Do Domus Historiae mus Historiae · Yorkshire Family History Day Saturday June 27th at the...

April 2015 Volume 23 Number 2 ISSN 0969-87-44

Domus Historiae Domus Historiae JJooururnnalal ooff BBararnnsleysley FFaammilyily HiHissttoryory SSoocciieettyy

17th May 2015 - the centenary of the sinking of

RMS LUSITANIA

Read Jeff Chambers’ article on page 10

Barnsley

Family History Society

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Society Officers and Committee

Chairman John Westerman, 20 Melrose Way, Monk Bretton, Barnsley. S71 2JX E-mail: [email protected]

Vice Chairperson Doreen Piper, 33 Bar Lane, Staincross, Barnsley. S75 6GE E-mail: [email protected]

General Secretary Position Vacant - see page 3

Treasurer Pam Danforth, 2 Mylor Court, Monk Bretton, Barnsley. S71 2BY E-mail: [email protected]

Membership Secretary Elaine Jackson, 7 Honeywell Street, Barnsley. S71 1PR E-mail: [email protected]

Projects Co-ordinator Doreen Piper, 33 Bar Lane, Staincross, Barnsley. S75 6GE E-mail: [email protected]

Publications Officer Jeff Chambers, Oakdene, 26 Brier Lane, Havercroft, Wakefield. WF4 2AP E-mail: [email protected]

Journal Editor Bryan Danforth, 165 Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, Barnsley. S72 7AR E-mail: [email protected]

Sub Editor Maggie Bennett, 18 Porthleven Cresc., Astley, Tyldesley, Lancashire M29 7FZ. E-mail: [email protected]

Bookstall / Postal Book Sales Jacqueline Westerman, 20 Melrose Way, Monk Bretton, Barnsley. S71 2JX E-mail: [email protected]

Searches and Library Phil Edwards, 8 Western Street, Barnsley. S70 2BP E-mail: [email protected]

Programme Co-ordinator John Westerman, 20 Melrose Way, Monk Bretton, Barnsley. S71 2JX E-mail: [email protected]

Webmaster Position Vacant

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Volume 23 Number 2 April 2015

Domus Historiae

JOURNAL OF BARNSLEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

Volume 23 Number 2 - April Quarter - 2015

2 CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT John Westerman 4 FINANCIAL REPORT Pam Danforth 6 EDITORIAL Bryan Danforth

7 WORLD WAR ONE TIMELINE Jeff Chambers

10 R M S LUSITANIA - 1904 TO 1915 Jeff Chambers

13 THE LIFE OF A TOMMY Harold Masters 19 MEMORIES Maggie Bennett 21 COUNCILLOR SAM JONES Jane Ainsworth

25 WHY DUNT THE’ TALK REIGHT Pam Danforth 26 BOOKS ABOUT MEN ON BARNSLEY WAR MEMORIALS (WW1) Jane Ainsworth 28 WORLD WAR ONE - WOMEN WHO SERVED Jane Ainsworth

30 KENNETH GRAHAM 1900 - 1979 A Barnsley Artist Tracey Hebron 33 NEW MEMBERS AND THEIR INTERESTS Elaine Jackson

34 CASES FROM THE YORKSHIRE ASSIZES Jeff Chambers

36 SOCIETY SEARCH SERVICES Inside front cover - LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Inside back cover - DIARY DATES

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CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15

2015 marks the 30th Anniversary of Barnsley Family History Society,

formed in 1985 from what was then Cudworth Family History Society by a

few dedicated people interested in promoting research in family history to

share with like-minded people. Membership fees in 1992 were set at

individual membership £5 and overseas at £7 which had remained held

again for the third consecutive year, Membership in 1992 stood at 77

including 6 overseas members.

My thanks to all the committee for their work throughout the last 12

months. Thanks also to the many members who help setting up and

clearing away equipment on Members evenings.

Pam Danforth our new treasurer has done a remarkable job doing the

accounts, she was very nervous at first but soon settled down and got to

grips with the job and it all worked out well in the end on behalf of the

committee Pam thank you.

The trip to Ripon was a great success, 48 members and friends went along

to visit the old Victorian Police station and Gaol, which is a complex of

buildings in St Marygate. It served as the house of Correction for Vagrants

(1686-1816), Liberty Prison (1816-1878) and Police Station (1887-1956).

The Georgian Courthouse was built in 1830 and was still in use until 1998.

The workhouse, which is close by, was built in 1776. All the guides where

very informative, and gave good insight into Victorian England.

Rob Jackson has decided to step down as General Secretary after 4 years,

he has done a remarkable job keeping the Societies affairs in order no

mean task at times I would like to thank Rob for all his help.

Membership

I am pleased to report that Membership fees have not been increased

since January 2007. Membership fees will remain the same for 2015:

single membership £10; Family membership £12; and £13 for Overseas

memberships. We have 337 members as of February 2015.

Publications and Projects

This year work has continued on the Worsborough, St. Mary’s Church,

Parish Registers and also Silkstone All Saint’s Church, Registers. The

ongoing work will be published by the society throughout the year, please

note on the bookstall and on the Genfair site, that most of our publications

now have a surname index, which is very helpful and seems to be

generating more sales.

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The first phase of the Monk Bretton Monumental Inscription Project headed

by Vicky Myers is now complete and will be published in the near future.

Still to be discussed is the format in which the work will be released. Many

thanks go to Vicky for all your work and expertise on the project. Work will

start on Phase two in Spring/ Summer any volunteers willing to take part

in this project please contact Vicky Myers or Doreen Piper. Many hands

make light work as the saying goes.

Darfield Rate Book 1852 –1864. Checking is now complete and the book

will be published in the near future. This follows publication of the Darfield

Rate Book 1843 – 1846 in 2012.

The Barnsley Indexing Project (BIP.) – Doreen Piper, Projects Co-ordinator

has arranged a meeting with Paul Stebbings and The Registrar, Alison

Herrick to discuss re-starting the project. Transcribing had to stop in 2010

when building work began on the Town Hall.

Last but not least many thanks to all members taking part in the above

projects for their help and commitment. Without volunteers, we could not

produce Booklets and CD’s or provide Data for our search service, which

helps generate income for our Society. Your work is always appreciated.

Family History Fairs

Rotherham Family History Fair is to be held on Saturday June 6th at

the Liberty Church, Station Road, Masbrough S60 1JH, 10.00am to 4.00pm Yorkshire Family History Day Saturday June 27th at the Knavesmire

Exhibition Centre, York Racecourse, YO231EX, 10.00am to 4.00pm

Doncaster & District Family History Society Saturday September 26th

at the Doncaster College for the Deaf, Leger Way, Doncaster DN2 6AY,

10.00am to 4.00pm

Huddersfield & District Family History Society Saturday November

14th at Cathedral House, St. Thomas Road, Huddersfield HD1 3LG,

10.00am To 4.00pm

A. J. Westerman. Chairman

POSITION VACANT

Due to the General Secretary retiring at the A.G.M we would like to ask if

you are interested in the position of Secretary. There are six committee

meetings held each year on the first Tuesday of the month February, April,

June, August, October and December.

If you are interested, please contact John Westerman

[email protected] or ring 01226 218843

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5


BARNSLEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

1. The financial statements have been prepared on an accruals basis which

accounts for income and expenditure in the year in which it has been incurred.

