Albert Harry Rose 1897-1917

Albert Harry Rose

Born:
26 July 1897

Son of:
Harry (Henry) Rose born abt 1859, doctor's collector of 61 Cope Street
married at St John's on 16 August 1894
Alice Charlesworth, born abt 1864

Position in family: The middle of 3 children
1. Agnes Woodruff Rose  born 1895, died 1938.
2. Albert Harry Rose WW1 KILLED
3. Gertrude Winifred Charlesworth Rose born 1900. died 1984

Home address, age and occupation:
1901: 61 Cope Street age 3
1911: 61 Cope Street age 13
1915: 61 Cope Street Age 17 worked at Co-operative 

Marriage: He was unmarried
 
Military Service:
Enlisted: 1915 aged 17
Regiment and Battalion: Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)  6th Battalion
Service number and rank: 266250  Corporal
Awards: Victory and British medals
 
Death: 21 October 1917, aged 20
CWGC Remembered: Arras Memorial  Bay no.6

Remembered:
St John's Barebones WW1 memorial plaque and the Co-operative memorial plaque

Notes:
More information is available about this man on request

Arthur Hepworth 1890-1916

Arthur Hepworth Barnsley Chronicle 17 June 1916
(thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Born:
12th February 1890
Baptised 12th March 1890 at St. Mary’s Church, Barnsley.

Son of:
John Hepworth b.1863 Barnsley d. 1927 Barnsley
1911:  9, Court 4, Church Street,  Barnsley. Stonemason’s labourer for Corporation.
Married at St. Mary’s Church, Barnsley on 29th December 1883.
Miriam Annie (maiden name Carbutt) b. 1862 in Rotherham  d. 1945 in Barnsley

Position in family:  The fourth child of six
Frances Ann     b. 1884   d. 1955
George Henry  b. 1886   d. 1968
Elizabeth          b. 1887    d. 1962
Arthur               b. 1890    d. 1916  WW1 DIED
Ernest               b. 1892    d. 1977
Jeanette           b. 1898    d. 1969

Home address, age and occupation
1891:  9, Court 4, Church Street, Barnsley,   age 1
1901:  9, Court 4, Church Street, Barnsley,   age 11  Schoolboy
1911:  9, Court 4, Church Street, Barnsley,   age 21  Coal leader
1914:  9, Court 4, Church Street, Barnsley,   age 24  worked for F.C. Browne

Marriage: 
Arthur was unmarried.  No children

Military Service:
Enlisted:  28th September 1914 aged 24 at Public Hall
Regiment and Battalion: 13th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, ‘Barnsley Pals’
Service number and rank: 13/505 Private
Training camps 24th September 1914 – 27th December 1915 at Silkstone, Rugeley, Ripon and Salisbury. 
10th to 30th October 1915 in Fovant Hospital, Wiltshire with pleurisy.
28th December 1915 to 10th March 1916, Egypt
11th March to 4th June 1916 France and Flanders (wounded 27th May 1916)
Awards:  British War Medal, Victory Medal

Personal Information:  5 ft 6 ins. Tall, chest 34 ins. Weight, 129 lbs, brown eyes, fresh complexion, black hair
Religion: Church of England

Death:  4th June 1916
Buried:  Beauval Community Cemetery, France
Beauval was the 4th Casualty Station from June 1915 to October 1916
Grave reference:  E 32

Information from Commonwealth War Graves:
Son of Mrs. Miriam A. Hepworth, of 4, Cass Yard, St Mary’s Place, Barnsley

Remembered:
Barnsley, St. Mary’s Church, Combined Memorial
 

Panel on St Mary's Memorial showing Barnsley Battalion names

Arthur's name on the War Memorial in St Mary's Church (photo by ML)

Notes:
Arthur’s death was reported in the Barnsley Chronicle on 17th June 1916.

First Barnsley Battalion Lad - Dies in Hospital from Wounds
Yesterday information came to hand that Private A. Hepworth, of the 13th Y and L Regiment, has died in hospital from would received in action.  He was 26 years of age and the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Hepworth, of 4, Cass's Yard, Barnsley.  Before joining the Battalion he worked at Mr. F.C. Browne's works.

The Rev. T. B. W. Denison, Chaplain, wrote to the sorrowing parents: "It is with deep regret that I have to report that your son of whose serious wounds I have told you died in hospital this morning (June 4th).  He had been slowly sinking for the last two days and in spite of everything possible having been done for him he passed peacefully away in the early hours this morning.  I shall bury him this afternoon in the cemetery where he will be with many of his comrades.  May he rest in peace, and my God comfort and console you in your sad bereavement."

 Arthur’s death also mentioned in an article in Barnsley Pals by John Cooksey
The eye witness account does not match his Active service record which states that he died from wounds after being injured on the battle field.
A photo is included – identical to the one in the Chronicle.

              .............................................................................................................

This story was sent into the Barnsley War Memorials Project by ML who visited Barnsley in 2015 to research Arthur in Barnsley Archives.  We were able to help her find Arthur in the digitised Barnsley Chronicle and showed her his name on our listings of Barnsley War Memorials.  ML then visited St Mary's Church to take her own photos of the memorial.   We are very grateful for the thorough and complete account she submitted to us.  Thank you!

