeks.
W.Shore ( Thongsbridge ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. Also in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Wm. Shore – Thongsbridge- Listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Private Norman Smith : Another one of the soldiers who sent a letter from the front to the village.
E.Smith, 19870, Thongsbridge – Listed in Express ‘ Additions’ for November 27th. 1915.
E.Spenser ( Wilshaw) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. There is an Edwin Spenser on the stone/marble 1914-1918 ROH in the church of St.Mary the Virgin in Wilshaw.
Private Walter Stacey. A letter was received in August 1918 from Walter, son of Mr.Walter Stacey of Muslin Hall, who had been reported missing between May 27-30. He said that he was a P.O.W. and was quite well.
Pt. Harry Swallow. No.77684,C Co., 10th.Platoon,1/7 Durham Light Infantry. In June 1918, Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Swallow of Deanhouse received an official message that their son,Harry aged 19, had been reported missing on May 27. The last letter from him that they had received was at the beginning of May. His brother, Frank, was killed in action on August 14, 1917 and his name is on the village ROH.
Arthur Ronald Sykes : In the 1901 Census he was 7 years old and his parents were Arthur and Martha of Netherthong. The Express reported in October 1918 that he had been wounded and was in hospital in England.
Private Ronald Sykes. There is a Ronald Sykes who was born on 27/6/96 and baptised on15/8/97 at All Saints and his parents are listed as William Isaac and Ada Ann from Lindley, with his father being a Book-keeper. He sent a letter from ‘somewhere’ in Belgium to the village about his experiences.
Gunner Eddie T. Sykes: Gunner Eddie Sykes from Deanhouse was gassed and lost his eyesight in August 1917 although the Express did add that it might be temporary. He was a scout in the NT troop and an apprentice with Lawton & Hogley, painters and decorators, Holmfirth . He joined the 168th. Holme Valley Battery and was later transferred to the 175th. Battery.
Lieutenant K.Sykes. There was a Lieutenant and Adjutant K.Sykes1/5 Battalion of Regiment of the Holmfirth Company of West Riding but he appears to be from Upperthong. I shall leave his name on for a while.
J.Sykes (1855 ) ( Netherthong ) : His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Private Harry Swallow. In August 1918, Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Swallow of Deanhouse received a message from their son Harry of the DLI that he was a POW. He started his letter – I am just dropping a line or two to let you know I am alive and well but am still in bed ( an indication that he had been wounded ).
E.Thacken (2489 ) Wilshaw : Listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH
T.Thorpe ( 1086 ) – Wilshaw– Listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH
N.Thorpe ( 2583 ) Wilshaw : Listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH.
Pt. Chas Buckley Tinsdall. The Express reported in June 1918 that Mrs. Alfred Tinsdall of Deanhouse had received a communication card from her son saying that her son had been wounded and was a P.O.W. He was first reported missing on April 25.
Private Brook Turner : The Express reported that Mr. & Mrs. A.E.Turner of Deanhouse had received a postcard through the Red Cross Society that their son Brook, of the D.L.I., who had been reported missing on May 27, was now well and a P.O.W. in Germany. In his last letter home he related that he had just had a narrow escape from drowning whilst bathing and being ” fished out ” when going down for the third time.
H.Turton – Wilshaw – Listed in 23 October 1915 Holmfirth Express ROH
J.Wadworth – He was a scout in the NT troop.
Private Harry Walker (27878) : He was the son of the late Mr.& Mrs. Young Walker and, before joining up he was a teamer for Joseph Woodhead & Co., grocers of Giles Street. He enlisted in August 1916 at the age of 20 and was attached to the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment and had come over to France in January 1917.He had been reported ‘ missing’ since May 3 1917, but had written a field card to his sister on April 30 saying he was alright. His friend Signaller C.A.Hudson said he had seen him in the trenches shortly before coming home on leave. On May 19 he sent another field card saying that he was a P.O.W. in Germany.
A.Walton ( Thongsbridge ) :His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army.
Driver E.A.Ward : He wrote a letter from the front which was read out at a patriotic Society meeting.
Willie Webster :His name appears in the list of soldiers in the Holmfirth Express ROH issued January 9 1915 serving in the Army. There is a John Webster on the ROH in the Town Square who was his brother.
