MANCHESTER
MEMORIALS’ WALK
“UP THE LINE”
THE LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE
BRANCH OF THE WESTERN FRONT
ASSOCIATION
On a cold October Saturday
(23rd), a group from our
Branch braved the elements
to take in a number of
memorials to men of the
Great War to be found in
Manchester city centre.
Branch Chairman, Terry
Jackson, Surveyor, and Phil
Hamer, Retired Architect,
led the group.
The first port of call was
the
Britannia
Hotel.
Formerly
the
Watts
Warehouse, its lobby has a
typical Charles Sergeant
Jagger
bronze
sentry,
opposite
a
plaque
honouring the workers who
fell. There are also smaller
plaques for the Second
World War and the Korean
conflict.
Next, the group entered
the
former
Tootal,
Broadhurst and Lee offices
on Oxford Street. The
company was well known
for the brand name shirts.
On the staircase is an
impressive monument to
casualties of both World
Wars, headed by Noel Lee.
Lee was Brigadier General
127th. Brigade and of the
6th.
Manchesters
(48
Division). He was mentioned
in dispatches and died aged
48 on 22 March 1916. He is
buried in Pieta, Malta.
Within a short distance, in
St. Peters Square is the main
Municipal Monument. It
comprises
a
Lutyens
Cenotaph and war stone.
Phil explained the vagaries
of how the commission was
awarded.
After the war, Manchester
November 2010
CHAIRMAN’S NOTES
Good evening and welcome to
the November meeting.
There will be a short
Remembrance Ceremony in
the Drill Hall prior to the
talk.
First of all may I apologise
for the failure of the IT system
at last month’s meeting.
Fortunately Peter Hart was able
to take it all in his stride. With the help
of a hastily prepared map by Phil Hamer, he was able
to give a detailed anatomical study of the
Dardenelles. I am sure those who witnessed it will
not forget it for a long time.
I am very pleased to welcome back Rob Thompson
tonight. Rob is one of the most enthusiastic speakers
on the circuit and will provide us with an in depth
assessment of the events of March 1918.
I am sure all those who went on the Memorial Walk
enjoyed themselves. My thanks must go to Phil
Hamer for his detailed research on the various
buildings involved and the stories of the intrigue that
accompanied their commission and construction.
Next month’s meeting will embrace the annual hot
pot supper. Mike Platt has steadfastly brought the
rations up the line for several years. However, I am
sure he would welcome some assistance, be it from
seasoned campaigners or raw recruits.
Terry Jackson
STOCKPORT ART GUILD
A few meetings ago, the Stockport
Art Guild asked if any former
serviceman or woman would be
willing to pose in their uniform. I
am delighted to say that our TA
host Alan Kennedy took up the
challenge. This is one of the
portraits currently on show at
Stockport Art Gallery. The artist is
Ron Coleman. I recommend the
exhibition. Incidentally it is for sale
and all the proceeds will go towards
helping our service personnel.
Terry Jackson, Chairman
St Peters Square
1
Tootal, Broadhurst & Lee
Corporation was slow to
plan for a municipal
memorial.
When
the
Rochdale Memorial was
unveiled in 1922, the British
Legion expressed its concern
via the Evening News. A
Committee was appointed
and a small budget was
allocated. There was a lack
of central sites. Only Albert
Square (outside the Town
Hall), Piccadilly (the site of
the former Manchester
Quay Street. On the junction with
Byrom Street is the old County Court
building, now used as barristers’
chambers. The whole area comprises St.
Johns Court. It had expanded to fulfil
the legal requirements of the emerging
commercial centre of the Industrial
Revolution.
On the gable wall is an encased
memorial to those from the area who
served and those who fell in the Great
War. One remembered is Co. Sgt. John
W. Halliday DCM MM 10th. Bn. Loyal
North Lancs. He died on 22 March 1918
and is on the Arras Memorial.
The area also has an older historical
military connection. At the corner of
Byrom Street and the aptly named
Artillery Street is a Blue Plaque. This
commemorates that, on the then field,
the Jacobites of Bonnie Prince Charlie
used it as a gun park during their march
south in 1745.