TRUSTEE RENUMERATION

Other than out of pocket expenses, there were no payments or benefits made to

committee members during the year.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Most BFHS generated publications for sale are printed through Oakdene Research &

Publishing, a business owned by Jeff Chambers, a BFHS committee member. This

has been the case for a number of years prior to his joining the committee. A

declaration of personal interest is made at committee meetings and recorded in the

minutes where applicable. All costs are charged to the BFHS through invoice.

STOCK MOVEMENT (PUBLICATIONS & BOOKS)

Stock value at 31 December 2014 £4,265

Stock value at 31 December 2013 £4,508

MONETARY ASSETS

At 31 December 2014 £ 14,438

At 31 December 2013 £ 13,327

Pam Danforth

Treasurer

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EDITORIAL First of all, may I thank you on behalf of Maggie and I (the editorial team)

for the positive comments we have received about the journal.

We may huff and puff a little when it gets near to the deadline but we are

both proud to be part of the process which brings you this publication each

quarter. I think it is a credit to the Barnsley Family History Society

members that we can include some really interesting articles.

In this journal we have a good variety of contributions. Keeping with the

World War One theme, there are a couple of interesting pieces from Jane

Ainsworth. Jane, as well as being a BFHS member, has done some

important work on recording the Barnsley War Memorials. She has shared

some of her research in the past and in this edition she has contributed an

article on Sam Jones who became the first socialist mayor of Barnsley. She

has also contributed a piece about Dorothy Fox, a VAD nurse who cared for

the war wounded. I am sure we will hear more from Jane in the future.

Harold Masters, another BFHS member, has continued his research on his

uncle. We have included the first part of his research and I can promise

you there will be follow up articles.

Tracey Hebron, whose article on Samuel Cooper appeared in the last

journal, has provided us this time with an interesting piece about another

Barnsley native who found fame. Her article on Kenneth Graham is really

worth reading.

Jeff Chambers has once again contributed the time line and an article on

the Lusitania which was sunk on the 7th of May 1915.

I think you will also enjoy reading the article ‘Memories’ contributed by

Maggie, it made me laugh. Pam Danforth, our treasurer, took a lot of

persuading to make a contribution to the journal as she thought no one

would be interested. Judge for yourself when you read the amusing poem

written by her uncle lamenting the decline of spoken broad Yorkshire. It

really played havoc with my spell checker. My apologies to those from

other parts of the world. If it is needed, I will let you have a translation.

Do enjoy reading this edition of the journal and remember that any

research or articles that you find interesting are worth sharing with other

members through this publication.

Editor

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Timeline April 3rd 1915 to June 30th 1915

April 3 Dover Straits barrage completed. April 5-May 5 First Battle of Woevre, France. April 9 General Sir John NIXON relieves General Sir Arthur BARRETT as Commander-in-Chief Indian Expeditionary Force ‘D’ Mesopotamia. April 12-14 Battle of Shaiba, Mesopotamia. April 14 Germans accuse French of using Poison gas near Verdun. April 16 General Tighe succeeds General Wapshare in command of British Forces in East Africa. April 17-22 Capture of Hill 60 (Ypres.) April 19-May 17 The Ottomans besiege the Armenian City of Van. April 22-May 25 The Second Battle of Ypres, which ends in a stalemate. Germany first uses poison gas attack on the Western Front. Casualties total 58,000 Allies and 38,000 Germans. April 22-23 Battle of Gravenstafel. First stage of the Second Battle of Ypres. April 23 British blockade of the Cameroons commences. April 24-May5 Battle of St Julien (Ypres.) April 25 Allied forces land on Gallipoli, landing at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles. 70,000 British, Commonwealth and French troops are under heavy fire. On ‘Y’ Beach, 1,200 out of a force of 1,500 men are casualties. April 25 London Pact between the Entente (England, Russia, and France) and Italy.

April 26 French cruiser ‘Leon Gambetta’ sunk by Austrian

submarine in Straits of Otranto, Adriatic Sea.

April 28 First Battle of Krithia, Dardanelles. The Allied advance

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is repelled.

May 1 Battle of Eski Hissarlik, Gallipoli.

May 1 S.S. ‘Gulflight’ torpedoed, in the Mediterranean Sea

near Sicily, without warning: damaged, but reaches

port. First US ship attacked by German submarine.

May 1-5 The Gorlice-Tarnow offensive begins; the German troops

break through the Russian lines in Galicia.

May 3 Troops withdraw from Anzac Cove.

May 6-8 Second Battle of Krithia. The Allied attempts at advancing are thwarted again.

May 7 The British liner Lusitania is sunk by German submarine ‘U-20’ off Queenstown (now named Cobh) Ireland, with the loss of American lives, creating a US-German diplomatic crisis.

May8-13 Battle of Frezenberg Ridge, part of the Second Battle of Ypres.

May 9-June 18 Second Battle of Artois.

May 9 Battle of Aubers Ridge, part of the second Battle of Artois.

May 10 Troops from Hungary rout the Russians at Jaroslaw.

May 10 Naval Convention signed between Great Britain, France and Italy. May 11 Armistice called at Gallipoli to bury the dead. May 12 South African troops occupy Windhoek, capital of German South-west Africa. May 14 Last meeting of the British War Council. May 15 Lord FISHER, First Sea Lord, tenders his resignation. May 15-25 Battle of Festubert, France. British and Indian troops advance just over 1,000 yards while suffering 16,000 casualties. May 16-June 23 Battle of Konary, Poland. May 23 Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.

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May 24-25 Battle of Bellewaarde, final phase of the Second Battle of Ypres. May 25 The ‘Shell Crisis’ exposes the failings of the British

Government in supporting front line troops. Discontent over rising casualty figures grows and a coalition government is formed as Prime Minister ASQUITH struggles to maintain control of the House of Commons.

May 25 H.M.S. ‘Triumph’ sunk by submarine off the Dardanelles.

May 27 Mr. Winston CHURCHILL, First Lord of the Admiralty,

resigns.

May 27 H.M.S. ‘Majestic’ sunk by submarine off the Dardanelles.

May 28 Mr. Arthur BALFOUR appointed First Lord of the

Admiralty.

May 28 Sir Henry JACKSON appointed First Sea Lord.

May 31 The first Zeppelin raid on London kills seven and injures

thirty-five. British morale is shaken as Germany

demonstrates it can attack the capital at will.

June 4 Third and final Battle of Krithia begins at Gallipoli as

Allies attempt to push inland from their beach-heads.

Another Allied failure with British losses amount to

6,000 men.

June 4 The Russians leave Przemysl, Poland.

June 7 German airship ‘L.Z.-37’ destroyed in mid-air by Lt.

Reginald WARNEFORD, R.N.A.S., near Ghent, Belgium

(first occasion of an airship successfully attacked by an

aeroplane)

June 10-26 Battle of Manzikert, Armenia.

June 21 British troops reach the Euphrates in Mesopotamia, and

re-occupy Aden.

June 21-23 Battle of Bukoba, Tanzania.

June 22 German General August Mackensen breaks again

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through the Russian lines in the Lviv area.

June 23-July 7 First Battle of the Isonzo, Slovenia.

June 27 The Austro-Hungarians re-enter Lviv, Ukraine.

June 28-July 5 The British win the Battle of Gulley Ravine.

June 30 German troops use flame-throwers for the first time

against the British lines at Hooge, Ypres.

June-September The Russian Great Retreat from Poland and Galicia.