Gunner Harry Wilkinson. The Express in August 1916 reported that the Patriotic Society had received a letter from him thanking them for the gift of a camp knife. His brother, David, was fatally wounded at Gallipoli 12 months earlier.
Private T. Wilkinson : Haigh Lane, Deanhouse. Before enlisting he was employed at Deanhouse Mills and was associated with the Wesleyan Chapel and the WMC, He served with the Duke of Wellington Regiment was wounded in the thigh and was in base hospital in France. The Express reported in July 1916, that he had sent a letter to the Patriotic Society saying the the gift of a camp knife ‘was just the thing he needed.’ The Express reported in September 1918 that he had been wounded again, this time in the back and foot. and was in Dewsbury Hospital.
Arnold Wimpenny – Express October 30 1915- Addition list. He was born on July 27 1992 and baptised in the Parish Church on August 28 1992. His parents were Albert and Ann from Upper Bridge.
Private J.B.Wood – He was the son of Mr.J.W.Wood, Vickermans Buildings ThongsBridge and, before enlisting, had worked at Rock Mills, Brockholes. The Express in June 1917 reported that he was listed as missing and the following month added that his family had received a letter from him saying that he was a prisoner of war but was in the best of health and unwounded.
Corporal T.Wood. In the 1901 Census he was listed as 26 years old, working as a wool drier. The Holmfirth Express reported in April 1915 that Sergeant Tom Wood, after a brief spell at home, had returned to military duty. In a letter to J.T.Jackson he said that he was helping to guard the railways and had caught a Germanspy. At the Peace Celebrations the Holme Valley Band was conducted by Corporal Wood.
The following details of baptisms and funerals for the three churches that formed the religious life of the inhabitants of Netherthong for so many years are available In the Archive Section of Huddersfield Library . The entries are in alphabetical order and were compiled by the Huddersfield & District Family History Society.
Wesleyan Chapel : Baptisms – 1784 – 1956.
Wesleyan Chapel : Index of Burials : 1862 – 1940.
Zion Chapel : Baptisms – 1875 – 1981.
All Saints Parish Church : Index of Burials – 1830-1939
2018 is the centenary of the end of World War 1. I have updated my original Chapter on the local lads who served in that War and all their details are in the following Chapter :
Netherthong & its WW1 heroes. Chapter updated 2017.
The reason for having this abbreviated new chapter is ,that when you log onto the website, it will show up as the latest chapter and hopefully interest you to go to the linking Chapter.
The history of the various floods that occurred in the Holme Valley and Holmfirth is well documented and it is not the purpose of this chapter to re-visit that information. However those floods must have impacted in numerous ways on the inhabitants of Netherthong. Some may have had friends or relatives in the stricken areas, many helped to raise funds for flood relief , others would have traveled down New Road to see if they could be of any assistance and others would have gone simply just to ‘look’.
The involvement would have more likely on the days following the Great Flood of 29 May 1944, which was at its worst between 6.30pm and 7.00pm. It occurred just over 73 years ago, so if there are any eye witnesses living today they would have been children or teenagers at the time. However many years ago, when I first started researching and writing the history of the village, I interviewed a lovely lady who lived in one of the cottages in Outlane. Her name was Nancy Millican and, among the items of local history she shared with me, she said that she remembered having gone to the theatre in Holmfirth on that Whit-Monday with her mother and returning home along the Huddersfield Road and seeing the waters flooding down the roads . They were near enough to New Road not to be in any real danger.
It would have made great copy if she had said that the floodwaters chased them, lapping at their heels all the way and that they just managed to get to New Road and scramble up the hill to safety with the waters trying to suck them back down…..
A recent visitor to the website, Margaret H, supplied me with some super photographs of the village and the school and also eight photographs of Holmfirth, two taken before the flood and six afterwards. I make no apologies for including them in this chapter as they may stir the memories of any remaining Netherthongians in the 80-year bracket. The villagers set a target of raising £200 for the Flood Relief Fund by organising various events.
This , my latest chapter, September 2017, lists all the graves in the churchyard of All Saints Church with the surname, christian name, age, burial date, section location and where applicable the letters WH or EV for each one.
WH refers to an inmate of the Deanhouse Workhouse.
EV refers to evacuee.
My thanks to Yvonne Hutson and the Church Council for supplying the information.
There are 2466 graves in the churchyard and I have listed the numbers occuring for each letter of the alphabet along with the most common names where appropriate.