St John’s Court
Royal Infirmary) and the site of the sonamed church in St. Peter’s Square
were adequate.
Albert Square seemed the obvious
choice, but there were other
monuments, including that of Prince
Albert. Although the King agreed to it
being re-sited, the local Society of
Architects and the Arts Federation
objected. The planning proposals were
unclear for Piccadilly. Although not
really desired and almost by default, St
Peters Square got the go ahead.
The
aforementioned
Societies
suggested that local architect Percy
Worthington should assess the
candidates. However, the Committee
typically flexed their muscles to
appoint an architect, ‘who can be
trusted to produce a suitable design.’
At that time, Lutyens happened to be
working on the nearby Midland Bank.
It is no surprise that he was appointed
and an appropriately scaled down
Cenotaph was unveiled in 1924 by the
Earl of Derby and Mrs Dingle, who had
lost three sons.
Among the associated plaques is one
to ‘Our Italian Friends 1915-1918.’
Italians had a history of settling in the
old industrial Greater Manchester.
However, it was a little churlish that it
was removed in 1940 and not reinstated until 1990.
A brisk walk down Peter Street took
us past the site of the Peterloo Massacre.
We then crossed over Deansgate into
Outside the Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral
2
Manchester Masonic Hall
The next stop was the Masonic Hall in
Bridge Street. The hall is a monument
to those lodge members who were
killed in the Great War. The architect
was Percy Scott (1929). This, too, like the
Cenotaph, was opened by The Earl of
Derby. (1865-1948). He was the Secretary
of State for War 1916-18 and was
responsible
for
the
somewhat
unsuccessful
Derby
Recruitment
Scheme. As well as being Honorary
President of the Rugby Football League,
he was the East Lancashire Masonic
Provincial Grand Master from 1899 until
his death.
Another stroll brought us to the
Cathedral. Inside, in the Regimental
Chapel, are the various colours of the
Manchester Regiment. There is also a
substantial set of books representing
a Roll of Honour. Other items include a
plaque commemorating Wilfred Owen
and a reading table dedicated to the
Manchesters at Le Cateau in 1914.
This was dedicated by Lt-Col. H.C.
Theobald. Captain Frederick George
Theobald was in the 1st Bn. Kings Own
(Loyal Lancaster) Regiment. He was
killed at Le Cateau on 26 August 1914.
He was the son of the Reverend F.
Theobald from near Colchester. He is
remembered on La Fere-Sous-Jouarre
Memorial, east of Paris. This records
those men of the 1914 BEF who have
no known grave. There is also a
private memorial to Captain W. N.
Bazley, 1/6Bn. Manchesters, killed on
23 March 1915 and buried in the
Lancashire Landing Cemetery.
Victoria Station
Nearby is Victoria Station. Next to
the old booking office is an impressive
landscape memorial to 1,465 staff of
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
who were lost. It was unveiled by Earl
Haig. Terry identified some who had
interesting histories. Among them is
2nd Lt Joseph Crookes Grime. He was a
2nd. Lt. 17th. Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
and a graduate of Manchester
University. He was killed in France on
26 March 1918. His father was a
former Lord Mayor.
Two soldiers who were friends were
Privates Albert Ingham and Alfred
Longshaw of 11th Platoon, 18th.
Manchesters. They died on the same
day. Unfortunately, they were both
shot at dawn. Their story was
recounted recently in an edition of Ian
Hislop’s ‘Gone but not Forgotten.’
Discovered hiding in a ship at Dieppe,
they paid the penalty on 1st December
1916. Both are buried in Bailleulmont
Community Cemetery. It was not until
later that Ingham’s father discovered
his son’s true fate. He was so incensed
that he had the inscription on the
headstone worded to signify that his
son had been executed.
One of our party, Keith Gilbody, was,
A Ingham shot at dawn
Fiskdock Gate
3
rightly, proud to point out that his
grandfather was one of those named.
James Gilbody, Private 3976, 12th. Bn
Manchester
Regiment,
died
5
December 1915. Son of the late John
and Mary Gilbody, husband of
Margaret,
16
Handel
Street,
Manchester. James is remembered on
the Menin Gate. A number of the
local
station
staff
are
also
remembered on a separate plaque.
