The Unveiling of Sheffield War Memorial - Barker's Pool

The unveiling of Sheffield War Memorial 
Postcard from my personal collection

Sheffield war memorial was unveiled in a public ceremony at Barker's Pool on 28th October 1925 by Sir Charles Harington, a WW1 veteran and General Officer Commanding Northern Command (who also attended the opening of The Menin Gate in 1927.) The memorial was then dedicated by the Bishop of Sheffield, Leonard Hedley Burrows.

The monument's unusual concept was due to architect Charles Denny Carus Wilson who created the memorial along with the combined efforts of  sculptor George Alexander. Many aspects of it's design are unique, this is likely due to several reasons, one of them being the limited ground space available for it's construction, which prevented the building of a more traditional and substantial sandstone cenotaph. Secondly, unlike other architects who were often responsible for multiple war memorials, this was the only one that Carus Wilson contributed to.

In order to settle on a design, a competition was held for Sheffield based artisans to submit ideas to. Carus Wilson's vision was selected out of  34 entries. Although he was born in Kent, at the time of the contest he was head of the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield. The memorial's design features a 25m flag pole (which is in fact a ship's mast), mounted on a octagonal base which features the likeness of four Tommies. The bronze plinth was sculpted by Glasgow born artist George Alexander, who had ties to Sheffield's metal work industry. The casting was undertaken by Parlanti's bronze foundry in London. The memorial cost a total of £5,345 to erect.

By R Sneath, Paradise Sq. Sheffield,
Postcard from my personal collection

The monument currently stands in a pedestrian area between John Lewis and City hall. Barker's Pool has changed significantly since the memorial's erection, at the time it of it's construction the area on which it sat was a traffic island. This plot of land had been purchased by the council in September 1923, as the intended location for the new City Hall. After much discussion it was decided that the memorial should be situated near the site of the prospected City Hall, to be a companion to it.  In fact it was the City Hall's architect E Vincent Harris, who had judged the war memorial contest. this was done, in part, to insure that the two structures complimented each other and would both fit into the available space.

WW2 Shrapnel damage to the War memorial
and City Hall

Another aspect that makes the memorial unique are the coats of arms which are incorporated into the base, they represent the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and City of Sheffield . Also rather than featuring the names of the fallen, regimental badges are displayed instead . However, it seems there was never any intention for individual names to be included on the monument, Over 5,000 individuals from Sheffield died in the war and there would simply not be enough room for that amount of names on the memorial, Instead a roll of honor was commissioned, to be housed in the City hall once it was built in 1932.

Sheffield Roll of Honour, held in the City Hall
Photos with thanks to KR.

During The Second World War both the memorial and City Hall received shrapnel damage to their stonework, but remained standing. After WW2 the monument was updated to included a dedication to the conflict. The memorial was given grade II listed status on 28th June 1973. In recent years the monument has undergone extensive restoration work.

The top right image on this blog post is number one in a series of postcards depicting the war memorial. Interestingly the postcard was posted on 6th November 1925, only nine days after the unveiling. The publishers were obviously on the ball when it came to getting their postcards printed. (Sadly the corner was damaged in a clumsy attempt to the remove the stamp at some point in the past.) The second postcardis another from my collection, this time a it's a multi-view postcard, depicting three different angles of the memorial, Two of the photographs show either side of the base as well as full length shot of the unveiling ceremony in centre.

Resources__________________________________________________
Historicengland.org.uk - Listing entry
iwm.org.uk - Sheffield City Hall memorial
Rupert Harris - Conservation Ltd
Wikipedia - Sir Charles Harington Harington

Auxiliary Hospitals and Convalescent Homes in Barnsley

During the First World War there were at least two facilities dedicated solely to the care of wounded soldiers located within the immediate Barnsley area. They were the Lancaster convalescent home and Lundwood hospital.

Map showing roughly where the two hospitals were located
Map from Google.

Lundwood hospital was located just under 3 miles east of the town centre, on Lund Lane. It was designated as a class "A" auxiliary hospital, which meant that it cared for bedridden and incapacitated patients. Lundwood had originally opened in 1900 as an isolation ward for smallpox patients. To help with the war effort 66 beds were made available for the treatment of injured service men. After the war Lundwood returned to it's prior use, until it was taken over by the NHS in 1948, at that point it was re-designated to the care of geriatric patients.The hospital closed it's doors for good in 1977.