A : 40
B : 343 Beaumont 31 : Bray 23 : Brook 26.
C : 150 Charlesworth 20
D : 120 Dyson 39
E : 43 Eastwood 16
F : 67
G : 114 Greenwood 15
H : 322 Haigh 34 : Hinchliffe 21 : Hirst 48 : Hobson 57
I : 7
J : 43
K : 67 Kaye 21
L : 82
M : 171 Mallinson 37 : Mellor 26 : Moorhouse 19
N : 33
O : 11
P : 76 Platt 17
Q : 3
R : 128 Roebuck 24
S : 264 Sykes 52 : Shaw 19 : Scholfield 20 : Sanderson 23
T : 83 Taylor 25
U : 1
V : 2
W : 276 Wilson 17 : Wimpenny 37 : Wood 40 : Woodhead 41
I have attached the Graveyard section plan below, It is upside down but it makes more sense if you are standing in front of the church with New Road on your left.
I first started researching the history of Netherthong in 2002 and I began to realise, that with the amount of information that was becoming available, publishing it as a book was not going to be the answer. The only alternative was to set up a web site in 2005 and the large number of people who have visited the site and supplied information, memories and photographs has more than justified that decision. What is encouraging is that in July 2017, 12 years after the start, I had a new visitor who had been born in Rob Roy, the house standing by itself on the right hand side of New Road opposite Netherfield Drive, and had corrected the dates of several photographs and supplied a number of her own which are dotted through the various chapters. They include two good photographs of the ” big snow ” in 1947 and some great ones of the school including the school orchestra.
In 2010 Google Analytics was installed and this system records very comprehensive data each time anyone clicks on my History. It includes the number of sessions, the number of users, page views, the pages read per session, the average session duration, the Bounce Rate ( the percentage of single page sessions of which there was no interaction with the site ), the percentages of new sessions and returning visitors. There is a pie-chart comparing these percentages and there is also a moving monthly chart, updated daily, of the number of visitors per day. At its peak there were 500 a month but over the years that number has steadily dropped to about 250 .( May 2017). As I said in the first paragraph, people are still discovering the site and 70% of the current visitors are first timers.
The Analytics also details the nationality and language groups of the visitors. The UK is obviously top with 72% followed by the U.S. with 20% and Australia, Canada and New Zealand feature as they are countries that villagers would have emigrated to. Other countries on the list include Brazil, Russia, Germany and Italy. Since it was installed there have been over 16,000 visitors to the site, many of whom have been returning visitors, and this figure does not include the people who would have visited the site in the five years from its start in 2005 to 2010 during which time no statistics are available.
I find it hard believe that after 15 years of research just how much information I have accumulated about this delightful little village of ours. The History has a word count of over 230,000 plus 315 photographs, maps and other ephemera and this compares with Moby Dick at 209,117 words, East of Eden at 226,741 and yours and my favourite bedtime read of War and Peace with 544,406 .
The History is split into 76 chapters ( 77 if you count this one ) and, because of the large amount of information in certain categories, I decided it would be appropriate to split them into more easily manageable chapters of between 5,000 to 7,000 words. Crime and Punishment needed to be split into four with the Wesleyan Church , All Saints Parish Church, Football, Deaths, Deanhouse Workhouse/Hospital and Interesting Odds and Bods all being split into two. One exception is A Netherthong Story which is nearly 11,000 words long, much of it written in Yorkshire dialect. ( I’m not sure if anyone has actually read it from start to finish ).
I had taken the information from the 1901 census for Netherthong and, it wasn’t until I had uploaded it into my web site, that I had a feeling it wasn’t complete. I looked back through the whole census data for the area and found that the Ecclesiastical Parish for All Saints was listed under the Civil Parish for Honley. I have included this information under Part 2 and the places include Holmroyd Nook, Miry Lane, Deanhouse, Deanbrook, Hagg and Upper and Lower Oldfield.
The 1901 National Census is the last one that was transcribed to micro-film and retained in the Archives Section of Kirklees Public Library in Huddersfield. Under the 100 year rule, the information for the 1911 Census is available on the Ancestry web-site.
This Census followed the standard pattern with the individual household information being transcribed, in cursive handwriting , onto the master forms. This meant that some of the capital letters were difficult to work out and I have had to resort to using ?? . The enumerator was also very liberal in his use of a black crayon which also on occasions obliterated key information. I have copied faithfully Christian names even though they didn’t seem right to me.