Nearby, on a boundary wall, is a
small plaque. This must be passed
every day by thousands of commuters,
unaware of its significance. It
identifies a small gateway close by.
This is the Fishdock Gate. Troops were
assembled outside in the area used by
fish merchants to collect their goods
from trains inbound from the ports. It
simply reads ‘To the memory of the
many thousands of men who passed
through this door to the Great War of
1914-1919 and of those who did not
return.’ In this poignant historical
spot, Quartermaster Tom Willis, who
served in the Manchester Regiment,
recited the Exhortation.
A short distance away is the
Printworks. Formerly owned by the
Maxwell Empire, prior to the Great
War it was owned by the Hulton Press.
Its founder, Ned, had been sacked by
the Manchester Guardian for printing
pirate newspapers. Despite its
conversion
to
a
leisure
and
entertainment centre in 2000, on a
wall are two similar plaques dedicated
to the fallen in both World Wars. By
the later conflict, the company had
been incorporated into the Kemsley
Group.
Tib Street
The next memorial must be in one
of the most unusual places ever. It
commemorates the men of J & N
Phillips who died during both
conflicts. The building in Tib Street
was their headquarters until 1960. It
was also used by the Ministry of Works
for the censorship of POW letters in
the later war. The building was
demolished and replaced by a multistorey car park. The plaques were put
onto one of the external walls. The
walls of this structure are in need of
repair. Fortunately, the plaques seem
in reasonable condition and are safely
fenced off.
The group then had to negotiate
the Primark Army in Market Street and
headed to St Anns Square. Here we
looked at a memorial to the
Manchester Regiment soldiers lost in
the 2nd Boer War. A wounded soldier
is handing a colleague ammunition.
Phil recounted how the controversy
arose over the selection of the
sculptor.
Most of the £2,000 was raised by
public subscription. Despite an
Executive Committee recommending
that six sculptors be invited to submit
designs, the Main Committee directly
appointed William Thorneycroft,
when many thought one of the local
nominees
should
have
been
appointed. Due to Thorneycroft’s
other commissions, it took five years to
complete. It was unveiled by Sir Ian
Hamilton in 1908.
A notable feature on the inscription
is that the monument also remembers
those whose names could not be
ascertained. It may be that this
shortfall encouraged the future CWGC
to ensure that even the missing would
be honoured by name.
Nearby, we entered St Anns Church.
It was probably designed by John
Barker. The carvings around the altar
were copied from originals designed
by Grinling Gibbons in St. Pauls. This
contributed
to
the
perceived
association with Wren. As well as the
plaque to honour church members,
there is one brought from the
demolished St. Chads. There is a
plaque from the friends of 2nd Lt
Arthur Cecil Burrows. He served in the
14th Bn Cheshire Regiment and died
of wounds on 5 June 1916. He is
buried in Karachi Military Cemetery
and is named on the India Gate, New
Delhi - also designed by Lutyens.
We finished at the Ape and Apple
St Anne’s Square
4
hotel on John Dalton Street. This is
owned by Joseph Holts Brewery.
Joseph Holt originally worked for
Harrisons Brewery. Aided by his wife,
Catherine, who was an astute
businesswoman, they took advantage
of Manchester’s population reaching
300,000 by the 1830s. His son Edward
who took over the business, became
Lord Mayor and negotiated the
provision of water from the Lake
District. This was to the chagrin of the
Temperance Movement.
His son, Joseph, was a Captain in the
6th. Manchesters and was killed at the
Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915.
He is remembered on the Helles
Memorial. There is a portrait of
Captain Holt in the entrance hall. His
brother, Edward, took over the
business after the
war.
The tour, restricted to the heart of
the city, took about three hours.
However, not all the monuments that
still exist were seen. Some are kept in
vaults or museums. Several are in the
Central Library, which is undergoing
refurbishment. There are others in
various buildings and organisations
that are not open at weekends.
And so ended a rewarding day; all
being impressed that Manchester’s
finest are suitably recalled throughout
the City.
Terry Jackson, Chairman.