Jeff Chambers

RMS LUSITANIA 1904-1915

The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner, built by John Brown & Co., on

Clydebank, Scotland, to a design by Leonard PESKETT (1861-1924)

commissioned and operated by the Cunard Steamship Company. Her keel

was laid on 16th June 1904 and she was launched on 7th June 1906. To

accommodate 563 1st class, 464 2nd class and 1,138 3rd class passengers.

Her maiden voyage out of Liverpool began on 7th September 1907 and

ended in New York on 13th September. Lusitania was the largest, fastest

(46km/ h, or, 29mph) and most luxurious liner in the world at the time of

her launch. Lusitania was the first ship to cross the Atlantic in under five

days. She would make 101 round-trip voyages during her 7 year and 9

month career.

RMS Lusitania arriving in New York on her maiden voyage 13 September 1907

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She set out on her last voyage, commanded by Captain William Thomas

TURNER (1856-1933,) from New York on 1st May 1915, bound for

Liverpool. On board were 1,959 passengers and crew, including 440

women and 129 children. Listed passengers: 290 1st class; 600 2nd class;

367 3rd class and 702 crew.

As Lusitania was approaching St. Georges Channel on the afternoon of 7th

May 1915, south of Kinsale, Ireland, she was hit, without warning, by a

torpedo at 2.10pm., by the German submarine U-20, commanded by

Walther SCHWIEGER (1885-1917). Twenty minutes after the torpedo,

struck under the bridge, Lusitania slid beneath the waves. She had

travelled about two miles from where she had been torpedoed to her final

resting place, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. Fishing boats,

tramp steamers, and Admiralty ships took survivors to Kinsale and

Queenstown.

The liner was carrying a number of Americans, as well as war material,

mainly brass ingots, for the British Army. The sinking of the Lusitania and

resulting deaths (1,196 victims, 128 Americans were among the dead) of

civilians and neutral nationals, aboard the ship is considered one of the

first modern examples of ‘total war’ and a turning point in World War I.

The 764 survivors, and the dead were brought to Queenstown, County

Cork, Ireland, 169 who perished in the disaster lie buried in the Old Church

Cemetery just north of the town. Queenstown was renamed Cobh in the

1920’s.

Diver Jim JARRETT found the wreck in 1935. Lusitania lies at 51°25′N 8°

33′W, about 300 feet underwater and approximately 11 miles south of the

Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland.

Later expeditions reported gaping holes in the wreck. In 1993, Dr. Robert

BALLARD took a trip down to the wreck. The ship was found to be lying on

her starboard side, covering any damage, but the magazine itself

appeared undamaged. The presence of coal on the seabed led BALLARD to

conclude that the ship sank due to the torpedo striking a coal bunker, and

because she was near to the end of her voyage, only dust would be

present, which is highly explosive when shaken and ignited.

Contrary to popular belief, the Lusitania disaster was not the

immediate cause of the United States entering the First World War.

American President Woodrow Wilson had been committed to staying out of

the war; however, the sinking is often credited for turning the then neutral

American public opinion against Germany. They were appeased a little

when Germany eventually apologised for the act, and agreed to return to

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‘restricted warfare’, where they would not attack passenger or merchant

ships in enemy waters. The seeds of anger had been sown, though, and

two years later, when Germany went back on their pledge and sank a

merchant ship, with Americans on board, the United States joined the

Allies and declared war on Germany.

Specifications:

Length overall 787 feet (240 metres)

Beam 87 feet (26 metres)

Depth 60 feet (18 metres)

Gross tonnage 31,550 tons

Service Speed 25 knots (29 mph)

Engines 4 Parsons steam turbines

Boilers 25 cylindrical Scotch boilers

Coal consumed 840 tons a day

References: Simpson, Colin. The Lusitania. Little, Brown and Company, 1972.

Hickey, D & G Smith. Seven Days to Disaster. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1981.

"The Lusitania Sunk." Times 8 May 1915: 9.

"Feared Loss Of 1,500 Lives." Times 8 May 1915: 9.

"The Lusitania Victims." Times 17 May 1915: 5.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobh

Jeff Chambers

New Publications 2015

Silkstone: All Saints’ Church

Baptisms Vols. 15 to 18 (1841-1854)

Contact Jacqueline for volume details, or, look on the Genfair site.

All transcription booklets are available at £2.50 each from:

the bookstall at meetings

Jacqueline at [email protected]

Genfair at http://www.genfair.co.uk/supplier.php?sid=2

13


THE LIFE OF A TOMMY

Continuing the story of Harold Masters, born 22nd April 1894

and died on the Somme 1918.

In the January edition of the Journal we featured an article from Harold

Masters about his uncle (also called Harold Masters). Harold’s research has

been spurred along by the belief that he has to tell this story as it will

eventually become lost to memory as time goes by.

Without a person’s own diary of their

life it is hard to know what that life

was like, sometimes there are

people around who knew them and

the times they lived in and we can

ask those people. Often though, our

only source of information is from

books, newspapers, or other

documents that detail the history of

that period.

The events included here are taken

from the records of the Duke of

Cornwall’s Light Infantry, 1914 to

1918 and from the personal diary of

Private Harry Rawson, an office clerk

who was conscripted into the

Pioneers, D.C.L.I. and served in

France at the front.

This diary came into my hands

almost by accident and I have used

it because my uncle, Harold Masters also served with the D.C.L.I. over the

same period so the diary is relevant to his life and experiences.

First a few words about Harry Rawson. Before being conscripted in 1916

he lived in Haringey, North London, with his wife and small son; he was 39

years old, and if he had been 40 he could have been exempt from service.

The primary role of pioneer units was to assist in tasks such as the

construction of field fortifications, military camps, bridges and roads. The

pioneers in the D.C.L.I. were also involved in the catering and supply of

food to the infantry whilst they were in the front line as well as the supply

of ammunition to the front line.

Harold Masters

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The Pioneers faced danger during their support activities as we see from

one short extract from the diary.

“One night our Company was carrying pickets and barbed wire to a trench

at the other side of MANCHESTER DUMP under heavy shell fire, the bullets

from the machine guns came, whiz and several chums were knocked out

and many wounded”.

It is hard to imagine how Private Rawson adjusted to the change from

quiet office worker to the carnage that all soldiers faced at this time in

this place.

As already recorded in the January Journal, my Uncle, Harold Masters was

born 22 April 1894, in the Summer Lane area of Barnsley, to Thomas and

Sarah Elizabeth Masters. He was the eldest of eight brothers and sisters

born between 1896 and 1914. Sadly three other siblings died at birth.

Thomas and Sarah Elizabeth (known as Elizabeth) were strong

Methodists; duty, responsibility, community, and church were the pillars

that held their society together. From an early age, Harold would have

attended Pitt Street Chapel, and he probably attended St Mary’s Boys’

school on Church Fields. He must have been a good student as he was

well educated, with a deeply religious mind and under his parents’

influence he later began training to be a Methodist preacher.

Harold was born the year that Blackpool Tower opened to the Public, and

Tower Bridge opened to traffic. He was three when the Boy Scout

movement was started by Robert Baden Powell, though we cannot be

sure if Harold was a Boy Scout or not. Bearing in mind the work that

needed doing at home with the business, Harold probably did not have

much spare time for the Scouts! Harold was four when the Boer War

started, nine when Wilbur and Orville Wright took the first powered

aeroplane flight, 18 when the Titanic sank. Queen Victoria died in 1901,

then King Edward V11 ascended the throne and died in 1910 to be

followed by King George V.