Lancaster home to is to the right of the Church.
Postcard from my personal colletion

In late 1914 the vicarage of St. Edward the Confessor at Kingstone was given over to the use of convalescing soldiers and renamed 'The Lancaster Convalescent Home'. The vicarage was located on Race Common Road,  just to the south west of Barnsley town centre. The home was named for it's benefactor Edward George Lancaster, who had funded the building of both the church and vicarage in 1902, he also financed the home's running costs for the duration of the war, mostly at his own expense, however, fund raising events were also held to earn money for day trips and treats such as cigarettes for the men. While we don't know how many beds were available, we do know that 562 men were treated there through out the course of the war, this is thanks to  a memorial in the nearby church. Coincidentally the name Lancaster is associated with with the area for a different reason; The Barnsley pals were made up of the 13th and 14th Battalions of The York and Lancaster regiment. Towards the end of March 1919 the Lancaster home discharged it's final patients. The house was then redecorated and made ready for the arrival of the new vicar.

It seems that a stay at the Lancaster was preferable to a bed at Lundwood, as the person writing this postcard makes clear.

Reverse of the previous postcard

Aug 30 1916.

"This is my new residence; - a nice place, much better than Lundwood. Lovely looking, comfortable beds. Infact an ideal place to all appearances. H"

Sadly we don't know the identity of this man or who he was sending the postcard too. But it's a nice little insight into at least one person experience of  both Lundwood and the Lancaster convalescent home.

The Lancaster convalescent home has already been researched in greater depth by KingstoneHistory on the website St Edwards, Barnsley Remembers and also in the book Kingstone Remembers the Great War 1914 - 1918.

The Great War Memorial, Rotherham

Rotherham War Memorial
Postcard from my personal collection

Rotherham war memorial was unveiled at Clifton Park on Sunday 26th November 1922, in a ceremony attended by General Sir Ivor Maxse KCB CVO DSO, He was a senior British Army officer who had served in the First World War, and at that time held the position of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Northern Command.

The monument was designed by local architect Major J E Knight and built by Mr. F. Tory & Sons, along with several other Yorkshire artisans. The memorial stands just inside the park gates, (on the junction of Doncaster Road and Clifton Lane.) The sandstone cenotaph is flanked by a curtain wall to the rear, which bears the names of 1,304 individuals who lost their lives during WW1. The names are inscribed across thirteen bronze panels and are grouped according to the regiment and service in which they served. The centre panel has an inscription which reads:

"1914 Sic virescit industria 1918 

 To commemorate the men of Rotherham

Who during the great war 1914-1918 

Gave the most that love can give 

Life itself 

For God, For King, For Country

And Freedom of the World. "

After the Second World War, the inscription on the main cenotaph was updated to include a dedication to those who died in the conflict, but no individual names were added at that point. It would be almost 70 years before that would occur.  On 19th February 1986 the memorial was given grade II listed status. The inscription on the cenotaph currently reads:

"For

Remembrance

If I should fall think only this of me 

There is some corner of a foreign field 

That is forever England

The World War 1939 - 1945"

In 2015 the names of  a 1,124 individuals who fell in the second world war were added to a separate memorial at the rear of the cenotaph's curtain wall. This memorial was the result of an eight year fundraising campaign undertaken by the Friends of Clifton Park and the Rotherham Advertiser. The group managed to raise £30,000 in donations for the memorial's construction. On Wednesday 16 September 2015 Rev Canon David Bliss led a service of dedication where the new memorial was unveiled to the public.

Peace Celebrations - Masboro, Rotherham

Postcard from my personal collection

This postcard shows peace celebrations taking place in the Masbrough area of Rotherham. A group of children stand in the forefront of the photograph, while the terraced houses in the street behind them are hung with bunting and allied flags. When I look at this photo the first thing that springs to mind is  one single question"How many of those children lost their fathers in the war?" This postcard was originally part of a collection that once belonged to someone who lived on Wortley Road, Rotherham.

Two Munitions Workers Die in 'Raid-Night Tragedy'

Inside the church of St. Andrew the Apostle at  Bolton-upon-Dearne there is the a memorial, which bears the names of two munitions workers, Clara Garbutt and Ella Howitt; Both of  whom sadly died during an air raid one night in April 1918. The two women were employed by John Baker & Co of Kilnhurst, which had operated as a steel works prior to war, but like many other factories of the period, had re-calibrated it's machinery to help with the war effort. By Spring of 1918 their workforce comprised of one hundred and fifty women. The majority of the factory's male employees had either enlisted or been conscripted into the armed forces, In order to fulfill orders and produce the much needed ammunition, women had to fill the vacant positions. It is believed that the factory produce six million shells through out the course of the war.

The Munition Girls, by Alexander Stanhope Forbes, 1918. From a colour transparency in the Science Museum Science Museum Group Collection ©The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

On the night of 12th April 1918 an air raid warning was issued to John Baker & Co. At around 10.30pm the machine shop supervisor David Pilmore watched Ella & Clara leave the works, as the two women left the premises the bright factory lights were turned off, leaving the pair in near darkness. Clara and Ella attempted take their usual route home along the canal towards Swinton Bridge. But the two women were never to make it that far. They were reported missing the following day. The canal was dragged and the bodies were recovered on Sunday morning. Poignantly the women were discovered linking arms, as though they slipped suddenly, with no time to react and save themselves.