In previous censuses, the word ‘scholar ‘ was used to describe those children at school but it has not been used in this census.
Old Folks Treat /Senior Citizens Feast/ Senior Citizens Club
Netherthong, in common with every village, hamlet etc in England, always cared for its senior citizens. Let’s face it , if you’re not in that group yet you are on the way – it’s just a question of time. Over the years the care has taken many guises, there were Old Folk’s Treats, an annual Senior Citizens Feast and a Senior Citizens Club that met regularly, normally fortnightly, with a wide range of activities. Having said that, a public meeting, held in March 1957 to consider the formation of a Good Companions Club for people of pensionable age, made some progress but the attendance was disappointing. It appeared that few people in Netherthong were prepared to work for their elders and Mr.J.Burton of Leas Avenue was hoping to get volunteers. Nothing further was reported but as you read on , there was a Senior Citizens Club set up in 1973.
Old Folks Treat
December 1924 was a red letter day for many residents in the village. A treat for all residents aged 60 years and over was promoted and turned out to be a decided success. Good weather prevailed and almost 100 villagers made their way to the National School where they were welcomed by their host and hostess, Cllr. & Mrs. W.Gledhill. Motorcars were kindly lent by H.Sanderson, H.Wilson and J.Batley to carry 27 guests to and fro. A good fare of beef,ham and tongue was provided and the local butchers, J.Mallinson and Brook Turner, did the carving. After the food, many of the guests retired to the smoke room where they had the run of a good supply of tobacco. Cllr. W.Gledhill thanked all the people of Netherthong for their generosity towards the event and added that 157 invitations had been sent , there were 121 guests present, 27 teas had been sent out and 9 aged people had been unable to attend. The combined years of the 157 people were 10,300 which gave an average age of 65 years and 7 months. An interesting fact was that a mother and her two daughters with a combined age of 215 years, attended. They were entertained by music provided by the ” Magpies ” which was followed by supper. On leaving each lady received a gift of a 1/4 lb. of tea and the gentlemen were given a packet of tobacco.
A general meeting was held in September 1925 to discuss whether to hold another Old Folk’s Treat and it was unanimously agreed. Cllr.W.Gledhill was re-elected president. Mr.J.Woodhead J.P., Cllr. F.Ogden & W.Batley were appointed vice-presidents and a strong committee was formed with Mr.Lewis Heywood as treasurer and Mr.J.Batley as secretary. Once again it was decided that residents aged 60 years and over should be eligible for the treat.
This second annual treat was held on December 5th. and the more aged and infirm residents were conveyed in cars kindly provided by H.Wilson and B.Batley. 160 invitations had been issued, 111 people had sat down and 37 teas had been sent out to those who could not attend. After grace had been sung by the Quartette Party, the old folk were served with beef, ham and tongue carved by the two local butchers, Jas. Mallinson and Brook Turner. Many of the guests retired to the smoke-room where there was a plentiful supply of tobacco. The tea was followed by a most enjoyable entertainment and, at the close, supper was provided and before leaving each guest received a packet of sweets, a gift from Mrs.Gledhill , and a packet of tea for each lady and an ounce of tobacco for the men both courtesy of the Co-op. Since the first treat a year before, the following 11 old folk had passed away – Mr.R.Mitchell, Mr.R.Russell, Mr.J.Hobson, Mrs.T.Russell, Mrs.Dickenson, Mrs.Sykes, Mrs. Lockwood, Miss Ann Haig, Mrs.Marshall and Mrs.Bainbridge.
There was no record of one being held in 1926 but in 1927, with favourable weather, 93 citizens were present with a further 30 attended to in their homes. It was held in the National School and a sumptious feast was provided after which the ” smoke room ” was a popular venue to retire to.The total years of the guests were 7,854 giving an average of over 65 years. The oldest lady present was Mrs.Charles Hobson and the oldest man was Mr.Fred Hobson. There were lots of speeches and thankyous and each lady received a packet of tea and the men a packet of tobacco. Entertainment followed and, after the National Anthem, supper was handed round and the guests returned home.