Henry Dyson 1889-1916

Henry Dyson in the Barnsley Chronicle 9 September 1916
(thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Born:
1889 Barnsley
Baptised 30 May 1889 at St John's Church, Barebones, Barnsley 

Son of:
John Dyson b.1851 Barnsley d.1897 Barnsley
1891: 29 Wilson Street, Coal Miner
married at St John's Church on 23 September 1876
Sarah (nee Jackson) b.1853 Barnsley d.1891 Barnsley
(Her sister Elizabeth Jackson married Stephen Denton in 1880, their father was Henry Jackson, a miner)

Position in family: The youngest of at least 7 children (two born before the marriage of John and Sarah, but registered as Dyson and listed as their children in the census)
1. William Dyson b.1872
2. Martha A Dyson b.1875
3. Thomas Dyson b.1877 killed in Monk Bretton Colliery aged 19 in 1896
4. Jane Dyson b.1881 d.1884 aged 3 years
5. John Dyson b.1884
6. Jane Dyson b.1888
7. Henry Dyson b.1889 WW1 KILLED

Home address, age and occupation:
1891: 29 Wilson Street, Barnsley age 2
1901:58 New Street/2 John Street, Barnsley (The Dog and Gun Inn) age 11
1911:16 Lister Square, John Street, Barnsley age 23 Colliery Trammer 

Marriage: 
He was married at St George's on 1 March 1908
to Ada Davison b.1891 (daughter of James and Amelia Davison of Albert Street, Barnsley)

Children:
1. Albert Dyson b.1910 (referred to on 1911 census as 'Halbert')
2. James Edward Dyson b.1911 d.1911 aged 7 months
3. Walter Dyson b.1912 probably d.1912 although no burial found
4. Henry Dyson b.1913
5. Edmund Dyson b.June 1916 d.May 1918 aged 23 months at Beckett Hospital

Military Service:
Enlisted: 1914 at the age of 25 years
Regiment and Battalion: 13th Battalion York and Lancashire Regiment (1st Barnsley Pals)
Service number and rank:  13/236 Private
Transferred to the Royal Engineers in 1915
Service number and rank:  112695  Sapper
Arrived in France: 21 August 1915
Awards: 14/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal 

Death:     14 August 1916 aged 28 
Buried at:   Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont-St.Eloi, France 
Grave Reference:   III.D.19.

Remembered:
Henry is not remembered on any memorial in Barnsley that we are aware of.

Notes:

Dog and Gun Inn, New Street (with thanks to the Tasker Trust)

Henry's parents died in the 1890s and the family was split up. In the 1901 census Henry is living with his aunt Elizabeth Denton and her husband Stephen who was the landlord of the Dog and Gun Inn on the corner of New Street and John Street.  The picture above, from the Tasker Trust website, shows Stephen's name above the door of the pub which dates it between 1894 and 1912.

Henry's Life Story on Lives of the First World War

Henry's death was reported in the Barnsley Chronicle on 2 September 1916.

"Sapper H. Dyson, whose wife and three children reside at 24, Albert Street, Barnley, was killed in action on August 14th by an enemy mine explosion. At the time the deceased enlisted in the 1st Barnsley Battalion he worked at Barnsley Main Colliery and subsequently volunteered for sapping work he transferred to the Royal Engineers."

In the same issue was a death notice from his wife and children:

Dyson - In affectionate remembrance of Sapper Henry Dyson, R. E., the beloved husband of Ada Dyson, who was killed in action, in France, August 14th, 1916, aged 28 years.

Short and sudden was the call,
Of him so dearly loved by all:
His memory still is ever dear,
For oft is shed the silent tear.

'Tis only the wife that knows the sorrow,
'Tis only the widow that knows the pain:
Of losing her husband she loved so dearly,
But hoping to meet at judgement again.

 .........................................................................................

Ada was left with three young children, so it was no surprise to find that she remarried a few years later.  She and Arthur Lee were married in late 1918 - probably in the Register Office.  They went on to have five children together, James, Ada, Ellen, Caroline and Harold.  Unfortunately James and Harold died young.  Ada and Arthur lived to a good age, eventually moving out of the town centre to the new estate at Kendray.  They are buried in Barnsley Cemetery with their two little sons.

Sources for Farrar Street Congregational Church

The War Memorial at Farrar Street Congregational Church, now the Trinity United Reformed Church, bears no names.

Part of the Wall of the Church Hall on Crookes Street (Photo by Nigel Croft, 28 May 2015)

But after some inscribed stones, particularly one with the words "York and Lancs", were spotted on the wall of the Church extension which opened in 1933, research was carried out to see if any of them commemorated Fallen soldiers. There are two which do.  Click on the links to see more information about these men.

Harold Wright
Harry Tock

In the course of the research the following sources for WW1 soldiers connected to Farrar Street Church were also discovered in Barnsley Archives. They were stored as item A/163/3/N which is two cardboard boxes of mixed items to do with the church, such as pamphlets, minute books, baptism certificate books and photographs.

List of "Old Scholars Killed on Active Service" from the 1919 'Coming of Age' Souvenir booklet for the Church.  Names of 6 men killed.