Harold’s family moved into 35 Fitzwilliam Street, Barnsley, because the

property had stables to the rear. From here the family haulage business

continued to expand and by 1916, they had a number of horses and one

petrol engine vehicle, this being a French Lacoste. Thomas must have

experienced mixed feelings of anger and loss, as well as pride when the

Government commandeered the only petrol vehicle that Thomas had as

well as some of the horses. Unfortunately the Great War was taking its

toll, infantry losses were such that the Government brought in

compulsory enlistment for men and it is now speculation whether Harold

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followed the horses or whether he enlisted, but either way he ended up in

the Royal Field Artillery with the regimental number of 140670.

Due to the heavy Infantry losses in France, Harold was soon transferred

to the 3rd (Training), Battalion, “The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry”

and issued with a new army number, 28134. The Battalion was based at

Freshwater on the Isle of Wight. At the training area Harold would have

carried out some four to six weeks training before posting to an

operational Battalion. Training as an infantryman was about shooting to

kill the enemy. Bearing in mind that Harold was 22 years old, religious

and educated, it must have been a very hard thing to deal with. Like

Harry Rawson it must have been a shock for Harold to find himself in an

environment of violence, under the control of men who behaved brutally

to their own subordinates.

Harry Rawson’s diary gives us some idea of the training that recruits had

to go through. The initial training must have been very rough and

strenuous, bearing in mind that time was of the essence. How the

individual soldier would have stood up to this would of course depend on

the work he was used to as well as his general physical condition. They

would have been up at 6am, physical drill, parade-ground training, route

marches with full pack, rifle and bayonet practice. One bayonet exercise

was to jump over a trench, which was made wider every day until the

trench was near impossible to jump. There would have been serious

accidents and some men must have fallen on their bayonets suffering

serious wounds, or even death.

Some instructors, sergeants, and even corporals would take advantage of

their positions, and could be over-brutal in the way they treated the men.

If any man complained about anything, he could be marked as a

troublemaker and officers had been known to make life very difficult. The

conscripts would be subject to officers shouting and swearing, using the

foulest of language they would never use in civilian life as it would

probably have earned them a fist in the face! But of course this was the

army, there was a war on, and any retaliation would have meant the

conscript being put on a charge!

Harry Rawson tells us…

“The first morning we were on parade as recruits, we were out for

physical drill and before starting, the Sergeant Major gave us a short

lecture. He commenced something like this. “Now then you B...s you are

in the B... Army now and the first thing that you have to remember is that

we mean to have discipline and cleanliness. Some of you have been tied

to your mother’s apron strings too long and you have come here to be

mastered. If you work with me I’ll work with you but, by God if you

16


don’t…….” and so on.

Of course, this got the wind up us straightaway, and I never personally

forgot it.”

Though every private soldier was entitled to five days draft leave, prior to

finishing training and being sent to the front, many did not get their

entitlement, and of those that did some only had a short time to get home

so didn’t bother. This meant that many families never saw their menfolk

again after they left home to enter initial training.

We must now presume that after infantry training with the Duke of

Cornwall’s Light Infantry Harold went to France sometime in early August

1916. Before transit, infantrymen received active service pay books,

showing payments. During training the pay was 3/- per week (15p,

though usually they had received none of the money due to them. The

infantrymen would have received orders at 6 o’clock in the morning that

they had to be ready by 8 o’clock that same morning with full packs,

ready to go to France. Embarkation would have been from Southampton

by boat to Le Havre, then by train, usually in cattle trucks containing up

to 40 men, compelled to sit in a cramped position for several hours not

having room to stretch their legs. Officers traveled in separate carriages

for their comfort. The infantrymen would not have had any idea where

they were going or when they would get there.

Harry Rawson describes his first night in France:

“It was raining heavily; we marched to a village 12 Kilometers away,

billeted in huts for the night. We were dead tired. Immediately we put out

the lights the rats began running about and they were creeping all over

us. It was an awful sensation, this, the first night, to be able to hear the

sound of the guns and have shells flying about”.

This was the 4th Army, made up of 61st Brigade, the 20th Light Division.

The 7th D.C.L.I. Battalion was split into 4 companies in France and there

is no way of determining what company Harold was in during this time.

The Battalion had been on the Ypres Salient during June and July and at

the end of July moved down to encamp at Mailly Maillet north of Albert,

and this is probably were Harold joined the battalion.

Even in the quietest of sectors, where no battles or trench raids were in

progress, the soldiers underwent a daily drain of casualties from artillery,

trench mortar, and sniper fire, or be buried in a dug-out or blown to

pieces by shells, while some would succumb to mental or physical stress.

The construction of a trench depended a great deal on the location, the

nature of the terrain, and the type of soil where the trench was to be

constructed.

17


The Trenches

In Flanders, the wet conditions made it impossible to dig deep trenches,

the trenches consisted of breastworks of sandbags and wood, raised

above ground level to a height of six or seven feet and could be up to

twenty feet thick. Trenches were generally about seven feet wide at the

top and two to three feet wide at the bottom with a depth of between

seven and ten feet. The parapet at the front of the trench facing the

enemy would have a wall of sandbags running along its top to give the

occupants a little protection against sniper bullets. Lengths of slatted

timber called 'duck boards' would be laid along the floor of the trench

above drainage channels and sumps. Often because of the under surface

it would be impossible to make any drainage and the bottom of the

trench would be a quagmire of mud. Because of the threat of sniper

bullets, routine observation of the enemy was done using a using a

periscope. Everywhere, equipment, ammunition, rifles, etc. littered the

ground and trenches would need to be re-dug regularly.

Living accommodation was very primitive. Small, cave-like structures or

dugouts, sometimes reinforced with timber and corrugated iron and

reached by a short flight of steps offer shelter to officers and senior

NCOs. The majority of soldiers had to make do with a waterproof sheet for

covering. Because of constant barrage from enemy shells/trench mortars,

the trenches constantly had to be re-dug and strengthened. This must

have been a very traumatic job, because of the fact that the last

unfortunate occupant, or at least parts of him would still be under the soil

in the collapsed trench. All around there could be dead bodies awaiting

collection for burial: occasionally a cry from some poor chap lying out in

No Man's Land, wounded would break the comparative stillness of the

night.

The Cornwall’s left Sailly Dell 13 August 1916. After moves by train and

truck they arrived on the 21 August at Morlancourt in down-like country

to a camp called Happy Valley. However, only eight tents per company

were available, which meant that half of the company had to bivouac.

Needless to say we know who had the tents! This mattered little,

however, for the next day the Battalion moved up to the front line

trenches near Guilemont where they relieved the 3rd Rifle Brigade and

the 12th Royal Fusiliers who had made an attack the previous evening

though their objective is not stated. It seems they were only partially

successful, they had "gained and retained the station", Guilemont was

probably the objective.

The Diary of the 7th D.C.L.I. states that the Rifles "suffered severely from

Brompton Dug-Outs": these were in the neighbourhood of Brompton

18


Road, which ran from south-west to northeast just south of the railway

line and the station and along the northern outskirts of the village.

Company Commanders took over the trenches in the morning and during

the afternoon, the Second-in- Command took the Battalion up.

"We got into the trenches without casualties, but found the

accommodation, extremely limited. From this time, until we left the

trenches we were subject to incessant shelling."

The heavy counter-attack, taking place on the 23 August is thus

described by the 7th Cornwall’s: “at about 8.30 p.m. enemy opened a

heavy shell-fire on our trenches and continued the bombardment at high

intensity for about an hour. Then lessened but continued until 11p.m.