A public meeting was held in October 1928 to consider once more holding an old folks treat and it was unanimously agreed to hold one on November 28. Mr.W.Gledhill was re-elected president. The treat followed a similar pattern to previous ones with 90 guests sitting down and teas sent out to 31 residents. Having described the food the previous year as scrumptious , the reporter ,wanting to use a different adjective, decided to go one better and he called the food voluptuous. The mind boggles.
The committee decided that the treat for 1929 would be held on November 16. Mr.V.Gledhill was once again re- elected president with Cllrs. Ogden, Batley, Lockwood and Mr.C.Floyd as vice- chairman. A strong committee was appointed with Lewis Heywood as treasurer and J.Batley as secretary.The actual party was little changed from previous years, 80 guests attended at the National School and meals were sent out to 30 residents. The oldest man , George Sanderson ( 82 ) received a walking stick and Mrs. Roebuck ( 78 ), a shawl.
At the 1930 treat, 80 attended with 40 teas sent out. The knife and fork tea was presided over by Mr.W.Batley, Miss Joan Woodhead, Mrs.R.Trotter, Mrs.Porter, Mrs.H.Hobson and Mr.J.Batley with Mr.W.Gledhill presiding. Mr.J.Batley , the hon.sec., said it was the 7th. annual treat and he presented a walking stick to Joseph Hobson, the oldest man there and a shawl to Mrs.Kenyon. The runners up were Mr.G.Sanderson and Miss Dytch.
The 1931 treat continued the normal pattern with 91 sitting sitting down for food and 34 teas sent out. The combined ages came to 8,565. The 9th. treat in 1932 had 80 attending the event with 36 treated at home. Prizes were given to the oldest – Ladies Mrs. Ingle of Lower Hagg and Miss Dytch. Men S.Horner and Mr.Fisher. Gifts were also presented to those guests who had been married for more than 50 years. The 13th. Annual treat was held in the National School in December1936 , attendance was 80 and teas were sent out to a further 40 who could not attend. Mr. V. Gledhill, the president, and his wife were the host and hostess. The prizes for longevity were given to Miss Mallinson of Deanhouse aged 77 years and Mr. Donkersley aged 80 years. In 1937 the Gledhills were still going strong organising the event and 90 attended with a further 38 others who were unable to attend. The number of years represented totalled 8,700.The taxis were provided by J.Middleton. The prizes for longevity went to Mrs. Carter, Thongs Bridge, and Mr.Ingle from Oldfield.
The very first Senior Citizens Feast was held in the Junior School in November 1973 when more than 130 senior citizens were royally entertained. The tea was provided by Brownies and Guides, Cub Scouts and Scouts and one child was allocated to each senior citizen and the church choir supplied the entertainment. The bulk of the money came from an auction held at the Clothiers and the event was organised by Cllr.W.Carter and Mrs.Houghton was the compere. Mr. David Clark the MP for Colne Valley also attended.
A brass ensemble played carols and hymns at the Christmas party in December 1977 and the members were R.Swallow, K.Mallin, J.Wood, D.Mallin, R.Hall, A. Boothroyd, J.Whitaker and Mrs. M.Mellor with the conductor Mr.W.Kaye. Whist and dominoes were played in the afternoon and the prizewinners were Mrs.E.Sykes, Mr.N. Hinchliffe and Miss Battye. Tea was served by the committee and the evening entertainment was provided by the Heather Singers. Mr.M.Mallinson thanked all the artistes.
Senior Citizens Club
It started life in December 1972 at a special meeting held in the Zion Church Schoolroom when 28 pensioners voted to form a Senior Citizens Club in the village. It would meet every alternate Wednesday afternoon. A large group of volunteers had already come forward to help with the organisation and also to serve refreshments. It was formed under the guidance of County Councillor, the Rev. C.Stott, the resident Meltham Methodist minister, and the Rev.J.Capstick of All Saints. Mr.M.Mallinson was elected chairman and Mrs. S.Kettlewell the secretary. Mr.Raymond Hall, the former village sub-postmaster was appointed as treasurer. Committee members were Mrs. Coldwell, Mrs. Hallas, Mrs. V. Hobson, Mrs. J.Rothwell, Mrs. J. Pell and Mr. Peter Tempest, the Netherthong Scout Leader.