Harold Raymond Oldham Hebdon
Maurice Rowlands
Stanley Thorne
Newby Thornley
Harry Tock
Harold Wright
 
Church produced Christmas Card from 1915 listing 34 names on a Roll of Honour

Lance Corporal Wm Dale Drummer Harold Wright Bandsman Herbert Haigh Corporal Wilfred R Cleverley Sergeant Arthur H Wainwright Pte D. Maurice Rowlands Pte Robert Oakley Pte Clarence Mellor Pte Charles Horbury Pte William Cooper Lance Corporal G Broadhead Pte Stanley Thorne Trooper Gilbert Wheelwright Pte W Hewitt Pte H Field Lance Corporal W Glassby Lance Corporal F Chappell

Pte Walter Thornton Pte H Hydes Sergeant Fred Dobbs Pte Harold Mason Sapper Tom Pashley Sapper Harold West Sapper Lewis Redhall Driver E Percy Hebdon Driver C R Hartley Driver W Peace Trooper Stuart Oldacre Pte E E Parkes Pte Wm Kirk Pte Elliott J Kirk Pte George Scott Pte Alfred Thorne Pte Gordon Turner

Entry in the Church Minutes for 10 August 1920 giving the names of 9 men who were to be listed on their war memorial.  Later it was decided to list no names.

Hebdon, Field, Rowlands, Thorne, F. Broadhead, Tock, Wright, Thornley, Holt

(Assumed to be Harold R O Hebdon, Harry Field, David Maurice Rowlands, Stanley Thorne, Fred Broadhead, Harry Tock, Harold Wright, Newby Thornley and James William Holt.)

Finally a search of the Barnsley Chronicle in April 1915, looking for an obituary for D M Rowlands also turned up a cutting about a sale of work, which not only mentioned Pte Rowlands, but also a long list of other men connected to the church, some of whom are not on the Christmas card Roll of Honour above.

List of men in Barnsley Chronicle 10 April 1915

D M Rowlands (already Killed in Action)
W Dale, Royal Irish Rifles (wounded at Mons)
G Broadhead, W R Cleverley, A H Wainwright, George Scott (Barnsley Battalion)
Harold Wright, H Haigh, C Mellor, W Cooper, A Thorne, W Hewitt, H Field, Lance Corporals W Glassby and F Chappell (all of the 5th Y and L Regiment)
R Oakley, KOYLI
C Hornby, Royal Marines
S Thorne, 10th Highland Light Infantry
G Wheelwright, Yorkshire Dragoons
 

If your local war memorial doesn't have any names on it or it has not survived, don't give up, there are other sources out there, you just have to find them!

Harry Tock 1899-1918

Harry Tock is remembered on the side of the Church Hall on Crookes Street

Born:
1899 in Barnsley, Yorkshire

Son of:
George William Tock b.1866 in Barnsley  d.1939 in Barnsley
1911:  Builder and Stone Mason 29 Fitzwilliam Street, Barnsley
married in the Barnsley Registration District in Q2 1898 (9c 396)
Ada (maiden name White) b.1871 in Thornhill Lees, nr Dewsbury d.1955 in Barnsley

Position in family: The eldest of 7 children
1. Harry Tock b.1899  WW1 KILLED
2. Doris Tock b.1901
3. Fred Tock b.1902
4. Lucy Tock b.1904
5. Hilda Tock b.1905
6. Mabel Tock b.1909
7. George Tock b.1913

Home address, age and occupation:
1901: 25 Fitzwilliam Street, age 1
1911: 29 Fitzwilliam Street, age 11

Marriage: 
Harry was unmarried

Military Service:
Enlisted: **?**
Regiment and Battalion:    1/7th Btn Durham Light Infantry
Service number and rank:  98990  Private
Regiment and Battalion: 9th West Riding Regiment
Service number and rank: 35023 Privae
Awards: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Death:     4 November 1918 aged 19
Buried at:  Romeries Communal Cemetery Extension, France
Grave Reference:  VII. B. 3.

(Harry's parents paid for the dedication, "In Loving memory of our Eldest Son" to be added to his CWGC gravestone.)

Information from Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
Son of George William and Ada Tock, of 33, Fitzwilliam Street, Barnsley, Yorks.

Remembered:
Harry is remembered on an inscribed stone on the side of the Farrar Street United Reformed Church (see above) and on his parents' gravestone in Barnsley Cemetery.

Notes:

Lives of the First World War

This death notice was inserted in the Barnsley Chronicle on 30 November 1918 (thanks to Barnsley Archives).

"Tock - In affectionate rememberance of Pte. Harry Tock, W. R. Regt., the beloved son of George William and Ada Tock, who was killed in action November 4th, 1918, aged 19 years. 
No cards.
Mr. and Mrs. Tock and family sincerely thank all friends for kind sympathy in their sad bereavement.
33, Fitzwilliam Street, Barnsley."

Barnsley Chronicle 6 May 1933 (thanks to Barnsley Archives)

When the Sunday School Hall at the rear of Farrar Street Church was built in 1933 the main contractor was Mr Geo. W. Tock, of Barnsley, Harry Tock's father.  The stone dedicated to Harry is also recorded in a report in the Barnsley Chronicle from 17 June 1933 which lists many of the inscribed stones that commemorate contributors to the Sunday School project.