At about 9.45 p.m. message was received that enemy were engaged

in bombing our trenches at Brompton Road. Our bombers, working in

conjunction with Battalion on our right, repulsed this attack. During

this bombardment enemy used flares of all colours and descriptions.

The K.R.R. (Kings own Yorkshire Light Infantry) on our right was more

heavily engaged."

It is evident from the above that the cordon round Guillemont was gradually

tightening and that the enemy was making a desperate effort to retain

possession of what was now the mere ghost of a village. The fighting on

the night of the 23rd of August: cost the 7th DCLI the loss of three

officers killed, i.e.2nd Lieutenants A. D. Sowell, W. P. Martin and G. M.

Ward, while Captain L. E. Oudin was mortally wounded and died on

the 24th August 1916. Next day, in the afternoon the 7th DCLI were

relieved and marched back to Carnoy. Their first tour in the trenches

opposite Guillemont had been a terrible experience. Back in Carnoy the

Battalion should have had a well earned rest, but large fatigue parties

were set for work in the front line, as well as for cleaning the bivouacs

and trenches, which, even at this period, were deep in mud.29th August

1916, the Battalion moved into trenches half way between Trones Wood

and Guillemont.

The diary entry stated that they found it “very difficult to locate their

position in sunken road in Guillemont; it is simply, a shattered ruin, no

salient features”.

The Cornwall's had just completed a nine hours fatigue before they began

the relief. Rain was falling and it was cold, they trudged, dog tired along

slippery tracks, thick in mud, across country pockmarked with shell holes,

to the front line. The diary states that the night of the 30th/31st. August,

“men very tired, many of the men developing a form of trench foot.

19


”From a soldier’s diary: “I removed my socks for the first time in three

weeks. They had been soaked through with rain and mud and perspiration

so that it was impossible to take them off in the ordinary way. I had to

cut them and tear them and remove them from my feet in pieces; the

soles were as hard as boards”

4th September 1916, The Cornwall's spent most of it in carrying back the

wounded, of whom large numbers still lay out on the battlefield. Time

was also spent in moving large quantities of dead Germans from the

neighborhood of the sunken road just south of Guillemont, now held by

the Battalion.

DCLI diary 5th September “the Battalion moved back to the Sand Pits

near Meaulte. Thus, Guillemont had fallen, it was no longer a thorn in the

side of the British, though, when it passed into our hands it existed only

on the map, for not one brick remained upon another.”

For Harold Masters and his fellow recruits it had been a hard first month,

with more to follow as the war continued.

Harold Masters

MEMORIES

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favourite 'fast food' when

you were growing up?'

'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.

'All the food was slow.'

'C'mon, seriously.. Where did you eat?'

'It was a place called 'home,'' I explained.

'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down

together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my

plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'

By this time, the lad was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to

suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I

had to have permission to leave the table.

But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood

if I'd figured his system could have handled it:

20


Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore jeans, set foot on a

golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card.

My parents never drove me to school... I had a bicycle that weighed

probably fifty pounds, and only had one speed (slow).

We didn't have a television in our house until I was ten.

It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10

pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the

air at about 6 am. And there was usually a locally produced news and farm

show on, featuring local people...

Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers -

My brother delivered a newspaper, seven days a week. He had to get up

at six every morning.

Film stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the films.

There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly

produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or

almost anything offensive.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want

to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren.

Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?

HOW MANY OF THESE DO YOU REMEMBER?

Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car.

Ignition switches on the dashboard.

Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.

Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.

Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators.

Contributed by Maggie Bennett

21


COUNCILLOR SAM JONES

BARNSLEY'S FIRST SOCIALIST MAYOR

Samuel (Sam) Jones was born in 1870 in Burslem, Staffordshire, to

William and Sarah Jones. He was the oldest of nine children, who were

born in different places as their parents moved northwards most probably

for work.

William Jones, a Coal Miner, was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, and moved

to Burslem, where he married Sarah. The family moved to Worsley, north-

west of Manchester, then Stanley cum Wrenthorpe, Wakefield, then by

1891 to Smithies Green in Monk Bretton. Three of Sam's siblings seem to

have died in childhood but it is difficult to verify details because of the

common surname.

Sam was a Labourer in a Brick Yard by the age of 14 before becoming a

Miner. He was Colliery Checkweighman at Wharncliffe Wood Moor Colliery

and living at 58 Smithies Lane in Barnsley around the time he got married

to Annie Swift at St Paul's Church in Monk Bretton on Christmas Day 1891.

22


Sam and Annie Jones had eight children: Olive, Rowland, Leah, Gladys,

Sylvia, Violet, Trevor and Jessie, who died in infancy.

Annie, who was one of six children of Jeremiah and Martha Swift, had

always lived in Smithies Green, Monk Bretton, where her father was a

Miner. Jeremiah Swift was born in Higham, baptised at Darton All Saints

Church and married at St Mary's Church in Barnsley. Neither parent was

present at the wedding of Annie to Sam Jones as Martha had died in 1882,

aged 52, and Jeremiah died, aged 63, less than 3 months before their big

day.

By April 1911, the Jones family lived in seven rooms at Gilsland House, 36

Rockingham Street, Honeywell, Barnsley, where they would remain until

after the death of Sam Jones in 1935.

Sam Jones played a prominent role in public life in Barnsley for many

years. He was the Labour nominee in North Ward in 1904 and was elected

as one of the earliest Socialist Councillors in Barnsley, serving for over 20

years. In 1914, he became Chairman of the Hospitals Committee and the

same year was lucky to escape unharmed from an accident, in which his

taxi driver was thrown through the windscreen on crashing into a wall

while trying to avoid collision with a motor cyclist, who died.

Alderman Sam Jones was the first Socialist Mayor from 1920 to 1922 and

his photograph is in the Mayors' Gallery in Barnsley Town Hall. After the

First World War he was involved with plans to provide a War Memorial in

Barnsley, an issue in which he also had a very personal interest having lost

his oldest son. Replying to congratulatory speeches in 1922, the Mayor

expounded on several important issues for Barnsley. Sam believed that

the proposed construction of the Scout Dyke reservoir would solve the

water problem of Barnsley for the next few years. He described the

housing problem as a tragedy as, although 473 houses had been provided,

there still remained 1300 homeless families.

He pointed out that the Council had spent £19,000 in relief of

unemployment during the last 15 months; the Government had

contributed £6,000 while paying out £50 000 to the unemployed for

walking about the streets, which was “degrading and demoralising but men

had become hardened in the process”. Sam suggested that the Labour

Exchange should be handed over to the Corporation along with the

£1,100 per week which was being paid so that they could get men back

into employment - those who refused work would get no money. He was

sure that on that basis “nineteen out of twenty of the men would embrace

the offer and gladly erase the stigma which rested on them”.

23


Elected onto the Board of Directors of the Barnsley British Cooperative

Society (BBCS) in 1906, Sam Jones was President from 1933 until his

death - his name is on some of the dedication stones at local Co-op

branches and on a Jubilee tea caddy. The BBCS had started in August

1861 with nine men paying in one shilling a week; the first store opened

in 1862 in Market Street and they moved to larger premises at the junction

of Wellington and New Streets by the October. The Coronation History of

BBCS 1862 – 1902 gives details of the rapid expansion of this organisation

with stores throughout the district, providing many goods, services and

employment opportunities, investment, loans, relief and education, with

reading rooms and evening classes. In 50 years, the membership

increased from 178 to 20,781, capital from £335 to £501,687 and profits

from £88 to £115,292.