32 members of the Club braved the ice and snow in February 1973 to take part in awhist drive. The winners were Mr.J.O.Sykes and Miss Wimpenny. The next reported meeting was in April when the speaker was the Yorkshire humorist,Mrs.Elsie Houghton, and it was held in the Zion Chapel with 48 members being rightly entertained. Four of the senior citizens, Mrs.Hobson, Mrs. Fallas, Mrs. Horn and Miss Sykes, left the village on June 9 at the start of a weeks holiday at Primrose Valley in one of the coastal caravans provided and maintained by the National Trust for the Welfare of the Elderly and Holmfirth Round Table provided money to meet the cost of food and provisions during their stay. In July over 50 members visited Buxton and Bakewell for their annual outing. Next month they were entertained by junior members of the Honley Silver Prize Band and the Netherthong Brownies made cakes for everyone. The November meeting was well attended and members played whist and dominoes. The winners were Mrs. Littlewood, Mrs. Wilkinson and Mrs. E.Preston. Their first Christmas Party was held in December in the Zion School and it started with a whist and domino drive and the winners were Mrs. E. Horncastle, Mrs. Heppenstall, Mr.F.Germaine and Miss Rentle. An excellent tea was followed by games and the entertainment was provided by Mr.A.Boothroyd and his young brass instrumentalists. Mrs. Simms sang solos and Mrs. Elsie Houghton, Mr. Vernon Sykes and Mr. Wylbert Wemp entertained in their own style with songs and recitations in the Yorkshire dialect. Supper was served to bring a great party to its end.
At the first meeting in February 1974, Mr.Mallinson presided and paid tribute to the late Mr.J.Pell and Mrs.M.Hobson who had passed away since the last meeting. 51 members attended the meeting in April when J.N.Charlesworth gave a talk on ” My Scrapbook”. He and Mrs. C. Armitage showed old photographs of local views and events through a spectroscope. The next month was the annual outing and 64 members visited Harrogate and Knaresborough and continued to Wetherby where tea was taken at the Riverside Café. The next report wasn’t until September when the entertainment was given by Miss Sarah Whittaker, Miss J.McRiner, Master Jonathan Whittaker, Mrs.R.Shaw with Miss Dorothy Shaw as the compere. The last meeting was in December when the Netherthong Brownies Park, under the direction of Mrs. J.Rothwell and Mrs.J.Hellawell, gave an excellent concert. Solos were sung by Miss S.Whittaker accompanied by Mrs.R.Shaw on piano. Refreshments were provided and served by the Brownies. Mr. M. Mallinson and Mrs. F. Germaine expressed thanks on behalf of the members.
Their 2nd. AGM was held in January 1975 and the following officials were elected. The joint Presidents were Rev.Capstick and Rev. Stott, Mr.R.Hall was the treasurer, Mr.Mallinson the Chairman with Mr.A.Brook as auditor. The committee members were Mrs. V.Hobson, Mrs.J.Caldwell, Mrs.J.Rothwell, Mrs. S.Gledhill, Mrs. M.Robinson, Mrs.N.Hinchliffe, Mr.F.Germaine and Mr.J.Wood. Although the Club still met on a regular basis, most of their meetings were not reported in the local paper unless there was something of particular interest. At the May meeting games of whist and dominoes were played and the winners were Mrs.Sykes, Mrs. Fieldsend and Mrs.Hirst. A donation from the Clothiers was used to purchase food parcels which were presented to each member by Mr. & Mrs. D. Scholfield.
The next report wasn’t until January 1976 on the occasion of the AGM. Rev.J.Capstick was elected president with Mr. Mallinson as chairman. There was a new secretary, Mrs. M.Robinson, and she was assisted by Mrs.N.Hinchliffe, Mr.R.Hall continued as Treasurer.The committee members were Mr.F.Germaine,Mr.J.T.Wood, Mrs.V.Hobson, Mrs.J.Coldwell, Mrs.J.Rothwell and Mrs.S.Gledhill. A short service was held in the burial grounds at All Saints when the ashes of Mrs.Amy Bailey were interred in the family grave. She died on December 28 aged 75 and had been a member of the Parish Church Choir for over 50 years. The only other reports for the year were in October giving the prize winners for Whist and Dominoes who were Mr.F.Germaine, Mrs. Woodhouse and Miss H. Buckley. They also planned to have a coffee morning and a bring-and-buy sale at the home of Mrs. & Mrs. McLaren of Giles Street. The Harvest Home at the Clothiers, organised by Mr. & Mrs. Scholfield, raised £105.50 for the Club , the Rev. Capstick conducted the service and Mrs.Shaw accompanied the harvest hymns. Mr. S. Dickenson was the auctioneer.