George William Tock's father, Henry Tock, was also a Stone Mason and originally came from Winterton in Lincolnshire.  The surname Tock seems to come from the Brigg, Goole and Thorne area of North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire. 

Harold Wright 1888-1915

Barnsley Chronicle 1 Jan 1916 (thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Born:
3 July 1888, Horbury Junction, Wakefield, Yorkshire

Son of:
James Wright b.1854 Coseley, Staffordshire d.1935 Barnsley
1911: 62 Station Road, Barnsley; Corn Mill Labourer, Barnsley British Corn Mill
married at Sheffield in Q2 1874
Sarah Ann (maiden name Elliott) b.1856 Sheffield (daughter of Peter Elliott) d.1943 Rawmarsh

Position in family: The fifth of 10 children, two died before 1911
1. Eliza Jane Wright b.1878 Sheffield, Yks  m.1903 to Hanson Webster
2. Nelson Matthew Wright b.1881 Sheffield, Yks  m.1903 to Gertrude Scholey
3. Gertrude Wright b.1883 Sheffield, Yks   m.1905 to John Arthur Carratt
4. John Willie Wright b.1885 Horbury, Yks  m.1911 to Martha Field  WW1 SERVICE
5. Harold Wright b.1888 Horbury, Yks  WW1 KILLED
6. Amelia Wright b.17 Oct 1890 Barnsley, Yks  d.Jun 1893
7. Mary Emily Wright b.1892 Barnsley, Yks
8. Ethel Wright b.1894 Barnsley, Yks  m.1915 to Percy Camplin Hafford WW1 SERVICE
9. Hilda Wright b.1897 Barnsley, Yks  m.1917 to Carl Lowes

Home address, age and occupation:
1891: 37 Stocks Lane, Barnsley; age 2
1901: 55 Farrar Street, Barnsley age 12 Scholar
1911: 62 Station Road, Barnsley; age 22; Corn Mill Labourer, Barnsley British Corn Mill
1914: 3 Derby Street, Barnsley Age 26 Miller's Labourer

Marriage: Harold was unmarried

Military Service:
Enlisted: 1904 age 16 for five years
Regiment and Battalion:    5th York and Lancaster Regiment
Enlisted: 17 August 1914 aged 26
Arrived in France: 28 June 1915
Regiment and Battalion: 1st/5th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
Service number and rank:  2404  Drummer
Awards: 14/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Personal information:   5' 7" tall, 150lbs, 35" chest, normal vision, good physical development

Death:     16 December 1915 age 27
Buried at:  Bard Cottage Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium
Grave Reference:  I.L.7.

Remembered: 
Barnsley, St Mary's Church, Combined Memorial  and on the Barnsley British Co-Operative Society Memorial, Co-Op Funeralcare, Huddersfield Road and on the Barnsley British Co-Operative Society, WW1 Roll of Honour, Co-Op Funeralcare, Huddersfield Road and on a stone outside Barnsley, Farrar Street United Reformed Church.  Also on his baby sister's gravestone in Barnsley Cemetery, in which plot his parents also lie, although they are not remembered on the stone. 

Notes:
Lives of the First World War

In the Barnsley Chronicle 25 December 1915 (available in Barnsley Archives):

Territorial Drummer - Co-operative Employee Killed in Action - Prominent Local Footballer

Week by week the death toll of the Barnsley Territorials becomes larger.  Drummer Harold Wright, whose home was at 3, Derby Street, Barnsley, is the latest victim, having been killed in action last Thursday.  The deceased soldier was well known in Barnsley and held in high esteem by a wide circle of friends.  He went out to France with the first draft of "Terriers" and has been in some tight corners, but up to Thursday of last week he escaped injury.  He was 27 years of age.
In civilian life, Drummer Wright was an employee of the Barnsley British Co-operative Society, being for seven years at the Sackville Street branch and later at the Society's flour mill.  He was a keen football enthusiast and was a playing member of the Farrar Street Sunday School club.
News of his death was conveyed by a letter sent by a comrade, Private Wilmot I Fearn, whose home is at 16, Hilton Street, Stocks Lane, Barnsley. "You have my deepest sympathy (he wrote) regarding the unfortunate death of your son Harold.  We were out together on the night of 16th December as a working party.  We were six yards from each other when the enemy's machine gun started and it was Harold's fate to be hit.  He died a soldier and a man; he always did his duty."

From De Ruvigney's Roll of Honour (available on Ancestry):

A comrade wrote: "Harold was a good chum and a fine comrade; all who knew him spoke well of him, for he had a smiling face and a cheerful word for everyone."