Sam was made a JP for the West Riding in 1907, he was an official of the

Yorkshire Miners' Association for 30 years, a member and President of both

the Barnsley Trades & Labour Council and Barnsley Chamber of Commerce

and he was a founder-member and President of the Barnsley Rotary Club.

Sam died at home at Gilsland House on 1 September 1935, aged 66, and

his Obituary was in the Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intelligencer the following

day. He was buried in the Monk Bretton Cemetery, where Annie joined

him seven years later, and their headstone is a memorial to baby Jessie

and older son Rowland, who died serving his country.

Rowland Jones, born in 1895, attended Barnsley Holgate Grammar School

for one year before starting work as an Office Boy Accountant for the

Council.

He enlisted in February 1916, when he

was an Underground Haulage Hand

living at home, and was promoted to

Second Lieutenant in the Duke of

Wellington's (West Riding Regiment).

Tragically, Rowland died of wounds on

13 October 1918, having only been out

in France about a fortnight.

(Details of Rowland are provided in my

Memorial Book in Barnsley Archives).

Olive Jones, the oldest child, was a

Draper's Shop Assistant in 1911.

24


She married Walter Gunhouse in summer 1923 and there are several

family photographs taken at the Reception in the back garden of Gilsland

House. Walter was a Coal Miner and one of nine children born in

Wombwell to Tom and Mary Gunhouse; by 1911 the family had moved to

Cudworth and three of Walter's siblings had died. Mayor Sam Jones sent

an official invitation to luncheon to his future son in law. Olive and Walter

Gunhouse had a daughter Rhona in 1927.

The wedding of Olive Jones and Walter Gunhouse in the summer of 1923,

probably taken in front of their home, Gilsland House.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Tonia and Anthony Devonport for family photos and some details

Various websites

Barnsley Chronicle and Sheffield Evening Telegraph

(for the only photo of Rowland Jones)

Jane Ainsworth

25


WHY DUNT THE’ TALK REIGHT?

Pam Danforth, the BFHS treasurer, has been researching her family for

some time now. She recently found out about her uncle Kenneth Harper

and his talent for writing poems.

Kenneth Harper was born in Barnsley in April 1917. He attended Barnsley

Grammar School and on leaving went to work in the mines. He had trials

for Barnsley FC and eventually played for Walsall winning a cap when he

played for England under 21's. He signed for Chelsea on the day before the

Second World War broke out, which put a hold on his football career. He

married Clara Clarke in 1944. He was always athletic and was often seen

walking around Worsbrough in the '50's wearing a pair of shorts. He also

enjoyed writing and would often submit articles and poems to the Barnsley

Chronicle. Kenneth died in February 1994. This was one of his last poems

to be published.

Why dunt the’ talk reight?

It’s nearly a year

Since we came here

They’re really smashing folk.

But I wished that they used moar Yorkshire talk!

When summat’s reight, they say that it’s true,

There’s no thee nad me, it’s all me and you.

Kids dunt go to school, they all go to school,

And sumbody we’d call a fooil is just called a fool.

Noabody’s ivver “barn tert than”, it’s always “off to

town”;

Summat nivver “drops dahn”, it allus “drops down”.

They say something’s clean, it’s nivver clean –

See what Ah mean?

Ah’ll tellyer wot’s occurred to me –

Unless summat’s dun, Yorkshire dialect is gooin ter

dee:

Even Arthur Scargill when he’s on TV

Duzzent talk like thee un me;

Happence he duz this so that them lot dahn sarth

26


Will know what he means when he opens his marth.

But Seth on ‘Emmerdale’, he really duz us praad,

Brooad Yorkshire cums aht on ‘im by the yard:

But really …

Wheer is there a Yorkshireman wot talks like Amos

Brearley?

So just remember, yo lads dahn t’Dale and dahn t’Bridge,

Keep on talking like yer do cos it’s part of yer ‘eritidge.

Pam Danforth

NOTE

For those who don’t live in Barnsley, the reference to Seth and Amos

Brearley are from a soap opera (which is still running) called Emmerdale

Farm about a farming community in the Yorkshire Dales.

Most people will know who Arthur Scargill is. He was a prominent union

leader from Barnsley who represented the mineworkers during the

Margaret Thatcher years when there was a lot of unrest due to the planned

closure of many pits.

T’Dale and t’Bridge refer to villages near Barnsley (Worsbrough Dale and

Worsbrough Bridge.

Editor

BOOKS ABOUT MEN ON BARNSLEY WAR MEMORIALS (WW1)

Many individuals and local groups have researched the names of men on

war memorials in the Barnsley District and more are underway. If you are

considering researching your local memorial it would be worth checking

first to see if it has already been done as it is a shame to duplicate effort

when there are so many memorials that could be chosen.

(NB I have specified men as I only found one woman listed on the many

memorials in Barnsley Town, Hoyland and Elsecar that I recorded when I

started my work to create a Barnsley Roll of Honour – Dorothy Fox is

commemorated in Barnsley St Mary's Church).

Memorial Books, publications, files exist for the places below (listed in

alphabetical order by town or village and not the order they were produced

27


or with the correct title). Those in Barnsley Archives are highlighted

and most of these are on two dedicated Memorials shelves - it is worth

checking on the Library database. (Some books are for sale and there

may also be information on the internet):

Barnsley Holgate Grammar School

Billingley

Blacker Hill

Brierley

Cudworth

Elsecar

Grimethorpe

Hemingfield

Hoyland

Hoylandswaine

Jump

Kingstone

Mapplewell

Penistone

Royston

Thurgoland

Thurlstone

Thurnscoe

Wombwell

Worsbrough – St Mary's / Combined St Thomas'

and St James'

Research is underway for many others and details of these are on the

Barnsley War Memorial Project website.

Jane Ainsworth

Founder of the Barnsley War Memorials Project

28


WORLD WAR ONE - WOMEN WHO SERVED

DOROTHY FOX – VOLUNTARY AID DETACHMENT NURSE

Dorothy Fox is the first and only woman I have found on any of the

War Memorials that I have researched in Barnsley. Well educated and

from a wealthy family, Dorothy became a nurse in the Voluntary Aid

Detachment, aged 21, on the significant date of 1 July 1916 (the first

day of the battle of the Somme). She died in service just a few days

before the end of the war in November 1918.

Dorothy was born in Barnsley on the 26th September 1894 and baptised

in St Mary’s Church where her parents, Thomas Fox, a wine merchant,

and Mary Emily Tomlinson nee McLintock had been married six years

earlier. Both Dorothy's grandfathers were successful Barnsley

businessmen: James Fox was a wine merchant of Cockerham Hall and

Harbrough Hill House, Barnsley, and Robert McLintock was a

manufacturer.

Dorothy was the fifth of eight children, two of whom had died by 1911.

The family were quite well off as they owned their business and

employed domestic servants. By April 1911, Dorothy, then aged 16,

was a student boarder at Malvern College for Girls in Worcestershire.

Her parents had moved from 25 Victoria Road, Barnsley to Broadstairs,

where her father was recorded in the census of 1911 as being a ‘brewer

employer’, and her brother Charles Fox, aged 18, was a brewer at the

Portland Hotel, Malvern, Worcestershire.

Records show that Dorothy served in Ipswich Hospital for about 18

months, then, after a short period at 4th Northumberland V A Hospital

in Corbridge, she was transferred to the 2nd Western General Military

Hospital in Manchester in October 1917. The Manchester Hospital with

its auxiliaries dealt with more casualties than any other in the country.