LAST MONTH’S TALK
Cape Helles landing map
Despite a failure in the IT,
which prevented Peter Hart
from being able to illustrate
his talk, he managed not
only tell his tale, but also
provide one of the most
hilarious evenings ever
experienced at the branch.
The initial assault was
carried out by the British
Navy attacking the Asian
forts on 19 February 1915.
This was followed by a large
scale attack on 18 March.
The straits had been heavily
mined and the French
Battleship Bouvet sank with
the loss of 600 men.
The
accompanying
minesweepers were manned
by civilians and they were
unable to cope in the heavy
conflict. The loss of HMS
Irresistible and Inflexible
and damage to HMS Ocean
shifted the focus onto an
amphibious landing.
As the Mediterranean had
been considered within the
sphere of French influence,
the 1st Division of the Corps
Expeditionaire d’Orient was
to take part. It comprised
the
Foreign
Legion,
Senegalese, Zouaves and
175 Regiment of the 1st
Brigade. They were led by
General Albert D’Amade
(SEE PIC) who was the most
senior officer that could be
spared from the Western
Front. There were 4,000
officers and 18,000 men.
The proposal was for
them to land near Kum
Kale, on the Asian side of
the straits. This was opposite
the British 29th Division
landing site at V Beach. It
would protect the allies
from attack from over the
opposite side of the Straits.
On 25 March, following a
naval bombardment, the
French landed and after
heavy fighting took Kum
Kale. Although there was
heavy fighting the next day,
Hamilton was pleased with
the diversionary effect of
the French assault.
The French re-embarked
and crossed over to S Beach
and joined the British forces
in the First Battle of Krithia
in April. The attack stalled
especially at Kereves Dere,
known by the French as La
Ravin de la Mort. After a
Turkish attack in early May,
General d’Amade
General Gourade
5
the
Second
Battle
commenced on 6 May. The
French were slow to start,
failed to keep up with the
RND and the Senegalese
retreated.
The attack resulted in
heavy losses and by May a
change
of
command.
D’Amade was replaced by
the younger Gouraud (SEE
PIC) and reinforcements
accompanied him. In June
they were involved in the
Third Battle for the town.
Again they took high
casualties for little reward.
On 21 June the French
made a concerted effort on
Haricot Redoubt. After
heavy fighting they were
able to overlook Kereves
Dere above the Turkish
forces. They had ample
artillery and shells which
had assisted the assault and
were able to cover the Suvla
landings
in
August.
Unfortunately Gouraud was
injured and replaced by
Bailloud at the end of June.
He was distrusted by
Hamilton and eventually the
French were transferred to
Salonika in September. Ed
Dedication of Fromelles Military Cemetery
On 19 July, the 76th
anniversary of the one-day
Battle of Fromelles west of Lille,
the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood)
Military
Cemetery
was
dedicated with deeply moving
ceremonial in the presence of
His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales and Her Excellency Ms
Quentin Bryce, the GovernorGeneral of Australia.
Fromelles is the first new
cemetery to be inaugurated by
the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission since the 1960’s,
and it contains the graves of
over 250 soldiers from the 5th
Australian Division and the
United Kingdom 61st (South
Midland) Division who fell in
the battle.
In the evening of 19 July 1916
the
two
divisions
were
launched into attack on welldug and well-sited German
defences just west of the ruins
of the village of Fromelles. The
purpose was to prevent
German reserves being moved
50 miles south to the Somme,
where Haig’s three-weeks-old
offensive had become a hardslog struggle of attrition. The
attack marked the debut in
battle
of
these
‘green’
Australian and British divisions,
while the planning reveals a
military leadership at the very
start of a painful learning
curve. That leadership believed
that
heavy
preliminary
bombardment would demolish
the enemy defences and
paralyse the defenders, after
which the infantry could march
forwards in waves to occupy
the German trench system. But
instead, German artillery and
machine-guns cut down the
attackers in the open. Only
small
and
short-lived
lodgements
were
gained
before the whole enterprise
was stopped.
The 5th Australian Division
lost 5,533 killed, wounded and
So far – and the work will
continue – 208 of the dead
have been identified.