Joseph Swift 1883-1918

Marquis of Granby on Thomas Street (from the Tasker Trust website)

Born:  
1883 in Barnsley
Baptised 4 November 1883 at St John's church, Barnsley
(Abode, Thomas Street, Father's occupation, Publican)

Son of:
Joseph Swift b.1849 Barnsley d.1929 Barnsley
1911: Innkeeper at the Marquis of Granby, 44 Thomas Street
married at St John's church, Barnsley on 4 November 1872 to
Mary Ann (maiden name Nixon) b.1852 in Barnsley d.1902 in Barnsley

Position in family: The fifth of 7 children
1. George Swift b.1874 m.1898 to Eva Wilde, son George Swift b.1899 d.1918 WW1DIED
2. William Swift b.1875 m.1899 to Emily Gee
3. Albert Swift b.1880 d.1962  m.1914 to Caroline Brown
4. Frederick Swift b.1882 m.1907 to Sarah Ann Denton
5. Joseph Swift b.1883 WW1 MISSING/KILLED IN ACTION
6. Ernest Swift b.1885 d.Feb 1886
7. Ernest Swift b.1887

Home address, age and occupation:
1891: 44 Thomas Street (Marquis of Granby Inn) aged 7 Scholar
1901: 44 Thomas Street (Marquis of Granby) aged 17 Stonemason
1911: 51 Summer Lane, Barnsley aged 27 Monumental mason
1918 Absent Voters' List: 7 Moffatt Terrace, Silver Street, Barnsley

Marriage: 
Joseph was married
at St John's church on 20 March 1905
to Agnes Marshall b.1885 (remarried 1921 to George Connor)
 
Children:
1. Mary Ann Swift b.1905
2. Emily Swift b.1908 d.1909

Military Service:
Enlisted: ??
Regiment and Battalion:   King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI)
Service number and rank:  43714 Private
Regiment and Battalion: Rifle Brigade, 2nd Battalion
Service number and rank: 48300 Rifleman
Awards: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Death:     28 May 1918 age 34
CWGC Remembered: Soissons Memorial

Information from Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
Son of Joseph and Mary Ann Swift, of 44, James St., Barnsley; husband of Agnes Connor (formerly Swift), of 79, Summer Lane, Barnsley, Yorks.

Remembered:
Remembered on his parents' gravestone in Barnsley Cemetery

Notes:

Lives of the First World War

No mentions in the Barnsley Chronicle found so far. In the Absent Voters' List of 1918 he is reported missing in the handwritten notes which were added before the election in December of that year.

Harry Brunton Scuffham 1896-1917

Barnsley Chronicle 5 May 1917 (thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Born:
Q1 1896 in Barnsley
Baptised in St John's, Barnsley on 10 June 1896

Son of:
James William Scuffham b.1856 in Fishtoft, Lincolnshire d.1903 in Barnsley
1901:  25 Fleming Street, Barnsley Licensed Cab Driver
married at Long Sutton, Lincolnshire on 6 January 1880
to Sarah Ann (maiden name Fillingham) b.1855 Hertford, Herts d.1932 Barnsley

Position in family: The eighth of nine children
1. Elizabeth A Scuffham b.1881 d.1881
2. Ethel Annie Scuffham b.1883 d.1900
3. John Tom Scuffham b.1885 WW1 SERVICE married 1912 to Kathleen Thornton
4. James Edward Scuffham b.1888 married 1915 to Elizabeth Bell / 1926 to Enid Dawson
5. Madeline Scuffham b.1890 married 1915 to George Ward WW1 SERVICE
6. Joseph Fillingham Scuffham b.1893 d.1893
7. Sarah Annie Scuffham b.1894 married 1914 to William Walker
8. Harry Brunton Scuffham b.1896 WW1 DIED OF WOUNDS
9. Doris May Scuffham b.1899 married 1930 to Frederick Hickling

Home address, age and occupation: 
1901: 25 Fleming Street, Barnsley age 5
1911: 23 Westgate, Barnsley age 15 Colliery Lamp Boy
1915: 23 Westgate, Barnsley age 19 Motor Lorry Driver

Marriage: Harry was unmarried

Military Service:
Enlisted: 10 January 1915 at the "apparent" age of 20 years
Arrived in France: 26 July 1915
Regiment and Battalion:    Army Service Corps 180th Mechanical Transport Coy.
Service number and rank:  M2/033842  Private
Awards: 1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Personal information:   5' 4" tall, 34" chest, 137lbs, good physical development
Religion: Methodist

Death:     17 April 1917 age 21 at the No.1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station
Buried at:  Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension
Grave Reference:  II. E. 71.
 

One panel of names at St Mary's Barnsley
inc Pte H B Scuffham (click to enlarge)

Information from Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
Son of Sarah Ann Smith, of 23 Westgate Barnsley and the late James William Scuffham.

Remembered:
Barnsley, St Mary's Church, Combined Memorial
 
Notes:
Harry's story on Lives of the First World War
 
Harry's death was reported in the Barnsley Chronicle on 28 April 1917.

"Private Harry P. Scuffham, A.S.C., has died of wounds received in action at the age of 21 years. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. James Smith, 23, Westgate, Barnsley and the date of his death is given as April 17th, 1917.  He used to work as a motor driver at Barnsley Main Colliery."

His family had the following death notice inserted in the same edition of the Barnsley Chronicle.

"Scuffham - In affectionate remembrance of Pte. Harry Brunton Scuffham, A.S.C., the beloved son of James Wm. and Sarah Ann Smith who died of wounds April 17th, 1917 aged 21 years.  Memorial service on Sunday, May 5th, at 6pm, at Westgate Wesleyan Chapel.

No mother there did him attend,
No father there o'er him to bend:
No sisters near to shed a tear;
None but his comrades his voice to hear.