The following account is taken from The Mexborough & Swinton Times dated April 20th 1918.

" Mr J. Kenyon Parker held an inquest at Swinton on Tuesday relative to the death of  of Ella Howitt (29), 7 Angel Street Bolton on Dearne, Wife of Pte W. H. Howitt K.O.Y.L.I on active service in France, and Clara Beatrice Garbutt (37) wife of Bernard Garbutt, 16, Angel Street, Bolton-on-Dearne; who were drowned in the canal near the works at which they were employed, on Friday night. They left the works after an air raid warning had been given and were not seen again. They were reported missing the following day,  and as their way home from the works lay by the canal the water was dragged and the bodies of the two women were recovered on Sunday Morning. They were arm in arm and had the appearance of having walked into the canal."

Ella was married to soldier William Henry Howitt who was serving in France at the time of her death. The couple had one daughter named Mabel. Mabel was a month shy of her tenth birthday when her mother died. William survived the war and passed away in 1960 at the age 81. Mabel died in 1985. At the time of her death Clara had been separated from her husband Bernard Garbutt for 12 years. Her body was taken to her sister's house at Swinton shortly after it was discovered. It is not known if she had any children.

St. Andrew's Church Bolton Upon Dearne,

An inquest was held a few days after the incident to establish the cause death. The corner returned "A verdict of accidental death', but advised Baker & Co to make improvements in order to prevent similar accidents from occurring, such as using an alternative evacuation route which did not run by the canal during air raids. The company director, George Baker, also attended the inquest and said "His firm would welcome any suggestion the jury could make for safe guarding their workforce from this danger"

My Baker also took the opportunity to express his "sympathy with the relatives in these cases, and said it seemed terrible that these women who had come forward and worked so splendidly in the hour of the nations need, should have come to such an end"
Mexborough & Swinton Times, 20th April 1918

After the war George Baker commissioned artist Stanhope Forbes to create a painting commemorating the works and it's contribution to the war effort. Each of his employees was giving a framed copy. The piece was entitled 'The Munitions Girls' and looking at the image, it's not difficult to imagine that the two women at the forefront of the painting pushing a trolley of shells could easily be Clara and Ella.

Wombwell Park WW1 Memorial Plaque Unveiling July 2016

The park in Wombwell was created as a memorial garden, dedicated to all the local men who fell in WW1. However there was nothing in the park to signify that was the case, until last year, when the Wombwell branch of the Co-operative Funeral Care funded a commemorative plaque to be mounted on the wall by the park gates. This was done to coincide with the centenary of the Somme. It is believed that around 30 Wombwell men died on the first day of the battle alone.

A ceremony was held to unveil the plaque in July 2016. The event was attended by relatives of the soldiers, the Royal Legion and local school children. The son of a surviving WW1 veteran made an emotional speech and letters written by fallen soldiers to their families were read out. At the end of the ceremony people were invited to place poppy crosses in a flower bed beneath the plaque. It was very touching tribute.

The Friends of Wombwell Park helped to organise the event.

'We are here' outside Barnsley Town Hall

Last year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of  The Battle of The Somme a project named #wearehere set out to create an unforgettable memorial to the those who fell. On the first day alone, 19,240 men were killed. The 1st July 1916 is still considered the bloodiest day in British military history.

Thousands of volunteers dressed as WW1 soldiers appeared unannounced at locations all over the U.K.  Not one of them spoke a word as to their purpose or identity. but instead handed a small card to anyone who approached them.  Each participant represented an individual soldier who was killed on that day one hundred years before.

It was shortly after the Somme remembrance ceremony has finished that the 'soldiers' appeared outside Barnsley town hall, having made their way up Market Hill from the train station. The 'men' sat  on the benches at bottom of the fountains for around 15 minutes before their 'Sergeant' rallied them and they lined up once more and marched back towards the train station.

It was a very poignant tribute, not only to the men who fell at the Somme but to all those who served in WW1. It humanized them and brought to life the thousands of faceless names carved on to Thiepval and other war memorials. These were very real men, the much loved sons and fathers who went off to war and never returned. But always remembered.

It was by sheer luck that I managed to witness this once in a life time event. I had meant to attend the memorial ceremony, but due to my dog's grooming appointment overrunning (of all things) I missed it. I arrived just as everyone was leaving, but decided  to stay and view 'Light Lines', The Barnsley Pals memorial by Musson+Retallick. That way my journey wouldn't have been a total waste of time, just as I was about to leave #Wearehere appeared. I managed to get a few photos. But I didn't approach them as I hadn't heard about the project and mistakenly thought they were part of the ceremony I'd just missed and were waiting for a lift home - (I know, what an idiot!). I'm still kicking myself that I didn't take full advantage of the opportunity but still glad I witnessed it first hand.