It is the hope and belief of
the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission that their new
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood)
Military Cemetery will be
‘worthy of the sacrifices made
by these men and will become
a place of dignified pilgrimage
and remembrance for years to
come’. The Cemetery, red brick
and stone, and beautifully
planted,
follows
the
architectural tradition of other
Western Front cemeteries so
well known to members of the
WFA. Each recovered soldier
was here buried with full
military honours. And it was the
internment of the last man;
identity unknown, of the 250 so
far found that formed the truly
moving
climax
to
the
dedication of the Cemetery on
19 July.
Yet we must not forget the
villagers of Fromelles, who
willingly donated the land on
which the cemetery stands, and
who have taken immense
interest in the project. On the
day of the Dedication, the
villagers lined the streets
warmly to welcome us the
congregation, as we walked
through to the Cemetery. They
too remember!
When we were all seated on
a temporary stand overlooking
the Cemetery and the platform
for the VIPs, the coffin of the
Unknown Soldier was drawn
CWGC
missing; the British 61st Division
1,547 killed, wounded and
missing.
There then followed the long
aftermath, which finally lead to
the dedication of the Fromelles
(Pheasant
Wood)
Military
Cemetery on a ferociously hot
afternoon in July 2010.
Immediately following the
battle, the Germans collected
the dead and buried them in
mass graves. When these graves
were discovered in 2007, the
British
and
Australian
governments agreed that the
bodies should be recovered
and, where possible, identified.
The work was entrusted to
Oxford Archaeology, which
between May and September
2009 recovered 250 bodies for
temporary
storage
in
a
mortuary. Oxford Archaeology
painstakingly recorded the
soldiers’ DNA, their physical
characteristics, and artefacts
found nearby, all as aids to
identification. The Casualty and
Compassionate Care Centre of
the British Ministry of Defence
and an Australian Army team
undertook the task of tracing
the families of the fallen.
through the village street of
Fromelles on a Great-War GS
waggon with a two-horse team
and driver from the Royal Horse
Artillery. Australian soldiers in
bush-hats and Royal Fusiliers in
cockaded berets provided the
close escort, while before the
waggon walked the Prince of
Wales and the GovernorGeneral of Australia.
There followed the funeral
with full military honours,
ending with the Exhortation
‘We will remember them’ (read
by the Hon Alan Griffith MP,
Australian
Minister
for
Veterans’ Affairs), the Last Post
(and the lowering of the Union
Flag and the Australian
National Flag), one minute’s
silence, and then Reveille and
the raising of the flags.
After wreaths had been laid
and tributes spoken by the
Prince of Wales, the GovernorGeneral of Australia and the
French Minister of State for
Defence and Veterans, it fell to
the Prince of Wales formally to
dedicate the Cemetery.
Then all of us stood and the
military saluted, as the French,
British and Australian National
Anthems were played by the
Minden Band of the Queen’s
Division.
As
Honorary
National
President of the Western Front
Association, I was proud indeed
to have been invited to
represent the membership at
the very special day.
Correlli Barnet
WW1 RADIO BROADCAST ON
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
You may be interested in knowing that Radio Poplar, a charity
web service in Leeds will be broadcasting a Wireless Theatre
Company production of ‘Dulce Est Decorum Patri Mori’
at 1pm on Remembrance Sunday.
It’s mainly about letters sent to and from the front lines from
soldiers to loved ones during World War 1.
Our website address is www.radiopoplar.co.uk
NEXT ISSUE
Copy, Word docs, pictures, jpegs, cuttings etc. by 26th November please
to the Editor, Terry Jackson, 4 Scaliot Close, New Mills, SK22 3BX.
Tel: 01663 740987
Email: [email protected]
Branch Chairman: Terry Jackson
Secretary: To be Appointed
Venue: The Armoury (TA Centre),
Greek Street, Stockport.
Meeting on the second friday
of every month. 7.30 for 8.00pm.
1914-1918
REMEMBERING
Lancs. & Cheshire Branch Diary
Dec. 10th
Jan. 14th
Feb. 11th
6
A Haven in Hell - Talbot House and Poperinghe
by Paul Chapman
JOHN BOURNE
Hiring and Firing on the Western Front
CLIVE HARRIS - Daring Deeds of the Dardenelles