He nobly answered duty's call.
His life he gave for one and all:
But the unknown grave is the bitterest blow,
None but an aching heart can know.

From father, mother, brothers and sisters."

Two weeks later further details of Harry's death were reported in the 12 May 1917 edition of the Barnsley Chronicle.

"Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Smith, of 23, Westgate, Barnsley, have received several letters from the front in reference to the death in action of their son, Private H.B. Scuffham, A.S.C., which has already been announced in the "Chronicle".  It appears that death took place in the Clearing Station as a result of a shell wound of the head received the same day.  He is buried in the ____ cemetery and his grave bears a wooden cross inscribed with particulars to his memory.  At the time Pte. Scuffham was mortally wounded he and others were assisting the R.E. and were engaged in greasing their lorries when a shell burst nearby, striking him on the head.  The letters received describe the deceased as having been "a general favourite with everyone."

Thomas Francis Bellamy 1892-1915

1915 wedding photo of Thomas Bellamy and Edith Hammond
(from KH, grandson of Edith)

Born:
June Q 1892 Mortomley, Chapeltown, Sheffield

Son of:
Arthur Frederick Bellamy b.1864 Chapeltown d.1930 Barnsley
1911: Bricklayer of 21 Hoyle Mill Road, Stairfoot, Barnsley
married in Chapeltown on 31 August 1887
Bertha (maiden name Rodgers) b.1864 Mortomley d.1948 Barnsley

Position in family: The second of 7 children (one died before 1911)
1. Ruby May Bellamy b.1891
2. Thomas Francis Bellamy b.1892 WW1 KILLED
3. Constance Bellamy b.1894 d.1896
4. Reginald Bellamy b.1896
5. Frank Chapman Bellamy b.1900
6. Edith Bellamy b.1902
7. Arthur Frederick Bellamy b.1906 d.1928

Home address, age and occupation:
1901: Forster Street, Stairfoot, Barnsley age 8
1911: 21 Hoyle Mill Road, Stairfoot, Barnsley age 18 Engine Fitter, Mineral Water Machinery

Marriage: 
He was married in June Q 1915 in Barnsley District 
(according to KH, a week before he left for France)
to Edith Hammond

Children:
He had no children

Military Service:
Enlisted: in Barnsley
Arrived in France on 13 April 1915
Regiment and Battalion:    1st/5th York and Lancaster Regiment
Service number and rank:  1101  Sergeant
Awards: British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1915 Star

Death:     13 October 1915  aged 23 years
Buried at: Bard Cottage Cemetery, France
Grave Reference: I. L. 27.

Remembered:
He is remembered on his parents' gravestone in Ardsley Cemetery and on Stairfoot, Wesleyan Reform Church WW1 Roll of Honour, Hunningley Lane and the
Ardsley, Christ Church, Christ Church Parishioners - WW1 Plaque 

Notes:
With grateful thanks to KH for bringing the huge photograph of Edith and Thomas into Barnsley Archives so that it could be scanned for us.  Thomas' widow remarried and went on to become KH's grandmother.

Thomas' story on  Lives of the First World War

A death notice in the Barnsley Chronicle on 30 October 1915 read:

Bellamy - In affectionate remembrance of Sergt. T. F. Bellamy, the loving husband of Edith Bellamy, machine gun section 1/5th Y. and L., killed in France October 13th. 

A devoted husband, a faithful friend.
One of the best that God could lend;
He bravely answered duty's call,
His life he gave for one and all.
But the unknown grave is the bitterest blow,
None but an aching heart can know.

Mrs. Bellamy and family sincerely thank all friends for their kind sympathy.

Another, from his parents in the same edition of the newspaper: 

Bellamy - In affectionate remembrance of Sergt. Thos F. Bellamy, Machine Gun Section. 1/5 York and Lancs Regt., the dearly loved son of Arthur F. and Bertha Bellamy, 21 Hoyle Mill Road, Stairfoot, killed in action 13th October, in France, aged 23 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy and family wish to thank all friends for their kind sympathy.

Barnsley Chronicle 30 October 1915 (with thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Lest We Forget.

Thomas Heald Guest 1875-1916

Barnsley Chronicle 22 July 1916 (thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Born:
June Q 1875 Rusholme, Lancashire (Chorlton District 8c 663)

Son of:
Thomas Guest b.1843 Barnsley d.1919 Cheshire
1911:  34 The Downs, Altrincham, Confectionery Manufacturer
He married at St James, Birch in Rusholme on 23 October 1872 to
Mary Jane Heald b.1854 Patricroft, Lancs daughter of George James Heald, Solicitor

Position in family: The second of 2 children
1. Kate Guest b.1874 Cheetham, Lancs
2. Thomas Heald Guest b.1875   WW1 KILLED

Home address, age and occupation:
1881: The Cedars, Lapwing Lane, Didsbury, Lancashire aged 6
Was a pupil at Bloxham School, near Banbury, Oxfordshire between 1886 and 1889.
1891: (unable to trace him in this census)
1901: (served in the Boer War)
1911: 2 Chesham Place, Brighton - married, aged 36, living on Private Means

Marriage: 
He was married to Mabel Ellen Fountain b.1871 Haigh, Yks
on 3 October 1905 at All Saints, Darton, Yorkshire
She was the daughter of Joseph Fountain (d.1904) of Birthwaite and Haigh Hall, Colliery Owner.  Her contact address on his medal card is Ackworth Lodge, Nr Pontefract, Yorks.