Tragically, Dorothy got pneumonia and died at the hospital on 3rd

November 1918, aged 24.

Dorothy's death was reported in the Births, Marriages and Death

Announcements in the Barnsley Chronicle on 9th November 1918:

“FOX: on November 3rd at the 2nd Western General Hospital in

Manchester, Dorothy, aged 24, dearly loved daughter of Thomas and

Mary Fox, Hall Bank, Barnsley”.

Dorothy was buried in Barnsley Cemetery in an area that has several

29


“FOX: on November 3rd at the 2nd Western General Hospital in

Manchester, Dorothy, aged 24, dearly loved daughter of Thomas and

Mary Fox, Hall Bank, Barnsley”.

Dorothy was buried in Barnsley Cemetery in an area that has several

Fox graves. Her name is listed on the beautiful painted column

memorial in the South Chapel of St Mary's Church, where her parents

had married and she was baptised. The columns also list about two

hundred local men, who gave their lives serving their country.

Dorothy's grieving parents paid for a stained glass window,

representing St Elizabeth, St Mary and St Helena to be erected in this

chapel dedicated to their daughter. The plaque read…

TO THE GLORY

OF GOD

And in loving memory of

DOROTHY FOX

Hall Bank, Barnsley, who died

3rd November 1918, aged 24 years,

at the 2nd Western General Military Hospital, Manchester

after over two years faithful and

devoted service as a nurse

in the Volunteer Aid Detachment of the Order of St John

of Jerusalem during the

Great War 1914 – 1918

This window, representing St Elizabeth, St Mary

and St Helena was erected by her Father and Mother

MANCHESTER MILITARY HOSPITAL

The flow of casualties from the various theatres of war soon

overwhelmed the existing medical facilities in the United Kingdom, just

as it did the recently established bases in France and Flanders. Many

civilian hospitals and large buildings were turned over to military use1.

When World War 1 started in 1914, the 2nd Western General Hospital

was established in Manchester where its headquarters was Central High

School for Boys, Whitworth Street. Initially five hundred and twenty

beds were provided at this site but during the course of the war a total

of 25,000 beds came under the one command. This huge number of

hospital beds were scattered throughout Manchester and surrounding

towns, becoming the largest military hospital in the UK2.

30


of 25,000 beds came under the one command. This huge number of

hospital beds were scattered throughout Manchester and surrounding

towns, becoming the largest military hospital in the UK2.

The hospital was housed in a Municipal Secondary School in Leicester

Road, Broughton, Manchester, and described by one of the nurses, Ada

Dodman, as "a huge building". The assembly hall became the largest ward,

where there was a platform and piano, at which Nurse Dodman often gave

the wounded Tommies a tune, and on such occasions they would ask for

"something with a chorus" so they could all join in. This was probably new

ground for Ada, who was a classically trained violinist who had been a

student of the Royal College of Music. By summer 1915, the platform

staged weekly concerts by artistes from the Palace Theatre.

On 20th September 1914 the first ambulance train arrived and the hospital

was treating casualties until long after the end of the war. The nursing

staff was organised by the Principal Matron of the Manchester Royal

Infirmary (MRI). Local hospitals in the East Lancashire area, from Bury to

Chester, gave over beds for use by the military. Over half the beds of the

MRI were filled by casualties from the war and St. Mary’s nearly closed to

the civilian population due to the demands of the military. By 1918 more

than half a million casualties had been treated.

Notes

1. 1914-18.net

2. Rusholmearchive.org.

Jane Ainsworth

KENNETH GRAHAM 1900 - 1979

A Barnsley Artist

Kenneth Graham was born in Yorkshire on 8th February 1900, the only son

of school teacher Thomas Graham (who taught at Holgate Grammar

School) and his wife Lavinia. The family, along with his sister Dorothy,

moved from Leeds to Barnsley in 1911 living at 45 Kensington Road,

Barnsley.

Kenneth took an interest in painting from an early age and it is reported

that he was painting by the age of sixteen, exhibiting and selling work. On

leaving school Graham trained as a Colliery Surveyor later becoming a

Second Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force in the Great War, he married his

31


first wife Leonora Armitage in Barnsley in 1925. Once settled he started to

work at Wood Brothers Glass Company at Hoyle Mill where he soon

became Chief Designer. He was widely recognised as a fine designer.

In 1932 Kenneth produced a large number (believed to be over forty) pen

and ink sketches of Barnsley and the surrounding district. These were

published in the Barnsley Chronicle the same year (number of originals are

in the Cooper Gallery Collection). Many depict landmarks, public houses

and quaint alleyways of Barnsley between the wars, and are of interest to

anyone interested in Barnsley’s history. Favourites include images of

Barnsley Market, the Lamproom Theatre and views of Shambles Street.

Kenneth Graham’s sketch of the Pinfold, Barnsley

32


He wrote of his sketches, “in therefore recording in that year, for the first

time, our town and district by means of pen and ink drawings, the readers

of the Chronicle found many of the subjects to be unique in architectural

beauty and typical of the craftsmen of the district whose workmanship and

artistry had been neglected by all writers and illustrators of Yorkshires

charms”.

He wrote in “The Origin of an Idea” that he felt great pleasure in

contradicting the critical writers of the day, who spoke of South Yorkshire

as a haze of industrial smog and ugly chimney stacks. Graham was

inspired by the Barnsley places he explored and depicted once writing “In

our village churches, manor houses and hidden away in nooks and corners,

we have found beauties we little dreamt of – a window, a tomb, quaint old

yards with fine old associations, a lead spout or splendid carvings left for

our enjoyment by a departed craftsmen”.

Throughout the 1930's Graham exhibited regularly with Barnsley and

District Art Society as well as in other local societies in Wakefield and

Sheffield. He also exhibited at the Royal Academy in their ‘British Artists in

Industry’ exhibition in 1934. Four fascinating paintings depicting glass

blowers can be found in the Cannon Hall Museum Collection in Cawthorne.

A small number of images can also be seen in the collection at Cawthorne

Jubilee Museum.

In 1938 Kenneth left Wood Brothers to take up the position of Creative

Manager at Coty’s Perfumery in London, designing many iconic perfume

bottles. After serving in the Second World War he opened the Da Vinci

Gallery in Duke Street, St. James’, London, working as a picture restorer.

He wrote for various magazines including ‘The Glass Container’ and ‘The

Glass Packer’ and published his own magazine ‘The Collector’.

Later in life he lived in West Kensington and in the 1970s he retired to

Suffolk. He died at Bury St. Edmund's in 1979.

His creativity ran in the family, while researching Kenneth Graham for an

exhibition, volunteer group, ‘Barnsley Art on your Doorstep’, uncovered a

treasure trove of designs for Film and Stage by Sheila Graham the only

child of Kenneth’s. She was an accomplished artist designing costumes for

films such as Captain Horatio Hornblower starring Gregory Peck.

Work by Kenneth Graham can sometimes be found at auctions. In 2012

several paintings were sold at Bonhams Oxford. The people of Barnsley will

remember his talent via the work he left behind and will appreciate a

glimpse into a very different Barnsley from days gone by.