The 1977 AGM followed the normal format. The President was Rev. J. Capstick, chairman M.Mallinson, Mrs.M.Robinson secretary, R.Hall treasurer and social secretary with Mrs. N.Hinchliffe as assistant secretary. Committee members were F. Germaine, J.Wood, Mrs. V. Hobson, Mrs. J. Caldwell, Mrs. J.Rothwell, Mrs. S.Gledhill, Mrs. M.Sykes and Mrs. D. Horncastle. In the same month the patrons of the Clothiers raised £194.53 which was handed over to the funds of the Club. There were two events in June , the first was a bring-and-buy sale organised by the Club and held in the Zion schoolroom. £51 was raised and handed to the village jubilee fund. 80 members enjoyed a tour of North Yorkshire visiting Harrogate, Ripon, Thirsk and York. There were no further reports for 1977 and the first one in1978 was the AGM in January.The following were elected : Rev.J.Capstick, president, M.Mallinson, chairman, Mrs. M.Robinson, secretary, Mrs. N.Hinchliffe, assistant secretary and Mr.R.Hall, treasurer and social secretary. Committee members Mr.J.Wood, Mr.W.Horton, Mrs.V.Hobson, Mrs. J. Caldwell, Mrs. J.Rothwell, Mrs.S.Gledhill, Mrs.M.Sykes and Mrs. D.Horncastle. Mr.R. Holmes was appointed as auditor. The members stood for Miss Sally Brook and Mrs. N.Charlesworth who had died recently. The traditional Harvest Home in October at the Clothiers attracted a large crowd. A short service was led by Rev.J.Capstick. The produce was auctioned by Sgt.Peter Tempest assisted by Don Stangroom and Robert Scholfield and a record £156 was raised of which £16 came from the money turnip. The proceeds were divided between funds for the Senior Citizens Club and the children’ treat. There was no AGM report for 1979 but at their meeting in March the members stood in silence in remembrance of Mr. H. Littlewood who had died the previous month. In April members were given a ” Sankey afternoon ” presented by Mrs. Hinchliffe, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Ramsden and Mrs. Wilshaw with Mrs. E.Mortimer as accompanist. A vote of thanks was given by Mr.J.Wood. Memories were recalled at the June meeting when Mr.H.Mann presented a selection of slides of Netherthong and Deanhouse taken many years ago by the late Thomas Dyson . Dyson was so well in the area for presenting slide shows on a range of subjects to many of the local organisations that I have given him his own chapter.
At the AGM for 1980 the officers and joint presidents were Rev.J.Capstick and Rev. G. Barrowclough, Mr.J.Wood was the chairman with Mr. W.Horton as vice-chairman. Mrs. M.Robinson was the secretary and she was aided by Mrs. E. Hinchliffe with Mrs. J.Rothwell the speakers secretary. Mrs. E.Kaye was the treasurer. The committee members were Mrs.V.Hobson, Mrs. J.Caldwell, Mrs. S.Gledhill, Mrs. M.Sykes and Mrs. D. Horncastle. The auditor was Mr.R.Holmes. The members stood in memory of Mr. R. Hall , a founder member, who was treasurer and speakers secretary since the formation of the Club. At the March meeting the prizewinners for whist and dominoes were Mrs. Roebuck, Mrs. Lowe and Mrs. Battye. Thanks were expressed to Mrs. V. Hobson, a founder member, who was leaving the district. Children from the primary school , prepared by Mr.S.Whittaker, presented Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to a large audience at the April meeting. Further entertainment was given by Misses S. Chappell and S. Whittaker with a selection of songs to the guitar. Mr.J.Wood thanked the artistes.
Village Feast
In December 1986 the Village Feast Committee held a tea for 92 old-age pensioners in the junior school room. The photograph showed Miriam Roper and William Halford getting a cuppa served by Desra Horncastle, Sylvia Kettlewell and Christine Hampshire. The Illingworth School of Dance and Theatre presented a programme of dance and mime.
Old folk’s tea December 1986.
History of Netherthong, village in West Yorkshire UK