They had no children.

Military Service:
Served in the Boer War receiving three stripes and two medals.
Found under Cape Mounted Riflemen on Ancestry being awarded the South Africa Medal and Clasps (1901) for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and the Transvaal.
In 1914 he was made a temporary Second Lieutenant in the First Barnsley Pals.
Promoted to Major in 1915
Regiment and Battalion:    13th York and Lancaster
Awards: British War Medal, Victory Medal.

Death:     1 July 1916 aged 41
CWGC Remembered:  Theipval Memorial, Somme, France

Remembered:
Bloxham School Roll of Honour
Memorial Plaque, St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover
St John's Church, Barnsley - Oak Memorial Tablet

Notes:

Lives of the First World War

Tom's father Thomas Guest snr was also a Justice of the Peace, his grandfather, another Thomas Guest, had been a Grocer on Market Hill, Barnsley in 1861.

After the war Thomas snr, along with Major Tom Guest's widow, paid for work in St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover: replacing the chancel floor with black and white marble and erecting a brass plaque on the oak panelling of the chancel in memory of his son. Liverpool Daily Post 10 Oct 1918

Mary Jane Guest (nee Heald) is living with her father George James Heald in London in 1891 and with her brother Richard Heald in London in 1901 at this time stating that she is a widow living on her own means - but Thomas Guest snr is still alive.  In 1911 she is still in London, as a visitor to a house in Lewisham, she says she has two children still alive.  However I cannot trace Tom's sister Kate Guest b.1874 in any census returns beyond 1881.

Barnsley Chronicle 5 August 1916

The Late Major Guest - 
How the Gallant Officer met his Death

Major Thomas Guest, York and Lancaster Regiment (1st Barnsley Battalion) whose death in action we have already reported, served with distinction throughout the Boer War, receiving two medals and three stripes. He was captured twice and also wounded. A letter received by Mrs Guest, Gorse Crag, Port Erin, Isle of Man, from Colonel Wilford, says:- "He was last seen leading his company into a German trench, and was reported to have been hit in the leg, just as he reached it. I gave him the choice of leading his company, or remaining in reserve. He chose the former. Our Brigadier, who has seen many fights, remarked that he had never seen anything more splendid than the way your husband led his men through the heavy artillery barrage and intense machine gun fire. He showed an example of bravery and devotion which has been unequalled."  Barnsley Chronicle 5 August 1916
                       ...................................................................................

From 'Barnsley Pals' by Jon Cooksey:

"We used to march out as far as Kexborough and on the way back along Wakefield Road we’d have a stop at “The Sportsman” Smithies. Tommy Guest used to have a barrel laid on outside. There’d be a pint for all of us – he was a good old stick!” Harry Hall, 13th Y & L Regiment

With such gestures Second Lieutenant Guest won the respect of Harry Hall and the rest of ‘B’ Company. He quickly became a popular leader, this officer with his peaked cap permanently stuck at a jaunty angle. It would be as a Major, and the Officer Commanding ‘B’ Company that Tommy Guest would be among the first men to leave the assembly trenches when the time came for the Barnsley Pals to attack the German lines on July 1st, 1916.
                   ...................................................................................
 

Walter Swift 1885-1916

In Memoriam Notice in Barnsley Chronicle 21 Apr 1917
(with thanks to Barnsley Archives)

Born:
19 March 1885 (calculated) in Monk Bretton, Barnsley
Baptised 5 August 1888 at St Paul's Monk Bretton, Barnsley

Son of:
Amelia Swift b.1865 in Gawber or Higham, Barnsley d.1931 Hoyle Mill, Barnsley
She married on 30 November 1885 at Monk Bretton, to George Priestley b.1858 Monk Bretton d.1934 Hoyle Mill, Barnsley
1911: Labourer for Navigation on Canal, living at 7 Armin Street, Hoyle Mill

Position in family: 
Only child of Amelia before her marriage, but with 5 half sisters & a half brother
1. Walter Swift b.1885 WW1 MISSING/KILLED IN ACTION
 
2. John Priestley b.1888 d.1889
3. Agnes Mary Priestley b.1889 m.1910 to Thomas Pilling k.1916 at Wharncliffe Woodmoor Colliery, m.1918 Joseph S Hobson
4. Louisa Priestley b.1893 m.1913 to John Worstenholme
5. Norah Priestley b.1897 m. to 1917 Frank Horbury
6. Olive Priestley b.1897 d.1948 unmarried
7. Frances Priestley b.1900

1907 map of Cliffe Bridge showing Jaques Row (from NLS)

Home address, age and occupation:
1891: Cliffe Bridge, Barnsley age 6 (as Priestley)
1901: 2 Jaques Row, Cliffe Bridge, Barnsley age 16 Colliery Pony Driver below ground
1911: 16 Park Square, Off St George's Street, Barnsley age 26 Trammer Grimethorpe Colliery
1914 at enlistment: 10  Mill Street, Hoyle Mill Age 29 Miner

Marriage: 
He was married on 16 July 1910 at St Peter's, Doncaster Road, Barnsley to
Emily Walker b.1889 d.1977 Barnsley

After his death Emily remarried to John William Jackson in 1918.  They had eight children, Mary, Ernest, Mabel, Ernest, William, James, Edith and Thomas between 1919 and 1928.