Tracey Hebron

33


NEW MEMBERS and THEIR INTERESTS 1739 Mrs VICKI ANNE HAYNES

44 Winfield Grove

Newdigate

Dorking

Surrey

RH5 5AX [email protected]

Davies Darton South Yorks c1800

Sidebottom Darton South Yorks c1800

Kilburn Worsborough South Yorks c1800

Garbutt Barnsley South Yorks c1800

1802 Mr ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

21 Blackthorn Grove

Fairfield

Stockton-on-Tees

Teesside

TS19 7DG [email protected]

Lockwood Cawthorne/Inbirchworth YKS ALL

Dyson Silkstone/Cawthorne YKS ALL

Jackson Cawthorne/Inbirchworth YKS ALL

Teal Cawthorne/Inbirchworth YKS ALL

Roebuck Cawthorne/Inbirchworth YKS ALL

1803 Mr ROB TAYLOR

1804 MS KAREN LAWSON

11 Sycamore Rise

Nottingham

Notts

NG6 8ST [email protected]

Birkhead Barnsley YKS 1715 - 1900

Corker Knaresborough YKS Pre 1800

Morse East Dean GLS Pre 1850

34


Westhead Barnsley YKS c1800

Evans Barnsley YKS c1800

Shelton DYB Pre 1850

Stocks DYB Pre 1850

Spooner Chesterfield DYB Pre 1850

I would be particularly interested in any old pictures of the ‘Morning Star’

public house, Dobie Street, Barnsley.

1805 Miss SUE CHARITY 1806 Mrs WENDY ROBERTS 1807 Mrs ROBINNA CAMARA 1808 Mr RICHARD WRIGHT 1809 NICKY BLACKBURN 1810 Mr and Mrs C & N MOXON

Elaine Jackson

CASES FROM THE YORKSHIRE ASSIZES

York Castle - Tuesday, December 9th 1856.

Mr. Justice ERLE took his seat upon the bench.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING AT WORSBROUGH.

William MILLS (22) was indicted for having maliciously inflicted grievous

bodily harm upon Charles BUTLER, at Worsbrough, on the 25th of August

last.

Mr. BLANSHARD prosecuted and Mr. JOHNSTON defended the prisoner.

The prosecutor is a platelayer on the Silkstone Branch of the South

Yorkshire Railway, and lives at Kendal Green, near Worsbrough. In July,

he observed the prisoner trespassing on the line, and, in the discharge of

his duty, ordered him off. Some altercation ensued, but the prisoner was

put off the line, and he then pelted the prosecutor with stones. On the

35


11th of August, the prosecutor again met the prisoner, when the latter

wanted to fight.

BUTLER accepted the challenge, but the prisoner declined the combat. The

prosecutor, on the 25th of August, met the prisoner a third time, on a

portion of the line across which there is a public footpath, and the prisoner

said, “Now put me off the line,” to which the prosecutor replied “Go on,

you cowardly rascal, I won’t have anything to do with you. I haven’t

forgotten you throwing stones at me yet.” Almost immediately afterwards

the prosecutor was felled to the ground by a severe blow from the

prisoner, which rendered him insensible. The prosecutor was under the

impression that the injuries he had received were inflicted by a life

preserver and when the prisoner was apprehended, he produced a life

preserver, with which he admitted the blows were given. The prosecutor

was under surgical treatment for three weeks, he having received two

dangerous contused wounds on the left side of the head, two inches long,

and lacerating the scalp down to the bone. The bridge of his nose was also

cut to the bone, and there were severe injuries at the back of his head and

on his shoulders. The prosecutor’s life was considered to be in danger for

six or seven days, and he has not yet recovered from the effects of the

injuries he received.

The defence was that the prisoner had not used the life preserver with a

malicious intent, but that he inflicted the wounds when in a state of

excitement caused by the prosecutor’s aggravating language. A witness

was called to give the prisoner a character, as a man of a quiet, peaceable

disposition.

The Jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sentenced to six years

penal servitude.

Citation

The Leeds Mercury, Saturday, December 13, 1856. Issue 6572.

Contributed by Jeff Chambers

36


SEARCH SERVICES

The Society is offering all its members six free searches during the year. You don‘t

have to use them all at once, they can be spread out over the year. Arrangements

for non-members are unchanged. Phil Edwards

Baptisms

Barnsley Ebenezer

Methodist New Connexion 1862-1973

Barnsley St. George 1832-1844

Barnsley St. Mary 1813-1837

Barnsley Wesleyan 1839-1910

Darton All Saints 1813-1822

Cawthorne All Saints 1800-1844

Royston St. John 1813-1831

Silkstone All Saints and

Bretton Chapelry 1813-1840

Wentworth Wesleyan 1849-1980

Wortley St. Leonard 1813-1856

Marriages





Penistone St. John 1800-1837


Silkstone All Saints 1800-1837

Burials





Dodworth St. John 1848-1934

Hoyland Nether St. Peter 1813-1861

Penistone St. John and

Denby Chapelry 1800-1856


Silkstone All Saints and

Bretton Chapelry 1800-1840

Tankersley St. Peter 1813-1858

Worsbrough St. Thomas 1859-1903

Wortley St. Leonard 1800-1854

National Probate Calendars /

Wills Index 1858 to 1943

Please give full name and year of

death. Because wills were not always

proved immediately we will search up

to three years after the death.

National Burial Index; Third Edition

England & Wales. Please give full name,

year -range and county if known.

Soldiers who died in the Great War

Please give full name and age if known.

1851 Census, Barnsley Area

Please give surname and forename(s) if

known and age. Or request all occurrences of a given surname.

1891 Census, Barnsley

Please give surname and approximate

age. 1891 Search results supplied as

copy of enumeration page.

For searches or enquiries please

contact:

Phil Edwards, 8 Western Street,

Barnsley, S70 2BP

or [email protected]

Please quote your membership number.

If applying by post please enclose a

large SAE (or IRCs.)

DIARY DATES

BARNSLEY F.H.S. PROGRAMME 2015

April 21st GUEST SPEAKER - Barbara Dixon

Lies, Damned Lies and Registrations

May 19th MEMBER’S NIGHT

May 30th SHEFFIELD AND DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY FAIR

THIS YEAR’S EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

June 16th SOCIETY VISIT

June 27th YORKSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY FAIR - Knavesmire Exhibition

Centre, York Racecourse YO23 1EX 10 am - 4 pm

July 21st MEMBER’S NIGHT

August 18th GUEST SPEAKER - Ian Morgan - ‘The Pleasure Palace’

September 15th MEMBER’S NIGHT September 26th DONCASTER & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY DAY - Doncaster College for the Deaf, Leger Way, Doncaster DN2 6AY. 10 am - 4 pm October 20th GUEST SPEAKER - TBA November 7th HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY DAY - Cathedral House, St Thomas’ Road, Huddersfield HD1 3LG. 10 am - 4 pm November 17th MEMBER’S NIGHT

BARNSLEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

This is the official journal of the Barnsley Family History Society, published in January, April, July and October of each year. Please send material for the July 2015 edition to the Editor, Bryan Danforth, 165 Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, Barnsley S72 7AR or email [email protected], by 28th May 2015. The Society accepts no responsibility for the views expressed in the articles published. The right to final editing lies with the Journal Editor. Meetings of the Society are held at Buckley Street Methodist Church Hall, Union Court, Barnsley, on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7.30 - 9.30 pm. There is no meeting in December. Free parking is available and there is full wheelchair access. The venue is within easy reach of Barnsley town centre. For more information visit the website at www.barnsleyfhs.co.uk

Copyright ©2015 Barnsley Family History Society. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction

of any part of this publication is not permitted without the written permission of the editor.

KENNETH GRAHAM

(1900-1979)

A Barnsley Artist

See Tracey Hebron’s article on page 30

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