Children:
1. Arthur Swift b.Q3 1910 d. November 1911
2. Elizabeth Swift b. 26 August 1912
3. Thomas Swift b. 25 October 1914 d. 19 October 1915 of Lobular Pneumonia
4. Walter Swift b. 23 May 1916

Military Service:
Enlisted: 21 September 1914 at the age of 29 years & 186 days
Regiment and Battalion:    13th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment (1st Barnsley)
Service number and rank:  13/890  Private
Awards: British War Medal and Victory Medal

Personal information:   5'4" tall, 36" chest, Brown eyes, Fair complexion, Light Brown hair.

Death:     1 July 1916  age 31
Buried at:   Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines
Grave Reference:  VII. A. 4.

Remembered:
Hoyle Mill War Memorial, Bethel Chapel, Hoyle Mill 

Notes:
You can read more about Walter Swift on Lives of the First World War and on this blog post which investigates the way his body was identified by his spoon.

Extract from the Additional Documents on the CWGC website relating to Concentration - note Titles On spoon

Thomas Arthur Leech 1889-1916

Thomas Arthur Leech (photo via RD)

Born: 
In Chester on 3 September 1889
Baptised at St. Paul’s Church, Chester on 30 January 1890

Son of:
Thomas Leech, a Locomotive Engine Driver and Mildred Maria Leech
Of 19 Cecil Terrace, Chester at his baptism.
Thomas had married Mildred Maria Midford at Plemonstall, Cheshire on 2nd August 1880

Position in family: 4th son of 7 boys and 2 girls.
Note: 1911 Census states 10 children born living 2 have since died
1. Georgina L Leech b c1882
2. George Leech b c1884 d Q3 1896 aged 12 in Chester
3. William Leech b c1886
4. Joseph Leech b c1888
5. Thomas Arthur Leech b 3 September 1889 WWI KILLED
6. Ernest Leech b c1892
7. Nellie Gertrude Leech b c1895
8. Frederick Leech b c 1897
9. Charles R. Leech b c1900

Home address, age and occupation:
1891: 19 Cecil Terrace Chester. Aged 1
1901: 21 Queen Street Chester, Aged 11.
1911: 43 Farrar Street Barnsley Aged 21. Foundry Labourer
1914 on enlistment: 9 Wellington Place, Waterloo Road, Barnsley

Marriage: 
He married Ethel Roberts in 25 August 1913 at Worsbrough Dale Church

Children:
1. Mildred Louvain Leech b 21st February 1915 m. Clifford Armitage Q3 1939

Note: Louvain was sacked by the Germans on 26 August 1914

Military Service: 
Enlisted: 6th October 1914 aged 25 years 33days
Regiment and Battalion:  York and Lancaster Regiment, 13th Battalion, Barnsley Battalion
Service number and rank:  13/576  Private
Trade on enlisting: Blacksmith’s striker
The Victory Medal and the British War Medal were awarded to his widow in 1921.

Home posting 6 October 1914 to 27 December 1915
Expeditionary Force Mediterranean 28 December 1915 to 10 March 1916
Embarked Egypt for BEF 11 March 1916
France 11 March 1916 to 1 July 1916
1 July 1916 Missing in the Field
 
Personal details: 5ft 4 ¾ ins tall: Weight 123 lbs: Chest 34 ½ ins: Complexion sallow: Eyes brown: Vision Normal

Death:    1st July 1916 aged 26. Killed in Action.
CWGC Remembered:  Thiepval Memorial Pier and Face 14A and 14B.

Remembered:
October 2007 at Thiepval

Notes:
The story above has been written and sent to us by Richard Dyson, the great nephew of Thomas Arthur Leech.  The photo of Thomas was provided by K, his grand-daughter whom Richard has been in contact with.

Richard remembers that his mother used to tell him that she lost three uncles in the First World War, Thomas Leech being one of these.  The other two were Peter Finan and Richard Stanley, both on the Worsbrough Dale War Memorial.

Thomas Arthur Leech is mentioned in the recent book by the Worsbrough History Group which contains short biographies of the men on their memorial and of a few more whom they consider should have been included.  Thomas is one of the latter. He does not appear on any memorial in Barnsley that we are aware of.

On 12 August 1916 the following appeared in the Barnsley Chronicle:

"Pte Thomas A Leech, A Co. 1st Barnsley Battalion, has been missing since the Great Advance, 1st July.  His wife, Mrs Leech, of 228 High Street, Worbro' Dale, anxiously awaits tidings."

On 2 September 1916 Thomas' parents also ask for news:

"News is anxiously sought by Mr. and Mrs. Leech, of 43, Farrar Street, Barnsley, regarding their son, Pte. Thomas Arthur Leech, who has been missing since July 1st.  He was in the 1st Barnsley Battalion and before enlisting worked at Messrs. Qualter and Smith's foundry."